One of our last adventures of summer was a Scottish road trip to the Highland Games.
We had been to the games once before in Canada, but now it was time to experience the real
deal right where it all began, so after enjoying a few days in Glasgow, we hit the road.
Our destination: the Cowal Highland Gathering in the town of Dunoon.
We're in Loch Lomond.
First stop of the day.
Yep.
We've been driving how long do you think?
Maybe a half hour?
A bit more.
More like 45 minutes to 50 minutes.
Yeah, and we've been seeing the Loch eyeing it out of the window for a while now.
It looked beautiful so we finally pulled over.
Trying to figure out an actual place to pull over and then we finally did and then we found
this nice little stretch.
It is almost like this tiny little stretch of sand.
And yeah it has been great to fly because it was raining before and it stopped just
for us.
So yeah, it is beautiful but gotta get back to the car and continue this road trip.
Our journey took us west out of Glasgow and then north along the shores of Loch Lomond
and the Trossachs National Park.
Loch Lomond is the largest loch in Scotland and probably the most famous after Loch Ness,
though we didn't spot Nessie's cousin.
From there we continued along the shores of Loch Fyne and Loch Eck, before arriving at
our destination in the middle of a torrential downpour.
Seeing as the weather wasn't cooperating, we grabbed a quick dinner in Dunoon and drove
to our AirBnB, which was set in an old merchant's manor right by the water.
Alright Sam, what is this place behind us?
This is where we stayed.
This was home for the night.
Tada.
Look at how historic it is.
I think it dates back to the 1800s.
Yeah, and the host was so so nice.
We loved our stay here and we slept like babies.
So peaceful.
Alright, time to hit the road.
This is our beast of a car.
We got a giant van.
It looks like we're going on tour but I guess this was the only automatic they had.
So we took it.
So we have made it.
We have arrived at the Cowal Highland Gathering.
This is the main reason we've come all the way to the town of Dunoon.
It is a little bit early actually.
We're here too early because none of the events have started yet.
But we noticed there is a street food section where we can sample some Scottish street food.
So we're going to go in search of a snack and then it will be time for dancing and games.
Let's go.
Ah, it is a big portion.
Only if you can.
You got neeps.
Hahaha.
That is the stovies here.
Beets.
So we found a food truck called Scotland's Gourmet Kitchen and I ordered myself Beef
Stovies.
I had no idea what this was.
So food tour.
Yeah.
The way they explained it to me it is kind of like a potato mash with some dried beef,
it also has some carrots and it comes with beetroot and little oat cakes or oat cookies.
So yeah, first time trying this Scottish dish.
Let's see what it is like.
Is it good?
Mmmm.
That is quite nice yeah.
Yeah.
I loved mashed potatoes so I mean you could have added anything to it and I'd be like
yeah that is good.
It is nice and hearty.
And the beef is quite tender not too tough.
And let's add some beetroot in there.
Beetroot and maybe I wonder if this is meant to be dessert or you just eat it with the
mash.
Mmmm.
New dish and it is a hit with me.
I like this a lot.
And I'm going for a classic Haggis, Neeps and Tatties.
Yeah.
So let me show you which is which.
Haggis over here and that is sheep's pluck which is heart, liver and lungs.
Yes.
And then we have the tatties which are the potatoes.
Yep.
And the neeps which are the turnips.
So yeah this is probably the most famous Scottish dish you can try.
Classic Scottish food right here.
And I have to say wonderful food to be having on a day that is a little bit chilly and overcast.
Yeah.
And rainy so.
This is the kind of hearty food I need.
Yeah.
Oh my gosh that is nice.
I'm glad we found some food before the games begin.
Because I think it is going to get quite busy.
Yeah, this is delicious.
Next, it was time to enjoy some of the events.
Bagpiping is an integral part of the Highland Games with both solo pipers and pipe bands
competing, and we happened to be there on the day the Cowal Pipe Band Championship was
taking place, so we had to check that out.
(Scottish Bagpipes and Drums)
We also watched some Highland dancing.
The Cowal Highland Gathering was hosting the Scottish and World Highland Dancing Championships,
so there were dancers from around the world competing that day.
It is great we've been granted access here into the trophy room and there are some very
impressive looking trophies so we're just going to have a quick little tour.
But now let's meet the man who was showing us around the Cowal Highland Games.
Hi my name is Alan Pettigrew.
I've come down here for the Cowal Highland Gathering.
The biggest and most prestigious games in the world.
I'm here in Dunoon in Bonnie Scotland.
And today there is going to be a fantastic day and we've been here doing these games
for about a 120 years.
Today in the heavy events we have 6 events to vie for this prestigious championship.
We have the famous Cowal Stone which is 14.3 kilograms.
We have the 16 pound shot.
The 28 pound weight for distance.
The 16 pound scott hammer and this is this lovely beauty here.
This is the original hammer which Scotland gave to the world of International athletics.
A wooden shaft which then changed to a wire handle and used in the Olympics and World
Championships all over the world.
And after this event we have the 56 pound weight over the bar for height and then last
but not least we have the famous till hall caber.
So we just finished watching some of the Highland dancing and the bagpipers and now the Heavy
Athletics are about to begin.
We're going to watch the men and women compete and that is happening just behind us and we've
got front row seats so let me take you over.
(Patting sounds)
Arrggghhhh.
(Grunting noises)
But enough of the huffing and puffing, I think we need some slo-mo magic to really appreciate
this event.
Well well how is your morning going so far?
It is going great.
I think I've been really enjoying the Heavy Athletics.
Yeah.
Like the athletes are so strong yet they are so coordinated as well.
Yeah, it is just amazing to see how far they are able to toss these different items that
they are throwing.
Yeah, especially that stone.
Oh my gosh.
I tried picking it up.
Oh my gosh it weighs a tonne.
So the festivities still continue.
I can actually hear bagpipes off in the distance but we actually need to head back to Glasgow
because we have a flight to catch later tonight.
Yeah, so we're saying farewell games.
Bye bye Highland Games.
But it was a cool experience and it was really nice to have a local like Alan show us around,
give us a bit of a behind the scenes tour.
Mmmhmm.
And yeah it was just a great games.
Great event and highly recommend going if you're in Scotland this time of year.
Alright, let's hop in the car.
So we are making a random little stop in Benmore.
We're just outside Benmore Botanic Garden because we saw sheep.
We saw green fields, we saw forests, a river.
Now we're walking on a wooden bridge and it just looked beautiful.
What do you think Sam?
Yeah, exactly.
Baa!
Baa!
I don't think you guys have gotten a full tour of the van yet.
And it is massive.
This beast right here is a nine seater.
It fits I think 8.
It is three three and two in front.
But yeah, when they pulled this car up we were like are you kidding me.
We're going along these little narrow roads country roads.
It was a challenge and then we had like basically a storm last night.
So yeah.
I think you improved your driving skills immensely.
Woo hoo!
We were both thrilled to be treated with much better weather on the drive back to Glasgow,
so we made it a point to stop and enjoy the scenery.
One of our favourite stops was the Rest & Be Thankful lookout point - yes, that's the
actual name of the place, so we did exactly as it suggested.
And that's a wrap for our road trip to the Cowal Highland Gathering.
We were only there to experience 1 day of the events, but we hope this video gave you
a little taste of what Scotland's Highland Games are all about.
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