Review: Harpenden Highland Gathering

UPDATE: The Harpenden Highland Gathering - why? I dunno. I got a programme full of advertising which presumably explained why, but I couldn't be arsed reading it - it was just too hot! Perhaps the Harpenden Lions Club was just looking for a way to differentiate their local fair from the one down the road. This sort of thing could escalate. Watch out for Welwyn Garden City's Inuit Peace Festival.

I have to say that I was little disappointed by the Highland Gathering. Aside from a Macaroon bar that I picked up form a stall there was no Scottish food or drink to be had. A few deep fried products would have really helped create a more Scottish flavour to things.

The Highland Games - which seem to have happened in 2005 were also absent. Replaced by demonstration by the Army Cadets, Scouts, Guides et al. A bunch of kids putting up a tent is not really the same as a caber toss now, is it? Perhaps they had trouble getting competitors?

What we did get were lots of pipers and a Scottish dancing competition. The pipers were entertaining enough - but I felt for them in the heat, which was also too much for me. I hung around for about an hour, just long enough to watch one of the birds from the Falconry display disappear over the horizon, and called it a day.

The photaes are on Flickr, if I can be bothered I might even post a wee vido of the pipers.