Taking my knives to UK

[Farmer Jones]

Whenever we go to the UK, we have to register any ivory mounted pipes, leopard skins, eagle feathers,etc with the Canadian government to get proper clearance documents. Never had a single problem with UK customs as long as documents were in order. A sealskin sporran should fall into the same category. As a side note, how are your crops doing?

Yes, I am going to have to jump through hoops and get the documents to say my things were made in Nova Scotia and will be returning with me. As to my crops, we have had so much rain recently that some of my fields were flooded. The sorghum and hay will be ready to cut as soon as it is dry enough. Hopefully first week in July.

[48HofC]

Wet down this way as well, looks like replanting for the 2nd time.

[Jock Scot]

Farming this side of the Atlantic sounds as frustrating as it is on your side!

[Tomo]

The sgian shouldn't be any problem, put it in your hold baggage and I doubt customs would even bother with. As noted in other comments there a specific exemptions in UK law around this.

As you say, the dirk might be more of a problem - why not buy one for you niece as a wedding gift / future family heirloom? Avoids any hassle and makes a great keepsake. I actually made one for my own wedding a couple of years ago. Went down a storm.

The sporran should also be fine, but will need the paper work (perhaps, more so for the Canadian side of things). Again I can't see this being confiscated on the whim of customs. One of my sporrans is sealskin and I have had not problems traveling in and out of UK with it. It was bought in Scotland (from memory it originally have some sort of certificate with it - long gone, however). Still, if you are worried it should be easy enough to hire one.

The only problems I have ever had traveling with my kilt was in NZ. I had my kilt in a kilt roll at the time and had taken on board as hand-luggage. The pin pinged up on the x-ray machine and one of the security guys was "concerned" by it - but one of his colleagues was also a kilt wearer, checked with me and then just waived it through (didn't even need to unpack it).

[Jack Daw]

When there is a question whether a sgian dhu will be allowed, I opt to wear my sgian bru instead.

[DerekvG]

In days of yore the Sgian Dubh was a weapon, and so was a dirk, that's why they were carried.......not just for peeling apples or spuds....as far as the other implements, it just depends if you are on the receiving end of what you say is not a weapon Jock......as far as your sighing....... well just keep at it

In the tradition of the south west of France where my step-grandfatherś family originated from, the traditional Laguiole knife (was not a weapon) the size of the blade in about 11-12 cm ( +/- 4 ") any 15 year old is given his/her first knive in retrun for a coin. the largest knives a re over 15" ( also the Opinel knives) Mountain folk will always carry a knife, and its not a considered and therefor not used as a weapon. using a knif to fight is frowned upon , except for the maquisards against the nazi occupants. A knife is used to eat, is a tool, you don't touch another personś knife, except when returing it when found) to to carry it the widow when het husband died and when laying out the table for dinner one doesn't put a knife next to a plate (except fish knives) people will use their own .
A dirk would be considerd a weapon because is cannot fold and is caried in a seath, a sword woudl be a weapon and would be anything above 2 foot blade
These tradition still live in some areas on the continenent south west of france , the pyrenieees, the savoie the vosges and alsace regions some regions in spain

[Damion]

Thanks Derek, that was interesting about the knives in Europe.

The dirk is a weapon and ultimately comes from the knife carried in Europe as a sign of a freeman. The old Highlanders regarded it as a symbol of their honour and would swear all their binding oaths upon it.

I doubt it was used to cut cake though.

[Jack Daw]

What about a bottle opener - a sgian brew?

This is my preference, too, as I only want to terrorize beer bottles.

[Jack Daw]

In the tradition of the south west of France where my step-grandfatherś family originated from, the traditional Laguiole knife (was not a weapon) the size of the blade in about 11-12 cm ( +/- 4 ") any 15 year old is given his/her first knive in retrun for a coin. the largest knives a re over 15" ( also the Opinel knives) Mountain folk will always carry a knife, and its not a considered and therefor not used as a weapon. using a knif to fight is frowned upon , except for the maquisards against the nazi occupants. A knife is used to eat, is a tool, you don't touch another personś knife, except when returing it when found) to to carry it the widow when het husband died and when laying out the table for dinner one doesn't put a knife next to a plate (except fish knives) people will use their own .
A dirk would be considerd a weapon because is cannot fold and is caried in a seath, a sword woudl be a weapon and would be anything above 2 foot blade
These tradition still live in some areas on the continenent south west of france , the pyrenieees, the savoie the vosges and alsace regions some regions in spain

I have one of these! It's beautiful.

[DerekvG]

Thanks Derek, that was interesting about the knives in Europe.
The dirk is a weapon and ultimately comes from the knife carried in Europe as a sign of a freeman. The old Highlanders regarded it as a symbol of their honour and would swear all their binding oaths upon it.
I doubt it was used to cut cake though.

Indeed AS I said

A dirk would be considerd a weapon because is cannot fold and is caried in a seath,
These tradition still live in some areas on the continent south west of france , the pyreniees, the savoie the vosges and alsace regions some regions in spain

The reason I mentioned this is that the Scottish, Irish Welsh heritage is Celtic of origine , the Celtic civilisation predated that of the romans (although the latter wer much more sophisticated, and their territory stretched from the Eire and the britsh isles in the west well into Belgica ( the south of the low countries) Francia, Iberia , perhaps even Portugal in the south and into middle and south Germany Suiza Austria, in the east the alps and perhaps even the north of the Italian Appenines
I think that a lot of celtic heritage is still available throughout continental Europe in places like Breizh where they speak ar brezhoneg wave the banniel Breizh in white an black ar Gwenn-ha-du and play traditional music on the bagpipes.
I think a lot of the knives and sword culture in those areas is Celtic rather the germanic of frankish especially in spain there are marked differences between regions

Derek