Harpenden Highland Gathering 2010

[cessna152towser]

I just pulled the trigger and booked my return flight from Edinburgh to go to the Harpenden Highland Gathering on 11th July, volcanic ash permitting.
The Harpenden Gathering is the largest Scottish gathering in the English "home counties" - London area, and usually there are a few of the European based x-markers in attendance. I went to Harpenden in 2007 and 2008 but missed the event last year. It would be great if Hamish is well enough to attend. Hopefully a few more of you can make it, also if any of you from across the pond happen to be visiting the Europe around that time of year this one is well worth a visit. The venue is close to London's Luton airport.

[dave.lions]

The 2010 Harpenden Highland Gathering will take place in Rothamsted Park (AL5 2LX) on Sunday 11 July from 10:00 to 17:30 hrs. The event is one of the largest outside Scotland. There will be 6 pipe bands, dancing and solo piping competitions, heavy events, arena displays, stalls and other attractions. The Gathering is organised by Harpenden Lions Club and offers a family fun day out with a Scottish flavour. It also raises significant funds for charities.

Members of X Marks will be attending the Games. The Lions have provided a pitch in the Scots Corner themed area, to be used as a central gathering place for all other members who wish to attend the games. Pitches can also be booked for Clan tents.

For more information about the Gathering, including the background and history of the event (which dates back to 1946), please visit http://www.harplions.com

[Schiehallion]

I hope to be there!

[Chas]

That's 4 of us so far - Me, Alex, English Bloke and Schiehallion. A few more would be nice. It's only £3.00 if you pay in advance and it's always a grand day out.

Maps, tickets and programme here:

http://www.harpenden-lions.co.uk/highland-gathering.php

We are in 'Scot's Corner'.

Regards

Chas

[MacArthur Piper]

Hi,

I've only just found this thread on here, I'll be going with my mum, niece and nephew.
I'll pop and say hello

I'm not playing this time, Just taking it easy time although I may still take my pipes not sure as last time I took them to Richmond Highland Games in June my sheepskin bag dried out and had to season it again lol.

Hope anyone going has a great day

Lynn

[Chas]

Looking forward to meeting you Lynn.

Regards

Chas

[dave.lions]

Thank you to everyone who came to support the Harpenden Lions Club Highland Gathering on 11 July. We hosted several thousand visitors who enjoyed 5 Pipe Bands, Solo Piping and Scottish Dancing competitions, Heavy Events and Arena displays along with over 100 stalls and other attractions. We hope those who came enjoyed the event and will want to come again next year (provisional diary date Sun 10 July 2011 - please tell your friends). Photos will be posted on the Lions website shortly at www.harpenden-lions.co.uk.

[MacSpadger]

Hello all, I was there and able to meet Chas at the X tent, but most of the time I was in my corner with the Scottish Piping Society of London competition up the hill. If anyone is interested in piping the Harpenden results can be found here.

As usual, Harpenden was a great day out, praise to the organisers for running such a remarkable event so smoothly year after year.

[OC Richard]

Over here in the USA, we never hear about Highland Games in England.

How common are they? Are there Games in every major region as there are here?

What is the size of the Harpenden Games, for example the number of attendees overall, the number of Pipe Bands?

The link gave only Solo Piping competiton results, but the photos showed a few Pipe Bands. Are a few bands paid to play? (This happens here at some Games which are too small to have a Pipe Band competition.)

Do people used to attending English Highland Games find, when they visit Highland Games in Scotland, any marked differences? Or visa versa, would someone accustomed to Games in Scotland be struck by any differences if they visited Harpenden?

My personal example of this sort of thing was when our pipe band travelled to Scotland to compete in 2007 and arrived at our first Games there, North Berwick.

Our largest Southwestern USA Games (Pleasanton, held annually since 1865) feature large crowds of people (maybe 40,000 or so each day Saturday and Sunday) and around 25 to 30 pipe bands.

North Berwick is a small town surrounded by lovely countryside, and the attendance appeared to be rather small. The overal feeling was more like a "town picnic" in a small town here, rather than a major public event like our Highland Games are.

But... we were amazed when coach after coach pulled up, over sixty in all, each disgorging a complete fully dressed Pipe Band.
65 Pipe Bands in a small town Games! The largest Games in the USA feature around 30 bands.

What is the Pipe Band "scene" in the London area like? How many bands? Mostly competition bands or noncompetition bands? Do bands have to travel long distances to compete, as they often do here in the USA? (Unlike Scotland where there's a large number of Games in a small area.)

[MacSpadger]

There's not really a great deal of difference between Harpenden and some of the local games I used to attend when I was growing up in Scotland; Aboyne, Ballater, or Stonehaven in the Deep South, etc.

In London the Highland Games at Richmond have been revived after a lull. Another well known English game with comps is Ashbourne in Derbyshire. Also in Derbyshire is the Chatsworth Country Fair Pipe Band Contest.
The Colchester event in Essex is another biggie in the piping calendar, as is Stotfold in Bedfordshire. There are quite a few others, I'd have to draw up a list to make sure I got them all.
There's a strong piping scene in the NW of England too, and a fair bit of action on the South Coast.

There are a fair few non-competing bands in the London area, but competing bands registered with the London Branch of the RSPBA include;

Grade Two
The University of Bedfordshire Pipe Band
Grade Three
The Pride of Murray Pipe Band
The Pipes and Drums of RAF Halton
Grade Four
British Airways Pipe Band
City of Norwich Pipe Band
City of Plymouth Pipe Band
Epping Forest Pipe Band
Essex Caledonian Pipe Band
Gatwick Caledonian Pipe Band
Glenduart Pipe Band
Glenmoriston Pipe Band
The Grampian Association (Corby) Pipe Band
Jersey Caledonian Pipe Band
Reading Scottish Pipe Band
Rose and the Thistle Pipe Band
Surrey Pipe Band
The University of Bedfordshire Pipe Band
The Welsh Piping Society
Cambridgeshire Caledonian
City of Rochester Pipe Band
Colchester & District Pipe Band
London Scottish Pipes & Drums