Perthshire basked in glorious sunshine on Saturday as the local Highland games season got under way.
The curtain rose on summer of fierce competition between heavyweights, dancers, musicians and athletes at Blackford, where the 144th edition of the village’s games took place.
The action then shifted to Blair Atholl. The stunning Blair Castle setting had already been the focus of deep-rooted tradition on Saturday when Europe’s only private army was put up for its annual inspection.
The Atholl Highlanders, which has stood for 175 years, is customarily inspected by its colonel-in-chief, the Duke of Atholl.
Family commitments meant Bruce Murray, who became the 12th Duke of Atholl on his father’s death last year, could not attend from his home in South Africa.
Instead, the ceremonial duties were taken on by Perth and Kinross Provost Elizabeth Grant, accompanied by Captain Michael Murray, the Marquis of Tullibardine, and Lt Colonel James Murray, commanding officer of the Atholl Highlanders.
The skirl of the pipes and beat of drums continued to resonate throughout the area yesterday as the Blair Atholl Gathering got under way with the traditional March On by the Highlanders.
Their arrival in the games arena was followed by the official opening by Captain Murray, chieftain of the gathering, before the spectacle of the Highlanders’ Dash.
The fun got under way in Blackford with the heavyweights getting down to serious business on Saturday morning.
The heavyweights league will feature only local competitors battling it out for the title until the final games, in Pitlochry, in September.
The Strathearn Pipe Band led the parade from Tullibardine Distillery and Blackford Gala Queen Mia Goodge officially declared the games and the season open.
As well as the heavyweight events, athletics, cycling, dancing and piping were all keenly contested by a field of competitors from across the country.
The heavyweights league continues on June 15 when entrants gather at the Alyth Agricultural Show.
Photo by Phil Hannah