Scottish Highland Games in Dunoon, Scotland (2017 Cowal Highland Gathering)

Come join us for the Scottish Highland Games in Dunoon, Scotland as we attend the Cowal Highland Gathering (also known as the Cowal Games) held annually on the final weekend in August.
To attend the 2017 Highland Games we came all the way from Glasgow, Scotland where we rented a van and did a road trip to Dunoon. Arriving to Cowal Games early in the morning allowed us access to the pipe bands as they practicing and a chance to grab some Scottish food before it became really busy. We ended up devouring Haggis, Neeps and Tatties along with a Beef Stovie. It was perfect considering it was a wee bit chilly in the morning.
Our host for the day was Alan Pettigrew who helped show around the facilities of the Cowal Highland Gathering and explained all of the events taking place for the day. One of the highlights was getting a chance to see all of the different trophies on display.
The Cowal Games are the largest Highland Games in the World attracting over 3500 competitors and roughly 23,000+ spectators. The first Cowal Games was held in 1894 and it is an annual event. Additionally, the Cowal Highland Gathering hosts the World Highland Dancing Championship.
In terms of games, the heavy events are one of the biggest categories including Caber toss, Stone put, Scottish hammer throw,
Weight throw, Weight over the bar, Sheaf toss and Maide Leisg. We enjoyed taking in as many of the heavy events as possible but a personal highlight for us though was the piping bands and also the wrestling.
If you have a chance to attend the Highland Games while in Scotland we would highly recommend it.
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Scottish Highland Games 2017 in Dunoon, Scotland (Cowal Highland Gathering) travel video transcript:
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.
Our journey took us out of Glasgow and then north along the shores of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
From there we continued along the shores of Loch Fyne and Loch Eck, before arriving at our destination in Dunoon and drove to our AirBnB, which was set in an old merchant’s manor right by the water.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This is part of our Travel in Scotland video series showcasing Scottish food, Scottish culture and Scottish cuisine.
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