Many travel all the way to Scotland to see the big clan gatherings and the famous Highland Games events. But twice, I’ve come upon small-town games, which are very charming. You simply donate £5 (about $7.50) and join the local scene. Here’s a peek at the Kenmore games, just two hours north of Edinburgh.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
One day a year, the Scottish village of Kenmore hosts its Highland Games festival — and our tour group was lucky enough to be there, mixing it up with the locals enjoying an amazing Scottish scene…perfectly through the Back Door. The open field (just a short walk from our hotel) was filled with families having a delightful day out watching tug-of-wars, little kids’ sprints, gunnysack races, bands of marching pipers, and Highland dancing. While the girls impatiently and anxiously awaited their time with the bagpiper on stage, the big boys took turns tossing big things: Stones, hammers, and the caber (a log the size of a small telephone pole) were sent end-over-end to the delight of those gathered.
Over the next few days, I’ll share a few videos from the festivities. But for now, enjoy these photos.
Little dancer #691 was a model of grace, focus, and composure.
The tiny village of Kenmore—little more than the fancy domain of its castle, a church set in a bouquet of tombstones, and a line of humble houses—provided us with a fine dose of small town Scottish flavor. I’m traveling with our Scotland tour and we filled the town’s creaky inn. As a tour organizer, my challenge is to see the big must-see sights in the city and then immerse our groups in the sleepy, more traditional, and—as is so often the case—more enchanting rural and village scene. Kenmore did exactly that for our tour group. Everyone loved it.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
One of the joys of my work is hearing from people I’ve encountered in my travels about how the things we do here as travel writers have impacted their lives. So many Europeans we meet are favorites of mine because of their passion for their culture and their gift for sharing it.
Recently, out of the blue, I received an email from the daughter of a dear man I met on a desolate roadside in the Highlands of Scotland. It was about twelve years ago, when I was scrambling to make a TV show about the Highlands. As if placed there by heaven’s Central Casting, this tender giant of a man was bagpiping to the birds, the passing clouds, and the occasional motorist. He chose a spot that seemed intentionally miles from nowhere. We stopped, and he graciously demonstrated his pipes to us, giving us a tour of that fascinating symbol of Scottish culture. I’ve never forgotten that wonderful chance meeting…and it ended up a fine little part of our TV show.
The piper’s daughter wrote to me just last week, saying, “I want to thank you for the video on YouTube titled ‘Rannoch, Scotland: Highlands Roadside Piper.’ The piper in the video was my father Isaac, who sadly passed away 5 years ago in 2007. I only learned of this video today and was utterly stunned to hear his voice and see him the way he was.” She went on to say how much the video meant to her and that she hoped we’d never remove it, because he was an amazing man and now she can see her father whenever she needs to. Apparently, this is the only video clip she has of her father doing what he so loved to do…play his bagpipes surrounded by the glory of his Highlands deep in Scotland. She said, “I can now see my Daddy any time I like and remember him for the great man he was, and hear his voice and music again.”
It was with great joy that I sent her a DVD of her dad with the entire Scotland show. And it’s with great joy that I share this video clip of Isaac, the Highlands Roadside Piper, with you.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.