Homecoming Scotland 2009, the Clan Gathering, and the
2008 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

In July of 2008, Rising Road Tours was selected to be the official representative of the  Scottish Tourist Board at the Grandfather Mountain NC Highland Games. We were there to provide helpful travel information, brochures, suggested itineraries, maps and answers to questions about travel in Scotland. We had a wonderful time, and so did all the folks at the games!

2009 is a very special year for visiting Scotland. Two major events are taking place - Homecoming 2009 which is a year-long series of events in honor of Robert Burns' 250th birthday anniversary, and The Gathering of the Clans in Edinburgh. Read on for more details!

Above: Dr. Samuel Couch, your intrepid travel guide, getting ready for the opening of the Games.

Homecoming Scotland 2009

Next year the entire nation of Scotland will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns. Special events are taking place all over the country, all year long. The best place to get information and details about special events is to visit the Scottish Tourist Board website at www.cometoscotland.com. If you're intrigued by the idea of a custom tour of Scotland to take advantage of all the special events, we'd be pleased to help - give us a call at 888-648-8893.

The Clan Gathering 2009

Many folks who stopped by to see us at the Highland Games were very interested in next year's Clan Gathering, the largest Edinburgh Gathering ever! The Gathering is one of the signature events to coincide with Homecoming Scotland 2009. Edinburgh is going to be very busy, as the Gathering falls just before the Edinburgh Festival, the famous Edinburgh Military Tatoo, and the Fringe. If you want to go and haven't made reservations yet, you can find out more at the Gathering's website, www.clangathering.org or give us a call for travel information.

The 2008 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, NC

The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games is the oldest and one of the largest events of its kind in the United States. The 53rd celebration of traditional Scottish sports, music, dancing, food, and clan camaraderie was held near Linville, North Carolina in 2008. Estimated attendance was 200,000 plus visitors. At the Games, clan rivalries are set aside and everyone, whether Scottish or not, enjoys one of the best annual festivals in all of North Carolina. To read more about the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, please visit www.gmhg.org.

We were so excited to be involved in this spectacular event! This was our first visit to an official Highland Games in the States. Grandfather Mountain may be the longest-running, but games are held all over the United States.

The Games opened with a torchlight ceremony on Thursday night to 'Raise the Clans." In days of old, this meant gathering the clans for battle. At modern games, the ceremony is a peaceful parade of all the clans present and an official declaration of the opening of the games. Unfortunately, this year our hardy torch-bearers had a hard time keeping the torches lit in a drizzling rain.

Above: Our enthusiastic assistants: Greta, born in Carmunnock, and Fiona, her daughter - the first born of the family this side of the "Big Pond". Greta is wearing the MacArthur Tartan, while Fiona is wearing MacLaren. Fiona got so excited about her first visit to the Highland Games, she tracked down her Clan - there were many she could choose from! - and is now an official member of Clan MacLaren in both the U.S. and Scotland, in honor of her father.

Most Games include many very popular formal and informal events, including Border Collie sheep herding, traditional Highland athletic competitions, Highland Dancing and Scottish Country Dancing, a Ceilidh (kay-lee, a country evening of music, dancing, food and fun), traditional fiddle, harp and music competitions, Pipe and Drum corps, plus the Parade of the Tartans and the formal greeting of the Clans to the Laird and Games Officials.

By Friday the weather broke. A clear and sunny day provided perfect weather for strolling among the clan tents, for enjoying all the athletic and cultural events, and for sampling traditional Scottish foods. For visitors with true Scottish roots, Haggis was available. Those with more delicate constitutions could indulge in traditional American fare, such as burgers or corndogs.

On Saturday we were thrilled and chilled by the sounds of the Highland Pipe and Drums corps as they paraded around the football-sized field. There is nothing quite like the sound of pipes and drums marching in from the distance like thunder from an approaching storm. A long time ago, the pipes and drums were part of the fighting forces, meant to frighten off their enemies in battle - or at least make a few knees quiver before battle began. Today, there may be a few Scots out there who just can't abide the pipes, but they are few and far between!

By far one of the most popular events is the Border Collie sheep herding. Shep and his master, award-winning Border Collie trainer Stan Moore, were the stars of the show. Nobody can watch these dogs at work - and they really are at work - without admiration, surprise, and delight.

On Sunday, the Parade of the Tartans was a remarkable spectacle. All the Clans don their best tartans, raise their standards, and proudly traverse the field. The parade is led by the Caber Toss Champion from the previous year's Games. As each clan passes the Laird and honored guests, they "present arms." As they pass by, the proper form is for each clan member carrying weapons to lower the weapon, thereby showing loyalty and offering service to the Laird. But before approaching the honored guests, clan members are free to raise their swords and shout out a curdling battle cry, much to the delight of the crowd.

The Highland Athletics competitions are another popular feature of the Games. Events include Turning the Caber, Tossing the Sheaf, Hammer Toss, and various other ways of throwing and tossing weights for distance or for height. The origins of these events are lost in the mists of time - whoever first thought of tossing what is essentially a tree, end-over-end? Stone tossing is a bit easier to understand - the Clachneart (a 20-lb round stone) is similar to the Greco-Roman shotput. Clachneart means "stone of strength." The origins of the Sheaf Toss are also easy to figure out - who can toss a sheaf of barley or rye the highest, to reach the top of the harvest wagon? One of the most fun evets to watch was the Stone Toss for height, where big burly men in kilts toss, or try to toss, big weights over a high bar. Some of the Stones weight 56 pounds!

Alas, the Games came to an end on Sunday rather abruptly when a serious thunderstorm drew upon us. Though it put a stop to the athletic events, many made the most of it - and an impromtu 'wet kilts" contest was held. Besides, what would Scottish Games be without some Scottish weather? All in all we'd had more than our share of fair weather to enjoy all the events.

See you there next year!

Rising Road Tours
828-648-8893 (Tel) ~ 888-648-8893 (Toll-free) ~ 888-371-8895 (fax)
sam@risingroadtours.com

P.O.Box 9322, Moscow, ID 83843 USA

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