Nairn Highland Games - 18 August 2012

Below are a couple of brief video clips of the first march around the Games field by the Massed Pipe Bands, led by three local Olympic Torch-bearers from the recent London 2012 Olympic Games:
Part 1


Part 2


It was a lovely day in Nairn today. It started off with brilliant sunshine, but toward the end of the morning it dulled over for a while and there was a lengthy and quite heavy shower of rain, but this soon cleared and by the time most people began to arrive for the Games, both participants and spectators, the sky had cleared, the sun had reappeared and it turned into a lovely afternoon.

Below are a few of the photographs I took:

135th Macallan Nairn Highland Games 18th August 2012 Click here to see enlargements of all these photographs. Bandstand with the innovation of a 'beer tent' behind and to the left The Half-Marathon gets under way Three Scottish Country Dancers (3f) Three more Scottish Country Dancers (2f,1m) Click here to see enlargements of all these photographs.

- both videos and all photographs were taken from my home, which overlooks the cricket field where the Games are held each year.

The website of Nairn Highland Games is here.

PS/ (Added at 19.35 BST 18AUG12) Because it turned out to be such a lovely afternoon, the large inflatable structure for the 'beer tent' (first photograph above) was taken down quite quickly and now lies rolled up in a corner (* & ** - see below). However, the bar and temporarily floored area which were within the structure, together with a group of trestle tables and chairs placed there for today are still in place and from my observations over the past couple of hours business appears to be very brink indeed, specially as it is such a lovely evening. A little further up the slopes surrounding the cricket field is another large group of people also enjoying the evening warmth and sunshine, many with drinks in their hands from the two hotels/inns close by on the other side of Marine Road. It is such a lovely evening here today - something that is specially to be welcomed, because our weather here tends to be somewhat fickle, even in what is 'high summer'.

PPS/ (added at 20.15 BST 18AUG12) I thought I would add that a Police van has appeared on the upper slopes, referred to above, a while back with video recording equipment on the roof as it does most years - however, and whilst I may personally regret the necessity for such 'surveillance' it is undoubtedly largely precautionary as my close-up observations of the scene (through my binoculars) show that the whole scene remains one of bucolic charm - people out on a lovely evening enjoying conversation with drinks in their hands within feet of the police van. It is really pleasant to be able to report just how lovely an evening this is and although I haven't spotted the police personnel in the crowds (they seem to be seated in the van - perhaps there are others in the back of the van, manning the recording equipment). No doubt in a while as night begins to fall - in about an hour or so from now - most of the 'punters' will drift away to continue their evening celebrations elsewhere. Of course the funfair, just beyond the Games field, will continue until midnight and as it is such a lovely evening I expect they will be kept quite busy for a few hours yet.

(*) (Sunday 19AUG2012 11.15 BST) I have read reports, all 'anonymous', indicating that the inflatable beer tent 'exploded' - if this is truly what happened then perhaps I'll read authoritative reports about it later, perhaps in the upcoming edition of The Nairnshire (local 'dead tree' media, with no on-line presence unfortunately) on Tuesday. Coincidentally I also read a remark elsewhere prior to the event which was: "I hope no one arrives with a sharp kilt pin!" so one must wonder if this or similar is what happened, but until the facts are known all this is mere speculation.

(**) Further news (Monday 20AUG2012 09.30 BST) Well, the 'disaster' of the exploding tent has made it into those two national 'journals of record', the Sun and the Daily Record, as well as the more local Press & Journal.