Corinne CrawfordThe next morning, I took myself out for a walk and wanted to scope out the ferry terminal and ticket situation as I would be taking the ferry to Dunoon the following day to attend the Cowal Highland Gathering. It was a really pretty morning so I walked along the water and during that walk, I think I solved the mystery of the Loch Ness monster.
Spoiler alert- it’s a seal.
I got back to the apartment, ate some lunch, then headed back to the pub to work some more. I was taking it easy these days in Gourock because I needed to save my strength for long days at the Highland Gathering. I would be at the events for about 8-10 hours each day and that is pushing the limits of my stamina. Of course, I got to the pub and realized I did not bring my plug adapter. But the apartment was not too far so I made a quick return there and back and got a few hours of work under my belt. I was going to go to bed early because I had to get up in the middle of the night, about 2am to participate in a work meeting on California time. I managed to get about 4 hours in before waking up for work and then close to another 4 after my meeting and before I had to get up to catch the ferry over to Dunoon.
I got the ferry a few minutes before noon to head across the water to Dunoon to the Cowal Highland Gathering.
After disembarking, I found the correct bus that would drop me off across the street from the stadium grounds were the event was being held. I purchased a program guide and wandered around for a bit getting the lay of the land. There was so much to see with different areas for the competitive dancing, music and what they call ‘heavy athletics”. It was raining on and off and I was glad I had both my umbrella and raincoat. The heavy athletics, which I was most interested in, didn’t start until 1:30pm so I noticed that there was an enclosed “patron” tent with tables, food and drink. And a sign outside that said”everyone welcome today”. I was guessing that on Saturday that tent was exclusively for those that either sponsored the event or paid for that type of ticket. I had not. But because it was open to all and it was raining again, I ventured in and saw a round table that seated 8 with only two other people at the table. I asked if I could join them and they replied that they were wondering when someone would share the table with them. I ordered a beer and a burger and then chatted with them for a bit. Dave and Pam were a little bit older than I was and from Scotland but living in England. And they were just about the nicest, most genuine folks I have met. We chatted for quite some time and then the skies cleared just as the heavy athletics were about to begin so I bid my farewell and went to the other side of the stadium which offered a better view of the competition. Friday was sort of a pre-cursor to Saturday where much bigger crowds were expected and I enjoyed the more laid back energy that also allowed great views of all of the events. The weather cooperated throughout the entire time of the athletic competitions and I watched the whole thing for several hours. This was so fun to watch. There were only 6 men competing, two from each of three countries (Scotland, Germany and Austria). All wore traditional kilts and socks and all were pretty beefy and tall, just as you would expect. I watched the heavy shot put, the throwing of a weight at the end of a chain, throwing the Scottish hammer, tossing a 50 pound weight over a 14 foot bar directly over their heads and the pinnacle event, the caber- which is the 20+ feet log that they lift up and run and then toss it so it bounces off the end and flips over. The goal is to have it not only land end over end but land as straight as you can get it.
I loved both the brute strength all of the events required and the amazing good natured sportmanship that was displayed. Each competitor helped with the set up of each event and retrieved whatever thing that was just thrown and carry it back to the starting point for their turn. The following day, the entire thing would be repeated but as teams with a woman joining each team as well. After the conclusion of the athletics, the dancing was still going on but there was a bit of a lull between then and the concert that was being held on the grounds that night. So I went back to the patron tent to have a comfortable chair for a while before the doors opened to the tent where the concert was. I was pleased to see Pam and Dave there again and they invited me to sit with them and asked if I would join them for the concert as well. They were great company and such interesting people that it was my pleasure. We waited there a bit, then made our way up to what they called the Top Field where the concert tent was. Dave bought us all a coffee and a dinner of chicken and fries as we waited for the concert to begin. They were so generous and would not entertain my protests at their generosity. We listened to the bands for a bit and then Dave and Pam said they were going back to their Airbnb but asked if we could exchange numbers to try to meet up again the following day. I stayed for a little bit longer to hear one more of the bands, then walked the 20 minutes or so back to the ferry terminal to catch the boat back to Gourock. After a long and lovely day, I was in bed back in my room I was renting by midnight.
