Royal Highland Show: Animal magic just a part of Scotland's top outdoor event

Published on Monday 20 June 2011 13:40

THERE cannot be many people who, when asked "are you interested in food, farming or the countryside?", would not answer yes to at least one of those.

• Livestock feature centrally but a huge range of activities for all ages is on offer at Ingliston. Picture: Ian Rutherford

And that is why the Royal Highland Show - which opens this Thursday at Ingliston and runs through to Sunday - is the top outdoor attraction in Scotland.

The show offers visitors hundreds of food stalls with the latest delicacies, it is the top agricultural event in the country, and there are demonstrations of a whole range of rural activities.

Show director David Duns- muir, who can be seen daily going round his "patch" on his bicycle checking that all is well in all corners of the 280-acre site, explains: "The organisers have a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, we provide an opportunity for our 1,000 or so trade exhibitors to do business, on the other you have a number of features and attractions that appeal to the wider public."

Because the Highland Show started its life as a purely agricultural event, let us start in the livestock lines where visitors can see more than 5,000 of the best cattle, sheep, horses, goats and poultry in the country.

They can walk between the pens and see these prize- winning animals standing quietly as the stockmen pamper and prepare them for their big moment when they are judged.

Later, visitors can take in the spectacle of the grand parade of stock being walked around the main show ring.

Also, because the Highland is important to farmers who grow crops, there are lines and lines of big tractors, combines and examples of the latest gadgetry that help today's farmers produce the food we eat.

In the Food Hall, where many of Scotland's top food firms are based, visitors are offering samples of the goods so that it is possible to selectively "graze" around the 100 or so stands.

Celebrity chefs such as Lady Claire MacDonald and Paul Wedgwood will be demonstrating their skills in the Food Theatre. And for those wanting more than samples, a range of food stalls around the showground will be selling food to suit all tastes - from a juicy steak roll to more exotic oysters, all types of burgers, and then some Scottish strawberries and cream.

In the craft tent, many of Scotland's most skilled crafts people demonstrate their wares. There are also many non-farming trade stands selling a cornucopia of top-quality goods from handbags to sturdy shoes, elegant wood furniture and the latest ladies' fashions. The show is a real "shop till you drop" kind of place.

In recent years, the show organisers have increased the countryside area with its own little loch and landscaped ground; here visitors can learn about the skills involved in fly fishing and clay pigeon shooting.There will also be experts on hand in the fields of working gun dogs, wood turning, willow weaving, and even the repair and creation of bagpipes.

For those looking for something for their own garden area, there are loads of options, from buying your own hot tub, looking at getting a gazebo or just seeing the latest model barbeques.

The eco garden area was established last year and, with sustainability and biodiversity becoming ever more important, visitors will be able to see how this project is progressing.

The forestry section has long been a favourite with visitors, whether they are watching the skilled work of the chainsaw operators or the athleticism of the men who shimmy up tree trunks using merely spiked boots and a leather belt to help them.

While woodland and forestry have been part of the show for a long time, the renewable energy sector is a relative newcomer. All forms of creating power from sustainable resources will be on show and there will be experts on hand to talk about the technology involved.

This year Active Scotland will be at the show encouraging everyone to adopt a more physically vigorous lifestyle. One big attraction is likely to be the climbing wall, but there will also be opportunities to find out more about other sports, such as canoeing and mountain biking.

One of the original aims in the charter of the Highland Society, which runs the show, was to improve education, which it achieves through the Royal Highland Educational Trust (RHET).

Along with leading garden centre company, Dobbies, RHET will be organising a "hands on" experience at the Dobbies Children's Discovery Centre for some of the 30,000 or so school- children who are due to visit this year's show.

There the youngsters will find out about grinding grain in order to make flour. Or they will be shown how to cook with meat produced in Scotland. They will also have the opportunity to milk Mabel, a life-sized but quite immobile fibreglass cow.

Despite having been based at Ingliston for more than 50 years, the Highland Show organisers still retain a link to the days when it travelled around Scotland. This year, it would have been held in the Borders and so there will be a special stand representing the heritage, textile industry, and the food and visitor attractions from that area.

But the attractions of the show go far beyond the boundaries of Scotland, with international visitors from all parts of the world. This year, business delegations are coming from Kenya and the Chinese province of Jilin, one of that giant country's main farming regions.In trying to encompass all of the show activity, Dunsmuir says: "Our aim is to present an event that, in all senses, does the business. It is a chance to discuss the latest products and trends, a place to network, an opportunity to meet up with friends, and a guarantee of an enjoyable time experiencing the sights, sounds and tastes of one of Scotland's great industries."

More succinctly, just "Enjoy".