The Braemar Gathering has been on my bucket list for many, many years – and yesterday had the most wonderful day finally checking that item off the list!
The first challenge was finding where David and I were meeting… My GPS first of all sent me to a cul de sac in the middle of a group of houses… The intention, however, was to leave my car at the railway station part-way, and for David to meet me there and him to drive us the rest…
“Not a problem,” thought I- I will just look at the map – only to discover I had no cell coverage! So, I did it the old-fashioned way and followed my nose – figuring I could always ask for directions… but eventually found the railway station car park – only to have David text me a little while later, “Can you send me the postcode again as I’m at the destination but it’s all houses”… LOL!
Eventualy we met up and headed off on our trek to north-east Scotland.
…although a couple of times we did zig when we should have zagged – but as a result found the most lovely places!
This old church was delightful…
David was a gem and braved the brush and stinging nettles to get some shots of the other side of the church for me…
…and interestingly, in among the headstones that were mostly early 1800s, was this one…
…back on our way again…
…and the pretty bridge on the left is where we leave the main road for the road that takes us to the Braemar Gathering…
Our seats were definitely not the most comfortable in the world, but in every other way, they were PERFECT!
This cute little building is the Royal Enclosure…
See that boulder he is holding… This is the Scottish equivalent of shot put!
These drum majors are about to toss their baton over a high obstacle and then catch it again…
…and if you look carefully, you can see the baton in front of the trees…
See the guy in the green net..?
He is throwing this!
…and now the Scottish equivalent of the hammer throw…
Remember that huuuuuuuuge cow-bell-looking weight? Well, in this event, the men need to throw it backward, over their head, and over a high wooden bar…
…and now for the caber toss…
Had the guy not been in the way, these would have been two excellent shots of the fellow going over the high-jump! 🙂
The object is to toss the log into the air in a way that it flips over, with the end onto which you were holding now lying furthest away from you…
Arrival of the royal party consisting of Her Majesty, Prince Charles, and Princess Anne…
The Queen was wearing a stunning colour! These photos do not do it justice…
…and what would be an event without the sack race!
I wasn’t feeling fabulous and so David was a gem and managed to find a lovely policeman who snaffled me a buggy…
…and being the girlie-girl I am, I first needed to make sure Louis and the hat were all sorted…
Finally, we met back up in the parking lot and were again on our way…
…stopped for a quick bite to eat on the way…
What a magical day!
I feel so extraordinarily blessed…
~ Bella
