See & Do: Myrtle Beach Highland Games

This past weekend our family spent the day at the Myrtle Beach Highland Games. My husband and I have Scottish roots in both our family trees and wanted to introduce the games to our little man, the newest member of the Robertson clan.

We watched the strongest of the strong take each other on in the caber toss, sheaf toss, and hammer throw.

While I enjoy watching all the games, my favorite is by far the caber toss. I’ve always been in awe of how these men hoist a caber, take a short run, and throw it- sometimes with ease, but most often with not.

If you’re not familiar with the caber toss, the game involves a tree that varies in length- often 16-22 feet- trimmed to be wider on one side than the other. The thrower has to cup the small end with his hands and pull it straight up in the air, keeping it balanced until he can run and throw it. His goal is to flip it over so the large end hits the ground and the short end falls away from him, most specifically in the 12 o’clock position. Sounds easy, huh?

While the games broke for lunch, we perused the wide variety of vendors, each selling Gaelic wares and trinkets. A few food vendors were serving traditional fare, think haggis and shepherd’s pie, but sadly, not many. We did purchase a scrumptious selection of scones and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the games.

Mark your calendars, the Myrtle Beach Highland Games will return March 24-25, 2018.

Do you attend the Highland Games each year? We’d love to hear what your favorite game is in the comments!