For Scottish people, particularly in Paisley, there are generally plenty of events to attend throughout an average year. From frequenting a local football match at Celtic to attending a pantomime at Christmas, there are some worthwhile occasions to soak up in this part of the world, especially if you’re interested in sport.
Given the rich history and tradition in Scotland, there are some uniquely Scottish sports that not everyone is necessarily aware of, with some being played for generations and others being featured in the Summer Olympics back in the day. Of course, Scotland isn’t the only country with a rich sporting heritage, with Australian audiences tuning in to the Melbourne Cup on Melbourne Cup Day, alongside watching The Ashes and a selection of other historical favourites. As for the weird and wonderful offerings, the English have cheese rolling in Gloucester and there’s even a wife-carrying competition in Finland. Thankfully, Scotland has a selection of uniquely Scottish sports, too. While a Scottish Olympics of this type will never occur, here’s a look at some sports that would certainly make Scotland’s Olympic package different to the rest of the world’s.
Tug O’ War
Played in the country for centuries, tug o’ war is the aforementioned Scottish sport that was in action at the Summer Olympics from 1900-1920. As two teams do battle in a rope-pulling contest, it’s a true highlight of any Highland games and is played all over the world in a number of different scenarios. Not only is it comical to watch, but this particular event is a challenge for all competitors too, with strength being the name of the game in this one.
The Kirkwall Ba’
Football is a global game that is passionately followed from Scotland to Argentina, but this variation on it is beautifully chaotic and can be sampled in Orkney every year on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Essentially a giant game of football taking place in the entire town, the goals are on opposite ends of the northeastern coastal town, with two teams taking on each other as they attempt to be the first side to touch the goal and claim victory. Instead of a ball, locals use a ba’ which is essentially a leather ball filled with cork. If you’re ever in Orkney over Christmas, this is an event you simply have to get involved with.
Stone Skimming
We’ve all been at the beach and fancied trying to break the family skimming record, haven’t we? Well, perfected on lochs and rivers throughout the country, stone skimming is an event some people take seriously in Scotland. There’s even a World Stone Skimming Championships, which is held in Easdale Island, near Oban. With competitors coming from all over the country to put their skimming skills to the test, it’s a more popular Scottish sport than many people realise.
Caber Toss
Similar to the javelin in many respects, caber tossing puts a competitor’s strength to the test as they aim to launch a large and extremely heavy wooden caber as high up into the air as possible in an attempt to make them turn end over end. With kilts being worn by all athletes taking part, you can’t really find a more Scottish sporting event, can you?
Munro-Bagging
Given Scotland’s glorious landscape, it’s the perfect place to put your endurance to the test and see how many peaks you can climb. Scotland would surely be one of the favourites in this one, particularly as it’s a popular pastime for Scots, with walking enthusiasts aiming to reach the summit of as many peaks as they possibly can.