Thousands of visitors are expected to flood into Aboyne this weekend to celebrate one of Aberdeenshire’s most popular highland games.
The Aboyne Highland Games have been held almost continually, save for two world wars, since 1867 – welcoming revellers and competitors from across Scotland and around the world.
And this year is expected to be just as popular when the event kicks off on Saturday.
Highland games, thought to have been a staple of Celtic Scottish society, disappeared following the Jacobite Uprising in 1745.
The modern games are thought to be a Victorian invention, although games in Aboyne can be traced as far back as 1670.
A stoically traditional affair, the games have however moved with the times, including the introduction of drugs testing for the “heavy” events in 1973 and broadcasting as part of the “Nationwide” programme in 1975.
Historically the games were held on a Wednesday, until the centenary year 1978, when they moved to the first Saturday of August in a bid to attract larger crowds. This followed a period of decline and financial difficulty due to mounting costs.
The games have played host to various people of interest over the years, including Miss Great Britain 1967, the Countess and Earl of Wessex in 2001, and legendary competitors such as American heavyweight Bill Anderson and Ulster strongman Jack Shanks – the first to replicate Donald Dinnie’s 1860 feat-of-strength, carrying the famous “Dinnie Steens” in 1973.
Competitions range from lifting and heavyweight highland sports, to traditional dancing, piping and highland pageantry, attracting competition from across the globe. The games are overseen by a committee under chairman Ian Scott and the ‘Chieftain’, the Marquis of Huntly.
