The Highland Games in Pitlochry

Today, a group of us took a trip up to Pitlochry, a small town a bit north and east.  We managed to snag train tickets for there and back (it was an hour and a half trip) for only 17 pounds!  Pitlochry apparently has their "own version" of the Highland Games.  Not sure if I'm understanding that right but I'm just gonna go for it.  The town itself is so cute! 

As a part of the games (perhaps an opening ceremony type deal - again, not quite sure), they had a parade of all the pipe bands that would be competing in the Pipe Band Competition.  It was so awesome to see all the pipe bands go by, I don't think I've ever seen (or ever will see again) a parade of just 27 different pipe bands.  Sadly, because it was raining, they were all wearing these rain jacket things so you couldn't really see the kilts.

And all of the pipe bands had people walking in front of them saying where they were from/the bands name, and some of them had these super cute little kids doing the job.  Some in kilts, some not... this is the only one I actually got a picture of:

Heehee!

As for the Highland Games themselves... I would have been boatloads happier if I had had an actual waterproof jacket.  My jacket is theoretically good against rain, because it keeps it from getting through to me, but it absorbs it all and gets really cold.  So I was getting kind of cold.  Plus the 'game' area, was a bit confusing as to where to look and what we were actually looking at.  I think they had a couple events going on all at once.

They had Scottish dancing there too, so that was neat.  I got some video of that but I was too far away for it to look good at all on my camera. 

Kinda hard to see, but they're there!!

And now I'm going to attempt to post videos of the pipe bands as they passed in the parade.  Let's see if I know how to do this!

So there ya go!  I think that worked.

Also, as a final little note, I found Pitlochry to be quite friendly to Gluten-free eating!  I didn't check every restaurant/food place, but one of the bakeries we went into was selling little gluten free cakes and breads (the lemon poppyseed cake I had was delicious) and also these bags of cheese bite things.  And then Pitlochry also has a Fish & Chips shop (called The Plaice to Be) that has gluten free Fish & Chips, and they do it all the time.  I had it, and it was DELICIOUS!  And I don't even like fish!!  So thats saying something. 

                             (Not my picture - as it was raining, crowded and would have been a smidge awkward, as everyone eating in the shop faces out towards the street)  Fantastic place!

*Edit:  I just wanted to add a little something extra about 'The Plaice to Be" and their gluten free fish & chips.  After looking around at other potential places to revisit the gluten free fish & chips, I have begun to appreciate even more how nice The Plaice to Be is.  Most of the other fish & chips shops that offer gluten free options (the one's I've found at least), offer it at a certain time or day (i.e. the third Wednesday of the month or the first Sunday of the month), while the Plaice to Be offers gluten free fish & chips every day - not at a specific time.  Terrific!  And I would also like to note that I'm still thinking about how good that fish & chips were, and am considering making a special trip back to Pitlochry before I leave, just to have the fish & chips!!