Tossing Cabers & Chasing Kilts

Scotland's only private army, ancient games and community spirit are in action at the iconic Atholl Gathering in Perthshire

- by RACHEL McCONACHIE

FOR many Scots raised abroad, cultural identity is worn proudly, and sometimes even more so than those living in the country itself. My Scottish-born parents made sure we never forgot our roots after we moved from Perthshire to England when I was little.

We grew up more Scottish than if we had remained in Blairgowrie, embracing tartan, bagpipes, ceilidhs and Highland Games with the deep nostalgia and longing that distance breeds.

So when I learned about the Atholl Gathering – one of Scotland's most traditional and atmospheric Highland Games – I knew we had to go.

This year was our first time attending the Gathering, held annually at Blair Castle in the glorious expanse of the Atholl Estates in Highland Perthshire, and it is no ordinary Highland Games.

The Atholl Gathering stands apart not just for its stunning setting, but because it is the only event of its kind in Scotland with its own private army – the Atholl Highlanders. Legally sanctioned by Queen Victoria in 1845, this ceremonial regiment marches under the command of the Duke of Atholl, making it the only legal private army in Europe. That fact alone had me sold.

Blair Castle, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Atholl since the 13th century, has played host to royalty and rebellion. Bonnie Prince Charlie used it as his base during the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Queen Victoria fell in love with it, and it remains a living monument to Scottish history.

We arrived on Sunday under skies that couldn't make up their mind. The forecast threatened rain, but the sun was holding its ground as we joined the queue weaving into the castle grounds.

Everything about the experience already felt steeped in tradition, but relaxed and festive, too.