Will RVers enjoy visiting the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival? These RVers sure did. Here are our first impressions and a few pictures.

We never knew what we were missing! Not only is half of my wife’s heritage Scottish, but we’ve lived, camped and “RVed” in New Hampshire for many years and yet we weren’t aware of this fun and fascinating event until this year.

We were surprised to learn that the NH Highland Games & Festival has been around since the mid 1970’s. The Games are held, every September, at the Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln, NH. It is certainly not a minor event; we were amazed at the sheer numbers of people! I’ve read attendance estimates of between 25, 000 and 30,000. The Resort offers a strikingly beautiful backdrop for the Games, with the venue spread out between the base of the Loon Mountain ski slopes on one side, and the Pemigewasset river on the other.

• First Impressions —
Since we hadn’t attended before, we didn’t know just what to expect. The first surprise was that all parking was off-site, with shuttle buses to and from the various parking areas around Lincoln. The buses ran frequently from 8:00 AM until about 6:00 in the evening, so attendees could come and go whenever they wished.

At first, it seemed almost like walking into a themed costume party. So many in the crowds wore kilts in various colors, tams on their heads, tartan scarves, and fancy Scottish uniforms. I thought, come on…every person here sporting Scottish attire surely can’t really be of Scottish descent, can they? Then, during the course of the weekend, we talked to folks who commented that “everyone is Scottish during The Games.” That’s sort of like everyone being Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Our next-door neighbor in the campground where we stayed has been attending the Games for 30 years. He is not of Scottish descent, but wears a kilt each day of the event.

Another thing that made a serious first impression was the SOUND! The thousands of people obviously accounted for a lot of it, but most noticeable was the music. It seemed there was always one or more pipe bands (bagpipes, drums) playing, and then the professional groups like Prydein, Albannach, and the Red Hot Chili Pipers in the Concert Tent (LOUD!), not to mention the individual musicians and vocalists performing in various indoor and outdoor spots throughout the resort area.

Then there was the Clan Village where each of around sixty Scottish clans had a small tent displaying clan tartans and coats of arms, literature about the clan, and folks happy to talk with visitors about their clan and its activities. We learned that Clan Donnachaidh is the one that would be of interest to my wife and her family. We spent some time at their tent, met and chatted with some really nice and helpful folks, bought some clan tee-shirts and a book about Clan Donnachaidh history.

• Food, Entertainment, Shopping —
There were food tents and stands everywhere you looked. If you wanted to try some uniquely Scottish food, there was everything from Haggis and meat pies, to sausage rolls, shepherd’s pie, oat cakes, Scottish eggs, and much more.

There were beer and whiskey tastings (separate tickets required), and also educational seminars about various things Scottish. In addition to the athletic events, there were drum major, fiddle, pipe and drum marching band, harp, highland dance, and sheepdog competitions. We really enjoyed watching the sheepdogs herd rather uncooperative sheep through and around various obstacles. Some of the dogs did great, while some were simply “out-sheeped!”

A multitude of vendors offered merchandise of all sorts. You could buy Scottish tartans in various patterns, shapes and sizes, including kilts, scarves and tams. Clan coats of arms, books, jewelry, decorative knives and swords, sweatshirts, tee-shirts, and a long list of other things were available.

• The Heavy Athletics (The Games) —
Meanwhile, in the midst of everything else, the Scottish Highland Games Heavy Athletics competitions were taking place on the field at the foot of the ski slopes. The events included throwing light (28 lbs. Is light?) and heavy (56 lbs. Is HEAVY!) stones for distance and for height, hammer throws for distance, the caber toss (looks like a telephone pole to me), and other tests of strength, stamina, and technique. The athletes competing in these events were nothing short of amazing. I can’t imagine throwing a 56 pound rock forty or more feet in front of me, or tossing it up in the air and over a bar that’s 16 or 18 feet high! In the photo to the right, the red arrow points to the 56 lb. weight about to go over the bar.

Like many, we had seen snatches of some of these events on TV, but had never watched anything like it in person. In 2011 and 2013 the World Championship competitions were held here in New Hampshire. These are international events, with competitors from the U.S., Scotland, Iceland, and other countries. Both years, the Championship Webster Cup was awarded to Daniel McKim of the U.S.

• To Sum It Up —
We’re already planning to attend again next year. We had a great time, but there was so much to see and do and learn that it was a bit overwhelming for us first-timers. Next time we’ll have a better idea of the key things we want to focus on. For one thing, we’ll know to buy a program book early and to take the time to go over the weekend’s schedule and take notes. We’ll probably spend a bit more time in the Clan Village, take better photos, and try some different foods.

It seemed to us that the event organizers did a heck of a job. It would be nice, though, if there were better seating arrangements for the athletic events. Also, we didn’t see any schedule that showed just when each different athletic event was taking place, so we missed a couple we really wanted to see.

Our recommendation? Even if Scotland isn’t part of your personal history and you have no particular interest in the Gaelic culture, if you go for good food, marching bands, fascinating exhibits, rousing music, and unique athletic competitions – not to mention the Scottish beer and whiskey tastings – you really ought to give the NH Highland Games & Festival a try at least once!