Scottish Highland Games- There can only be one!

After spending a few days in Glasgow, we headed north west to Oban. Our first stop was the Argyllshire Gathering Oban Games for an afternoon of culture and competition. We lucked out and were able to catch this 1 day event while we were arriving in Oban.

The Argyllshire Gathering began back in 1871, as a way of bringing families of Argyll together. The Games happen 1 day a year in different communities across the Highlands and include various track and field events, performances by the local piping bands, dancing and tug of war.

One of the signature events is Tossing the Caber; an event where a competitor must raise a tree trunk, weighing about 130lbs and measuring up to 20’, to a vertical position, balance it, and then run to build up momentum and throw the trunk in a way that the larger end hits the ground with the smaller end making a semi-circle in the air. The crowd was getting into it as each competitor made their attempt.

Another game that we were entertained with was watching the Scottish Hammer. In this competition. The contestants swings the hammer around their head and then releases it with the winner being the one who throws it the furthest distance.

Finally, no trip to the games is complete with the piping band.