High Jinks and Highland Flings

Real highland gatherings are a little more raucous than skirling bagpipes, kilt-wearing clansmen, and nimble dancers performing politely in from of a benevolent chieftain.

The Cowal Games is all about atmosphere, more gutsy than polite, definitely more plebeian than royal, and unashamedly competitive. Established in 1894, this event is the biggest on the Scottish circuit.

More than 3,000 competitors and some 20,000 spectators descend on the small town of Dunoon in southern Argyll for the three-day event to pipe, dance, march, and toss objects of varying sizes into the air. But most of all they come to party.

Dunoon is just an hour from Glasgow. Although it is not an island, most visitors arrive by boat. Bands assemble at the pier and parade through the main street to the stadium to mark the beginning of the Games. The march eases competitors into the rigors of the long day, warming up their pipes, allowing their kilts to soak up the first of the rain which forms an intrinsic part of any Scottish summer.

The high street is lined with visitors and locals alike. American accents are prominent--for 25 years the nearby Holy Loch played host to a U.S. submarine base and many expat families make a point of being in Dunoon for the Games.

Most people stay in town, which has a good selection of guesthouses and hotels. I recommend Abbot's Brae Hotel. Stylish, Scottish, fantastic food. During the Games, rooms go fast, so you'll need to book in advance. Rooms cost £50-£75 ($100-$151) per person which includes breakfast.

In the afternoon, the focus is on the stadium. It's a long day, but a large beer tent provides vital refreshment (it is a well-known fact that good piping requires regular liquid intake).Well-equipped spectators come armed with a picnic (or "pieces" in the local lingo). Dancers, in full highland dress leap and fling under a covered stage. The wail of bagpipes emanates from every part of the field as pipers vie for the many different competition categories.

"Heavy" athletics provide further entertainment--brawny men clad in vests and kilts throwing a large pole (caber), a stone (putt), or a lump of metal (hammer) as high and as far as possible. Slightly less-brawny women compete too.

The day ends with the massing of the pipe bands for the second march out of the stadium and back down the high street in the early evening. It's a noisy, rowdy event, fuelled by beer, adrenalin, and sheer exuberance. Pipe majors hurl their maces high into the air. Spectators jig behind the bands. Trophies are held proudly aloft. Crowds cheer enthusiastically--and continuously. Afterward, the action moves to the pubs, which do a roaring trade. An evocative aroma of damp tartan, fish and chips, and stale beer pervades the air.

Slowly, the town empties and the ferries resume their relentless trips back and forth across the estuary. Dunoon goes to sleep for another year.

Aileen Torrance
For International Living

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P.S. Cowal Games take place this year Aug. 23-25. If you arrive in Glasgow, the ferry service Caledonian Macbrayne offers a train connection from Glasgow to Gourock (three trains per hour, 45 minutes journey), and from Gourock you take the 20-minute ferry journey to Dunoon (usually one per hour, two per hour on the Friday and Saturday of the games). Alternatively if you hire a car the drive is 30 minutes on the M8 to Gourock.