Discover BRAEMAR

Heading to the Braemar Gathering in Scotland's wild north, Matt Havercroft rubs shoulders with royalty, heavies and nimble-footed dancers at this prestigious event in the Highland Games calendar

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The Braemar hills are alive with the sound of bagpipes as Kyle Randalls, a 6-foot 5” (196cm), 22-stone (139kg) strongman from Falkirk, prepares to throw a 22lb (9. 9kg) hammer across the arena. Stood at the back of a horseshoe of nets to protect the hushed crowds on either side, he heaves it over his shoulders, pirouettes like a ballerina and launches it like a missile, high and far across the field, where it thuds, 115 metres away, to rapturous applause.

To me, a Highland Games first-timer, this looks an impressive feat. For Kyle, it’s how he’s spent countless summer weekends since the age of 15. “I sort of fell into it,” he explains. “I used to do your track and field events and was originally a sprinter and then a thrower. I didn’t grow up in an area where there are Highland Games, but my coach competed. He took me along to one of the events and, well, the rest is history.” Eighteen years later, Kyle is still a fearsome competitor at the games that take place across Scotland’s wild north. And he’s pretty good at them too, having already secured first place in the Grampian Championship, along with victory in the Scottish Championship at the games in Crieff.

Today, he’s one of 11 kilted giants who have travelled to the Braemar Gathering - one of the oldest and most prestigious events in the Highland Games calendar. Together, they're battling it out to amass points over a succession of ‘heavy’ events, or what Kyle casually describes as the “sticks and stones”. These include throwing the hammer, throwing the weight, putting the stone and, most famously, tossing the caber.

However, when I catch up with Kyle after the first round of events, he’s not feeling particularly confident. “I was fourth after the stones, which is not great as they’re usually one of my strongest events, but I’m clawing my way back,” he grins. “I was feeling good this morning, which is weird as I’m usually feeling crap before I compete, so who knows!”