The Highland Games in Braemar September

I do enjoy Scottish Games. I am not sure about the Braemar Games. I've not been, and i know thought that the crowds are impressive. Smaller games are lovely too. You might also think about attending some games here in the US. Check out this schedule. And here's a similar schedule for 2016 for Scotland. They won't have 2018 up for quite a while, but this list should give you some ideas.

Another way to find the spirit of Scotland is to go to a Ceilidh or catch some traditional music in a pub. Sandy Bells in Edinburgh, The Taybank in Dunkeld, and Hootenanny in Inverness are a few places where I am confident you'll find music.

Pam

I live about eight miles from Braemar and have to say the annual gathering (always held on the first Saturday in September) is the biggest event in this area in any year. The crowds attending it are certainly impressive. If you plan to attend a Highland games then Braemar is one to go to if you can, although smaller games can be just as much fun simply because they are more intimate and without the crowds present at Braemar.

That said the organising committee have over the years honed the event and it is well able to cope with the numbers attending. Car parking is about a twenty minute walk from the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park where the games are held and there is a shuttle bus operating. The park itself is open air and somewhat at the mercy of the elements, but that’s half the fun. To get a better idea of what the field looks like I’d use Google photos and maps.

Staying in Braemar would be a great idea to experience everything and there is usually a ceilidh at nearby Mar Lodge the night before the gathering. You’d need a car to get there. Details for this year’s ceilidh are here to give you an idea http://www.nts.org.uk/Events/Mar-Lodge-Estate/The-Gathering-Ceilidh/

Some accommodation providers may insist on a three night booking which may not fit in with your plans. However there are places to stay further away i.e. Crathie, Ballater, Aboyne, Pitlochry and Kirkmichael. If you’re not planning this trip until 2018 you have lots of time to find somewhere to stay and put together an itinerary.

Braemar is a very pretty village and easily negotiated on foot. The countryside around it is beautiful and there’s plenty to see and do in the area. At this point I could give you a lot of website links to look at, but for now I’ll just give you one http://visitroyaldeeside.com/

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert certainly knew what they were doing when they purchased the Balmoral Estate in Crathie (across the River Dee from where I live) and the British Royal Family have continued to use it as their annual summer holiday home ever since. The area of Royal Deeside is justifiably proud of the links it has to the Royal Family and they are supportive of us in times of need.

If there’s anything else I can help you with then please feel free to send me a private message and I’ll do everything I can to assist you.

I attended the games a few years ago, but I took a bus tour from Edinburgh, therefore, I didn't have to worry about finding accommodation or parking in the village. It was a lot of fun, but it was damp all day, and chilly, so come prepared for that. If you want to sit in the bleachers you have to pay more, but I spent the day just wandering from on event to another. I think you would enjoy it.

Thank you for these fine and helpful suggestions. We will most certainly follow up. The websites have served to be quite a valuable resource. As we engage in the process of designing our itinerary, we are considering ourselves fortunate to have landed on Edinburgh as our beginning point, on a date the led us to The Highland Games in Breamar. And I suspect we will be hooked and will seek out the games in the states.

Now that we have taken a look at a Ceilidh, we have a new question; must the men wear a kilt?
I think my husband would look quite dashing, but I would have to chase him down and plug him with lots of quality scotch to the point of lost consciousness in order to dress him for the event!

@zagfam, if you visit a Highland Games event in the US before you leave, perhaps your husband will become a fan of the kilt after spending a day surrounded by them. In my area, it's Labor Day weekend in Pleasanton. (But LOTS of people who just wear their usual weekend attire, as well.)

With a smile, I am thinking, as comfortable and culturally stylish as the kilt may be, particularly in the context of the games and the ceilidh, I still don't think there is that much scotch on the planet.

Must a man wear a kilt at a ceilidh?

Not necessarily but if he is going to then he should wear one of the correct weight and length. I’m no expert on kilts but have seen enough to recognise the real thing from a cheap copy. Sometimes I look at guys wearing them and wonder if they are doing it for a bet. Kilts can be hired easily enough to save the expense of purchasing one.

If your husband is on holiday then he won’t be in the company of people who know him and if he feels comfortable wearing a kilt, then he should. He should also eschew the old stories of men wearing nothing underneath. Sometimes at a ceilidh the dancing is quite vigorous (Strip the Willow comes to mind) and a man might end up showing more than he might wish to :-(

Once again, very valuable information. Good to know a kilt can be rented. I am certain lots of fun to be had a a ceilidh!