Paul and Linda McCartney retreat in Scotland

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On October 22, 1969, Paul McCartney, his wife Linda, their two daughters (6-year-old Heather and baby Mary) and their sheepdog Martha travelled to Paul’s farm in Scotland. After a ten-hour drive in Land Rover, they arrived at High Park Farm and would stay there till December (they would leave mid-December to spend some time in Antigua, before coming back to London just before Christmas where Paul would start recording his first solo album).

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We decided the only thing to do was to boycott Apple, just get out of there. The meetings were just such a headache so we just came to Scotland. We took the kids, we took the dog, took everything we had, put a guitar on the top and took a potty for the baby and that was it.

Paul McCartney – From “And In The End” by Ken McNab, 2020

I was going through a hard period. I exhibited all the classic symptoms of the unemployed, the redundant man. First, you don’t shave, and it’s not to grow a groovy beard, it’s because you cannot be fucking bothered. Anger, deep deep anger sets in, with everything, with yourself number one, and with everything in the world number two. And justifiably so because I was being screwed by my mates. So I didn’t shave for quite a while. I didn’t get up. Mornings weren’t for getting up. I might get up and stay on the bed a bit and not know where to go, and get back into bed. Then if I did get up, I’d have a drink. Straight out of bed. I’ve never been like that. There are lots of people who’ve been through worse things than that, but for me this was bad news because I’d always been the kind of guy who could really pull himself together and think, “Oh, fuck it,” but at that time I felt I’d outlived my usefulness. This was the overall feeling: that it was good while I was in the Beatles, I was useful and I could play bass for their songs, I could write songs for them to sing and for me to sing, and we could make records of them. But the minute I wasn’t with the Beatles anymore it became really very difficult.

Paul McCartney  – From “Many Years From Now” by Barry Miles, 1997

It was good while I was in the Beatles, I was useful, and I could play bass for their songs, I could write songs for them to sing and for me to sing, and we could make records of them. But the minute I wasn’t with the Beatles anymore, it became really very difficult.

Paul McCartney – From “Solid State” by Kenneth Womack, 2019

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While in Scotland, Paul McCartney continued writing songs. He penned two songs – “The Lovely Linda” and “That Would Be Something” – which would be released on his debut solo album, “McCartney“, released in April 1970.

His wife Linda documented their life in Scotland through her photography, some of her photographs would be used on the packaging of the “McCartney“ album.

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Last updated on December 17, 2023