Three different versions of our Highland Games Events over three days

In the first week of July, we held three different incarnations of our Highland Games Events in three different locations, over three days in a row. We were required to change-up how we run our Highland Games by the conditions of each location, and the varied abilities of the participants.

The Renaissance Club

The first event was at The Renaissance Club, a golf course in East Lothian with perfect greens and a beautifully managed fairway. Even the rough wasn’t that rough. A golf course immediately presents a set of complications for a Highland Games event. Chiefly, how to avoid damaging any playing areas when doing things like the Caber toss. Indeed, having an event that involves a lot of throwing heavy things around could be potentially disastrous for a meticulously landscaped golf course.

As if that wasn’t concern enough, our task was compounded by the fact that the Renaissance Club was the venue for the Scottish Open, which was to take place only a week later. This meant that we had to be extra careful. Any damage, accidental or incidental, wouldn’t have much time to be repaired before one of the biggest golf events in the world teed off. Even lots of feet on the green could mark the grass and damage it without leaving it sufficient time to re-grow.

The precautions we put in to place were to make sure to throw everything in to the rough, all the while trying to prevent too much traffic on the fairway and green. We also had some of the Greenskeepers on hand to make sure everything was okay.

The event was for two American families, around 30 people, visiting Scotland for the Open. They had done a Highland Games event before, and were very keen to throw hammers and toss Cabers.

We set up the Caber toss and they took turns, one-by-one, while the rest of the group cheered. We also did a Hammer Throw, a Welly-Wang, and a Scottish Stone.

All in all, it was a very successful event, with both Clients and Greenskeepers happy, and the Scottish Open continued the next week, aided by perfect grounds.

Dundas Castle

Our event at Dundas Castle the following day was a full day of entertainment, including Highland Games, for a Client’s 60^th birthday party. There were around 40 guests.

After lunch, we put on a Falconry show for the Client with a Falcon and a Golden Eagle. Then a Bagpiper piped the group down to the Highland Games demonstration.

This session of Highland Games was run by two Highland Games Champions. Pete Hart clinched the British Heavyweight win for 56lb weight over a bar at the Lochcarron Games in 2013. 6’6, 20-stone Bruce Robb is a champion of the Strathmore, Aberdeen, and North Berwick Games. Check them out in the video below.

Pete demonstrated the activities while Bruce provided colour commentary to the group. They then asked for volunteers to take part. Several members of the group jumped at the chance, while others were content to sit back and cheer from the sidelines.

After the Highland Games, the birthday group were piped to the Old Keep, a popular medieval wedding venue at Dundas Castle, and climbed to the top of the Old Keep to take pictures of the view of the River Forth. Then thegroup went in to the Armory for a Scottish Gin and Whisky Tasting.

The afternoon entertainment ended, and the group were piped back to the castle to their rooms before dinner. Later in the evening, Roddy the Piper heralded the guests out of their rooms and piped them down to dinner before performing the address to the Haggis.

After Dinner, the guests enjoyed a performance by the Reel Time Ceilidh Band. The evening was rounded out by a Pipe Band

Wedderburn Castle

Our third Highland Games event in three days was for an Incentive Group from Germany staying in Wedderburn Castle in the Scottish Borders. They had hired the castle for three days of business meetings and team bonding. They were interested in a Highland Games experience in order to foster teamwork, and to try something out of their comfort zone as a group.

In the spirit of trying new things, the group were first treated to a bagpipe workshop led by Roddy the Piper. This provided a great challenge, as getting a sound out of a set of pipes is not easy for the uninitiated. It’s also a great mental challenge, requiring a lot of technique, which provides some variety to the physical challenge to follow.

Then came the Highland Games. They took part in the Caber toss, Hammer throwing, and Scottish Stone. The physical activities required that they work together to be successful. Some team members took to the challenges more naturally than others, then took on the roles of teachers and motivators, to ensure the whole group had a positive experience.

A fun and challenging games was followed by a Falconry display, and then a whisky tasting as a well-earned reward.

For more about our Highland Games Events, please visit our page on the Reel Time Events site.