Strathmore Highland Games is banking on another record-breaking event this summer after a remarkable return from the pandemic.
Last June, the long-standing event was rewarded with its biggest ever crowd in the grounds of Glamis Castle.
The opening gathering of Scotland’s summer season is being held at Gourock this weekend.
Blackford has its traditional place as the first Courier country games on May 27.
But Strathmore committee’s attention is entirely focused on Sunday June 11.
Post-pandemic uncertainty
Games official Lorna Cochrane said: “2022 was such an unknown after the pandemic.
“We were coming back from two years away because of Covid.
“There had been so much impact on the calendar and some games sadly didn’t return at all.
“And the games are all about visitors – if they don’t come then that’s it.
“So we were all a bit fearful of how things might turn out, but we couldn’t have been more delighted.
“Speaking to people on the day, there were so many who had never been to a highland games before.
“It’s when folk see it and feel the atmosphere that they really get what a games is all about.”
A crowd of around 2,500 spectators soaked up the spectacle.
International influx
Many were back in Scotland from important tourist markets including the USA, Australia and across Europe.
Lorna added: “Hopefully, despite everything that is going on for families right now, we’ll see another big crowd.
“We’ve not increased our ticket prices again – you can’t ask folk for more when everyone is trying so hard to survive on what they’ve got.
“We learned lessons from having the biggest crowd we’ve ever seen and hopefully those will go into making it a really good day out for families.”
And there’s no shortage of confidence in the vendors who will fill the games field to keep the crowds fed and watered.
“Our stalls have been full for weeks and there’s a waiting list.
“It’s a great position to be in – we just need the weather and another record crowd.”
Alongside the demands of putting together the main event, Lorna also leads Strathmore’s drive to grow the sport’s grass roots.
It involves bringing hundreds of local primary school children together for mini highland games as a warm-up to the big weekend.
