9 August 2104
Accommodation – Ferryhill House Hotel
Weather – overcast
Temperature – mid teens and coolish winds
Today we went to a Highland Games!
We have travelled the length and breadth of Scotland and
everywhere we went we were either too early or too late to join in the fun. Well, the stars aligned and Nethy Bridge, ten
miles outside of Aviemore, was holding its annual Abernethy Highland Games
hosted by the Clan Grant.
Just after starting time we were among the enthusiastic crowd
gathering around the perimeter of the large oval to enjoy the activities. Pipes could be heard playing all day while
highland dancers performed on two stages on opposite sides of the oval and
another platform at the rear of the oval held a bagpipe competition.
We had a lot of fun watching the children’s races of tatie
in spoon, wheelbarrow and running races.
One little fellow did the wheelbarrow race in his kilt!
Tartans of all sorts....hair sprayed and the girls had their feet in clear boots to keep them clean.
Two members of our group joined us and we followed the
program waiting eagerly for the Chieftain’s
parade at 1pm. We were not
disappointed as the massed piped band numbered 150 with pipers, large drums and
kettle drums. The band marched around
the oval twice leading the Grant clan chieftain and members of the clan. Flags flew from Australia, New Zealand,
United States and Canada where members of the clan are represented. What a moving experience for the four of us.
The massed pipe band....what a spectacle!
Clan Grant and the Chieftain.
After the introduction of this year’s elected Chieftan of
the Games a minute’s silence was observed followed by a lone piper on a small
hillock situated just behind the oval.
As the lament neared the end the piper turned and moved behind the hillock
with the sound gradually dying away.
What an honour to see this and to pay our respects to the 100 years
since the commencement of WWI and the thirty-seven men of the district who lost
their lives.
The participants in the heavy events, unique to highland
games, are required to wear kilts and there was quite an array. The events include putting the shot, weight
for distance, Scots hammer, weight over the bar and tossing the caber.
The caber toss....kilts are required.
As the heavy events continued, the Scottish dancers were
still dancing away on their platforms and the pipe competition just outside the
oval was still going strong.
...and around they come again - three times during the day.
Athletic events ran throughout the day as well and the
crowds had really swelled by lunchtime.
Lunch of venison burgers was enjoyed while we were lucky to find a
wooden seat to watch the start of the heavy events.
Finally we had to pull ourselves away from our first
experience of highland games. Already it
was 3.30pm so we had to make our way to Aberdeen for an overnight stay.
We followed the Western Highland Route to Aberdeen. It’s a very pretty route and we noticed as
soon as we left the Cairngorm Mountains that the grass was lusher and we had
left the barren mountain tops behind.
Tomorrow we are heading to Crail, my ancestors on my
maternal side’s birthplace.
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