Highland Games

Highland Games

The Highland Games happen in different villages around on different days. We hoped for good weather and drove up to Pitlochry (about 2.5 hours north). It was a gorgeous day! The atmosphere was a family day out mixed with a school track and field day. It was amazingly organized and coordinated (they've had about 150 years to tweak it!).

We found a place that was front and center (though I think you could sit anywhere around the track and have a pretty good view of many of the different competitions).  Scottish dancing went on all day--the same competitors with 4 different dances (and outfits) done twice...2 to 4 dancers on each stage at a time.

Behind that were the heavy lifting and throwing competitions. Tossing the caber (the telephone pole) is not about how far you can throw it but how straight it lands after being flipped end over end (aiming for 12 with the thrower at 6 on the imaginary clock). Throwing the stone- with the stone in the crook if the neck either from a standing position or after spinning. Throwing a ----- , they stand backwards and sling it around before letting it fly behind them! These competitions were done twice, one for locals and one open (those who compete all over - not randoms from the audience). One of the locals broke a few records for the Pitlochry games! He made it look pretty easy!

There were races both in foot and on bicycles, children through adults. Males and females ran together as did different ages. They had someone who would set a handicap at the starting line. We happened to sit right where they placed the finish line.

There were 16 (or so) Pipe Bands from all over who marched in and around the track as they were introduced. They then came back one by one for the competition. At the end they marched in together as a mass band (divided into 2 mass bands) and played all as one. That was impressive (very glad we were outside!). 

And in the very back of the field there was a tug of war. I'm not aire I've seen adults tug if war...each round took ages as the teams would lean back to almost horizontal and then wait for minutes before anything else happened. I'm not sure if it was a signal from their captain or a feeling that someone on the other team had loosened their grip...There would be some grunting and movement before they settled into the horizontal 'resting' position. The announcer made several quips about them being there until 7 that night or even the next morning.