Hiland games

Atholl Gathering and Highland Games 28th — 29th May Ardrossan Highland Games 12th June Aberdeen Highland Games 19th June Ceres Highland Games 25th June Kenmore Highland Games 6th July Alva Games 9th July Lochcarron Highland Games 16th July Tomintoul Highland Games 16th July Arisaig Highland Games 27th July Halkirk Highland Games 30th July Braemer Stone Throw and Hammer Throw.

Caber Toss size and weight of caber differs between the classes of athletes. Sheaf Toss 16 lb. Highland Games Home Highland Games. Cabers Will Be Tossed! Athlete Registration Information Registration opens November 15, Most Highland games events take place at the weekend, on either a Saturday or a Sunday. So, what's it like to spend a day at a Highland games?

Here's what you can see, do and hear, as these events really are a feast of colour and spectacle, one to share with all of your family, friends and those you haven't met yet. There's plenty to do to fill the whole day - many events run from around 10am to 4pm, but you'll easily fill those six hours watching the heavy events and Highland dancing, enjoying fun fairs and stalls, and enjoying delicious Scottish food and drink.

Heavy contests, including the hammer throw and weight for height, see competitors putting their muscles to the test, while field events such as the hill race and cycling competition test speed and stamina.

Competitors in the heavy events use a range of techniques to improve their chances of winning. One movement in the weight for height event goes by the somewhat surprising nickname of 'the handbag technique', because the starting position is similar to where one would hold a handbag. Perhaps the games' most iconic event, the caber toss is rumoured to have stemmed from the need to toss logs over chasms.

Nowadays, however, it is judged on style rather than distance: competitors aim to flip a log weighing up to 11 st so that it falls away from them in the '12 o'clock position'. The length it travels is entirely unimportant. Ever wondered how you would fare in a Highland games competition? Find out with Highland Games Academy Scotland and undertake training with a professional heavies athlete in a stunning Highland setting. Whether you're a local or a visitor to Scotland, people of all ages are invited to toss the caber, attempt the stone throw and other iconic heavy events.

You can even try your hand at curling! Get in touch to design a personally tailored training course which can be extended over multiple days to include driving tours, castle visits and more. For many, one of the most memorable sights of the Highland games is the massed bands, when hundreds of pipers and drummers from different groups come together to play and march in unison.

Look out for the solo piping competitions, where competitors play in a range of styles, including the Pibroch, which is considered the classical music of the bagpipe. Pibrochs tend to be slow, stately and complex. Dancers give dazzling displays of fancy footwork in Scottish dances, such as the sword dance and the famous Highland fling. Participants use the handle to whirl the hammer around their head and then throw it as far as they can.

The shot put is a favourite at all good Highland Games. Competitors throw a large stone of around 20 - 26lbs in weight as far as they can. The stone is thrown either after a short run-up to the toeboard or from a fixed standing position, depending on the rules of the competition. The contestant who throws the furthest wins. Sometimes referred to as 'weight over the bar', this game requires competitors to throw a weight over a raised bar. The object thrown is a With each successful attempt, the bar is raised higher and higher, eliminating the contestants one by one.

American Dan Williams broke the record in with a throw of 6. The tug o'war is one of the most fiercely contested competitions at the Highland Games.