Well, I can tell from the overwhelming response no one knows where Ashbourne is, let alone wants to go there
I did attend the gathering today and was amazed by the amount of people who came, from as far afield as Scotland and in the other direction Essex.
It was fantastic, I loved it. For those who don't know me I'm not very keen on tartans, and I'm left cold about the heritage thing.... except, when I saw about 30 different clan tartans and heard 80 odd pipers together I suddenly felt differently. The tartans came alive when made into kilts and looked gorgeous, I've already seen a few I might consider, especially Pride of Scotland, fanbl**dytastic.
The dancers were great, little kids jigging about like duracell rabbits, marvellous.
My favourite, the heavy athletics, absoluteley rivetting. A bit of hero worship due to Geoff Capes, being judge, on my part but I couldn't tear myself away. One of the athletes, aghh bless, told me his 'kilt' was his mum's dog blanket which he'd wrapped round himself and then belted. It looked ok, so why did mine cost so much???
I was mistaken for a 'heavy' by a couple of lovely young ladies, so imagine the ashes in my throat as I said 'no I'm just a fat man in a kilt.'
I was talking to some of the athletes during a break, I'm 6' and 18 stone, and I felt a bit short and somewhat frail for the first time ever.
All in all I know what the traditionalists bang on about, the tartans were a sea of colour, the pipes made my cynical heart swell, break, then swell again, and it's with no shame I can say I left the arena with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. I LOVED IT.
OK I do like tartans now but I had to see them in the flesh to appreciate them, and I must have seen about 30 different tartans today.
Shame I didn't have a tartan to wear, eh Bear (that was a hint BTW).
What a great day, it's opened up another avenue of experience
Cheers Rhino