Basics - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 34

Events and
spectator sports
There's a huge range of organized annual
events on offer in the Highlands and
Islands, reflecting both vibrant contem-
porary culture and well-marketed
heritage. Many tourists will home
straight in on the Highland Games and
other tartan-draped theatricals, but
there's more to Scotland than this:
numerous regional celebrations perpe-
tuate ancient customs. A few of the
smaller, more obscure events, parti-
cularly those with a pagan bent, do not
always welcome the casual visitor.
The tourist board publishes a weighty
list of all Scottish events on its website
( W visitscotland.com).

private army by their colonel-in-chief, the Duke of Atholl, on the eve of
their Highland Games.

JUNE JULY
June Beginning of the Highland Games season across the
Highlands and Argyll; St Magnus Festival, Orkney W stmagnus
festival.com. A classical and folk music, drama, dance and literature
festival celebrating the islands. Rock Ness W rockness.co.uk. A big
outdoor electronic, rock and dance festival on the shores of Loch Ness.
July Mendelssohn on Mull W mullfest.org.uk. Music festival
celebrating classical music. Hebridean Celtic Festival, Stornoway
W hebceltfest.com. International Celtic music festival that takes place
over four days in Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides.
Tarbert Seafood Festival W tarbertfestivals.co.uk. This weekend of
gorging on seafood also sees live music and dance events around Tarbert's
sheltered harbour.
Late July West Highland Yachting Week W whyw.co.uk. A week of
yacht racing and shore-based partying which moves en masse between
Oban, Craobh and Tobermory.

SEPTEMBER
Early Sept The Ben Nevis Race (for amateurs) Involves running to the
top of Scotland's highest mountain and back again. Shinty's Camanachd
Cup final W shinty.com. The climax of the season for Scotland's own
stick-and-ball game, normally held in one of the main Highland towns.
Blas W blas-festival.com The premier Gaelic and traditional-music
festival, at venues across the Highlands.
Late Sept Annual World Stone Skimming Championships, Easdale
Island, near Oban W stoneskimming.com. No previous experience is
required; if you can make a stone bounce three times before sinking,
you're in.

Events calendar
DECEMBER JANUARY
Dec 31 and Jan 1 Hogmanay and Ne'er Day. Traditionally more
important to the Scots than Christmas, and known for the custom of
“first-footing”, when groups of revellers troop into neighbours' houses at
midnight bearing gifts. More popular these days are huge and highly
organized street parties in the larger towns.
Jan 1 Kirkwall Boys' and Men's Ba' G ames, Orkney. Mass, drunken
football game through the streets of the town, with the castle and the
harbour the respective goals. As a grand finale the players jump into
the harbour.
Last Tues in Jan Up-Helly-Aa, Lerwick, Shetland W visitshetland
.com. Norse fire festival culminating in the burning of a specially built
Viking longship. Visitors will need an invite from one of the locals, or you
can buy a ticket for the Town Hall celebrations.
Jan 25 Burns Night. Scots worldwide get stuck into haggis, whisky
and vowel-grinding poetry to commemorate Scotland's greatest poet,
Robert Burns.

OCTOBER NOVEMBER
Oct The National Mod W the-mod.co.uk. Held over nine days at a
different venue each year. It's a competitive festival and features all
aspects of Gaelic performing arts. The Golden Spurtle World Porridge
Making Championships, Carrbridge, Speyside W goldenspurtle
.com. Celebrity chefs preside over this competition, designed to find the
best traditionally made porridge.
Tiree Wave Classic W tireewaveclassic.co.uk. Annual event attracting
windsurfers from around the world to the breezy Hebridean island.
Late Oct Glenfiddich Piping and Fiddle Championships W blairatholl
.org.uk. Held at Blair Atholl for the world's top ten solo pipers.
Nov 30 St Andrew's Day. Celebrating Scotland's patron saint.

FEBRUARY
Feb Fort William Mountain Festival W mountainfestival.co.uk.
Films, lectures, guided walks and music sessions in celebration of
mountain culture.

Highland Games
Despite their name, Highland Games are held all
over Scotland between May and mid-September,
varying in size and in the range of events they offer.
The Games probably originated in the fourteenth
century as a means of recruiting the best fighting
men for the clan chiefs, and were popularized by
Queen Victoria to encourage the traditional dress,

MAY
Early May Spirit of Speyside Scotch Whisky Festival W spiritof
speyside.com. Four-day binge with pipe bands, gigs and dancing as
well as distillery crawls. Shetland Folk Festival ( W shetlandfolkfestival
.com). One of the liveliest and most entertaining of Scotland's round of
folk festivals.
Late May Atholl Highlanders Parade at Blair Castle, Perthshire
W blair-castle.co.uk. The annual parade and inspection of Britain's last