Open Country
Open Country
BBC Radio 4
The Glenfinnan Gathering
24 minutes Posted Aug 27, 2015 at 2:30 pm.
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Show notes

The Glenfinnan Gathering is an annual Highland games event that takes place on the shores of Loch Shiel, on the west coast of Scotland, in the shadow of the Jacobite Monument every August. It has now been running for over 50 years and commemorates the raising the standard by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745.

The Gathering features traditional Highland games events: hammer throwing, caber tossing, traditional dancing and piped bands. It's a chance for people from the local area to compete with their friends and neighbours.

Helen Mark meets the organisers, competitors and spectators who all make this event a vital part of the local calendar and discovers what links these folk to the landscape and the history that they celebrate.

Presenter: Helen Mark

Producer: Martin Poyntz-Roberts.