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Scottish highland games

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What are highlands games?

     Highland games have been played for centuries!  Most of them are games using common farm impliments to test strength and agility.  Today's most popular games are weight for height (56lb weight thrown over a bar), weight for distance (28 and 56 lb weight thrown for distance similar to a discus throw), hammer throw (solid 22lb hammer head at the end of a 4 foot-ish handle) and of course the most famous - the caber toss (chunking what looks like a telephone pole end over end).

     Nobody really knows where the games came from or why they came about.  Likely they were just a way to compete and have fun when the clans were together.  Clan chiefs probably enlisted the winners (the strongest and most agile) as warriors, personal body guards etc.  Ancient Scotland was a brutal place and you had to be strong to survive.  One use for the stone toss, that we know for sure, is that boys had to be able throw the stone a certain distance to be considered "a man". 

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Caber toss on YouTube

Can you throw a tree??

This is what a caber toss looks like. Nobody really knows why it was started. Maybe to move large logs across a stream? Maybe to be able to climb a wall? Or maybe just 'cause it was cool???
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Standing armies in the ancient highlands were rare, so the local chieftans would hold games to find out who the fastest and strongest men were. From those he'd pick the ones who would fight, and maybe even be his personal guards.

This is the weight for distance event.
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  • ank Mar 29, 2008 @ 2:22 am | delete
    hi Saved-1, i really liked your lens. it is quite informative as you have touched all the aspects of highlands games even with historical background. you can checkout mine also at xbox console
  • julesjez Aug 7, 2007 @ 4:59 pm | delete
    I can definitely see why... Only real men wear kilts!! They sure have the muscluar legs to get away with it :o)
    Great info, awesome site! Cheers!
  • jbarber Aug 3, 2007 @ 7:38 pm | delete
    Ladies, you can see some really goodlooking, muscular guys wearing little short kilts at these events. Definately worth a look see. Plus, they train very hard for these events.
  • International-Investor Jul 23, 2007 @ 10:52 pm | delete
    Hi Fellow Member of Rate Exchange. Very Nice Lens. A 5 star-er. Emerging Market Investments - ETF's and stocks.a>
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It's Hammer (throw) Time!!

One popluar event is the hammer throw. Contestants stand with their backs to the field, grab a hammer with about a 4' handle (PVC or rattan) and a 22lb head. They swing it around a few times and throw it over their shoulder. The pro's can throw them FAR. The original hammers were blacksmith hammers, so the guys would just use them to see who could throw them the farthest.

Some guys (mostly pros) use boots with "blades" sticking out the front. It allows them to stay anchored while they swing the hammer. If you fall or pick your foot up while swinging the hammer it's a "foul" and the throw doesn't count. You can only lift a foot upon release of the hammer.
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Great Stuff on eBay

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Putting the stone for distance...

For this event you throw a rock, somewhere around a 17-25lb river rock. It has to be kept at the neck (like a shot put) until released. You can either spin or slide towards the trig (the piece of wood that marks the front of the throwing box).

This was a test of strength and agility. If you can spin and throw you'll get a lot further distances than just throwing the stones.
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Weight over bar/ weight for height

This goes by both names, weight for height or weight over bar. The idea is simply to throw the weight (28 or 56 lbs) over the bar. The bar is moved up after each round until there's only one competitor left. You get three tries at each height. If you miss all 3 your out of the competition, if you make it you get 3 more tries at the next height.
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This is a sheaf toss video

Sheaf, not SHEEP!

The sheaf toss was one of the practical events. Hay and wheat used to be bundles in sheafs (before the days of the bailing machines) and they'd toss the sheafs into the top of the barn, in the hay loft. The modern sheaf is burlap bags stuffed with about 20 lbs of hay, or dirt, or anything else you can get. You use a 2 or 3 tined pitchfork to throw it as high as you can over a bar. The rules are basically the same as WOB - 3 tries per height, the bar goes up after every rotation of players until only one person makes a height.

This is pro Craig Smith throwing the world record sheaf toss!
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Fancy yourself a REAL man??

Try a kilt on for size!

Fancy yourself a "real man"? How secure are you in your "manhood"? Prove it by wearing a kilt! They're different, you definately have a feeling of freedom!! You kind of have to watch out for the wind (unless you don't mind showing off your 'package') but they're great fun to wear. I personally own 3 - 2 Utilikilts (http://www.utilikilt.com and 1 SportKilt (http://www.sportkilt.com). They look great with boots and T-shirts. But like I said, if you're a little scared of someone making fun of your kilt, don't bother... you're not man enough to wear them!
Utilikilts
These are utilikilts, well made and great fun to wear!
Sport Kilts
Sport Kilts are worn by most Highland games folks I know. They're inexpensive, light weight cotton, velcro closures and available in a ton of different tartans (family colors).

Kilt stuff on Ebay

C'mone, you know you want one!!

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Upcoming events in TX

I'm in TX, just out side of Dallas. The next upcoming events are in Austin on 11/3 and Salado on 11/10. I believe that'll do it for the year.






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I love things Scottish, Irish and generally Celtic. I love kilts, I own and wear 3. I love Celtic music whether traditional, newer music like Great Big... more »

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