High Five for Highland Games: Inverness

Since my tan from Portugal has all but faded away into oblivion, I thought it time to talk up a greyer part of the world. With some bagpipes heard blowing in the distance and the taste of whiskey on your tongue, let’s journey to Scotland again.

This time round, I headed further north to Inverness with reliable travel buddies Miriam and Lauren. What you need to know about Lauren, a fellow Oxford postgrad, is that she loves Scottish men. I’m not sure if it’s the accents, the kilts, or the fact they usually come built big and burly… but she loves them. So what better than the Highland Games to watch some brawny men throw cabers and lift weights?

We rolled out of Oxford at midnight on a Friday (nope, not a misprint).Our flights through EasyJet cost about £75 roundtrip, so of course we were paying in other ways… early flights out of remote airports. A taxi to Oxford city centre then a short walk landed us at the bus station, where we were informed tickets needed to be pre-purchased for the coach to Luton Airport. Super.

So we hopped on the Oxford Tube, which runs 24-7 to London, then once at Victoria station we wandered around at 3 a.m. trying to find the Luton bus. In the end, we got to the airport in time for a brief breakfast, a long line at security, and not quite enough coffee to keep us going.

By 8:30 a.m. we arrived in Inverness. A bus to the city centre will cost you under 5 quid and once you’re there, transportation costs are pretty much non-existent since this city verges on miniscule. Trusty hostelworld.com led us to the Inverness Tourist Hostel, which wasn’t the best, but certainly wasn’t the worst (though I should mention the incredibly cute and helpful Kiwi behind the front desk). A mixed room of four with shared bathroom runs for about £12.00.

Here’s a tip about Scottish weather: never expect it to be nice; seriously, just plan for the absolute worst and then multiple it by ten. It was the middle of July and the only footwear I brilliantly decided to pack were of the flip-flop variety. Live and learn (but you would have thought I’d done that by now?!). I would guesstimate temperatures were in the low 50’s with a slight drizzle most Scots would consider a grand fine day.

A long nap and several cups of coffee later, we were ready to rock the ‘ness and see the sights. Ten minutes later we were stumped for what to do next. If you had a car at your disposal, chances are there’d be more to see (Loch Ness, for instance). Surely, there must be more to see? As Europe’s fastest growing city, I’m sure there’s more than meets the tourist’s eye. Nevertheless, we had a sufficient wander and then thought it time for food and drinks. I’ve got one word for you when it comes to Inverness nightlife: Hootananny.

Live music, reasonably priced booze, a Thai restaurant and several levels of randomocity will keep you entertained on a Friday or Saturday night. And no trip to a pub is complete without the resident drunks hitting on Americans tourists. There were a few older gents this time, each with a glass of whiskey or a pint of Guinness sloshing around as they made jokes, asked us to dance, and made generally unpleasant conversation. But it’s all part of the "culture" yeah? We even witnessed a genuine dance off, but as in all cases of dance offs, no one was victorious (see video below).

Come Saturday, it was the main event for a about £10 with a student ID. Think of a fun fair, add some kilts and bagpipes, and you’ve got yourself the Highland Games. There’s a beer tent, alongside which are booths with each individual clan. Of course, mine was the best, the Cameron clan… Aonaibh Ri Chéile! (Let Us Unite!). We settled in at the grand stands and watched some caber tossing, cowbell flipping, shot putting, and hammer throwing. There was a men’s team and a women’s team, each exemplifying impressive skills and strength.

A walk along the River Ness will take you by the perched Inverness Castle. There are plenty of traditional Scottish souvenir shops scattered throughout the city. Find yourself a tartan, or shortbread, or just a regular shot glass adorning "Scotland" ... whatever you fancy, you'll be sure to find it in this tourist-friendly city.

We capped the night off at our new local favorite, Hootananny, but didn’t make it a wild night since we had to catch a morning taxi to the airport. Another early flight to another remote airport, but at least this time we managed to get on the right bus back to Oxford.

It almost seemed surreal to have been in the north of Scotland for less than 48 hours, watching the legendary Highland Games. A last-minute weekend getaway turned out to be something really memorable for me, as we saw a piece of history in action.