Highland Games in England 2016

**tpa** · 28th March 16, 05:03 PM

With the Ashbourne Highland Gathering yet again being postponed due to lack of funds, that leaves just two gatherings that I know of, one at Harpenden and the other at Corby. Yet again, as with last year, they are both on the same day: 10th July!

**Reiver** · 28th March 16, 06:35 PM

I suggest you 'drive up the street' to Scotland as the English don't seem to amenable.
We have more Highland games in Az than you seem to have in England.

**The Q** · 29th March 16, 05:03 AM

Sadly I don't think I'll get to either of the shows, as my parents are visiting..... from Scotland....

and too elderly for a day trip that far....

**OC Richard** · 30th March 16, 04:15 AM

Yes it seems that it would behoove them to move the date of one of those Games. Is there a special significance to 10 July?

This happens here in the USA all the time, where numerous Games are scheduled the same weekend, especially on our 3-day weekends.

I wasn't going to be able to attend Loch Norman because our band was going to attend Las Vegas (happily our band pulled out). (Admittedly the distance between the two is further than between London and Moscow, but still.)

EDIT: I looked it up and according to the internet (which is never wrong!?) it takes 1.5 hours to travel from Corby to Harpenden, meaning that one could attend both the same day! (This is the crazy sort of thing that Californians think of doing... like the time my wife and I went to Stonehenge as a day trip, while staying in Chester.)

**The Q** · 30th March 16, 02:22 PM

Assuming the M1 isn't a just mobile traffic jam as it often is ..
Hmm Chester to Stonehenge ( both of which I know well) 185 miles under 4 hours each way on a good day. makes for a long day.
At school age we cycled over and used to get in for free and play on the stones... The public had real access then and being local had the right to free entry.

**samurai69** · 5th May 16, 08:43 AM

Im doing my first highland games at welwyn on the 29th of may

**cessna152towser** · 5th May 16, 01:43 PM

Harpenden is a good venue as it is only a five minute train ride from London's Luton airport. I've been to Harpenden a few times, the only games in England which I have attended. One can usually meet a few fellow xmarkers there.
If you don't mind travelling further north into Scotland come and say hello at the Clan Cunningham tent at Cumnock Highland Games on Sunday 21st August.

**tpa** · 5th May 16, 02:24 PM

I doubt I will be doing either Harpenden or Corby this year but my wife and I are scheduled to be at the Braemar Gathering on 3rd September.

**samurai69** · 20th May 16, 04:10 AM

Originally Posted by tpa

I doubt I will be doing either Harpenden or Corby this year but my wife and I are scheduled to be at the Braemar Gathering on 3rd September.

I may get to Braemar too, I would like to do the Blairgowry and Rattery games the day after so I will be up there..... fingers crossed

**OC Richard** · 21st May 16, 07:04 AM

Isn't is surprising, though, that a country the size of England, which must have a very large number of Scots and those of Scots ancestry, only has two Games?

Hmmm it makes me want to look up the percentage of Scots in England, and in the USA.

EDIT: Good ol' Wiki.

They say it's impossible to say how many people in England are of Scots descent. I couldn't find a list of surname percentages, which would be on the low side, if we restrict ourselves to uniquely Scottish names and throw out names common to both countries.

In the USA it's difficult due to the confusion/conflation of the notions of Scots and our so-called "Scotch-Irish" or Ulster Scots. One could, again, simply look at surnames and get a guesstimate.