Crowds brave the rain as Royal Highland Show battles second-day washout

Friday brought more competition on the livestock front, beginning with an exciting interbreed cattle contest which saw Thursday’s champions battle it out in the ring for the coveted “overall” title.

The bulk of the livestock contests have now concluded but there’s still plenty of excitement to come over the weekend, including the highly anticipated Grand Parade and the Overall Young Handler contest, where cows, sheep, horses and goats compete to be crowned the “champion of champions”.

Over in the packed-out forestry arena, crowds enjoyed a thrilling morning of axe-throwing, sawing contests and mountain-bike stunts, before watching in awe as tree-surgeons from across the country went head-to-head in the second round of heats in the Scottish Pole Climbing Championships.

The contest takes place every year at the Royal Highland Show and sees competitors race each other to the top of an 80ft Douglas Fir pole, using only spiked boots and a climbing strop for assistance.

Friday’s line-up included the world pole climbing champion Dan Whelan, a tree surgeon from Shropshire, who has held the title since 2019 and can scale the towering pole in an astounding eight seconds. The 29-year-old is following in the footsteps of his Grandad, George Tipping, who competed in the sport raising money for charity until the age of 85.

“I used to go along to all of his shows to watch him when I was a little kid, and before long I wanted to give it a go,” said Mr Whelan. “The key to it is just not to think too much about it, you just have to clear your mind and go. When you overthink it, that's when you start messing up.”

Mr Whelan has been coming to the Royal Highland Show for ten years and says it is without a doubt the “best show on the circuit”. “I absolutely love it,” he said. “This year has been very wet so far, but the atmosphere has been as good as ever.”

After a muggy, overcast morning the heavens opened and the showground became a sea of umbrellas as crowds rushed for shelter in the marquees and indoor arenas.

Many flocked to Scotland’s Larder, the show’s bustling food and drink hall, where visitors could browse and sample some of the country’s top-quality produce, from pies to preserves and pastries.

Douglas MacGregor from Perthshire Preserves has been exhibiting at the show for many years and says for lots of Scottish businesses it has become the main event of the year.

“It’s the mix of people you meet that’s amazing,” he said. “There seems to be lots of people from Ireland and England this year. I was speaking to a couple from Cornwall who said there is just nothing like this down south. This is the event to be at.”

“Even if the weather isn’t great there’s still so much to do. Everybody’s happy, everyone is on a high.”

One pair of friends escaping the rain were Jim McCowan and Wullie Grieve from Fife, who are both in their 80s and have been attending the show for decades.

Mr Grieve, who went to his first Royal Highland Show aged 12, holds a Long Service Medal for his contribution to Scottish agriculture which grants him entry to the event.

“You get all kinds of faces here, people you haven’t seen in a long time,” said the 88-year-old. “There’s always someone to have tea or coffee with.”

Mr McCowan added: “You have a good crack with people. It’s a pity it’s so wet this year, but we’re hoping to get outside later.”

Despite the downpours, revellers were determined not to let the weather dampen the spirit of the day.

“Last year was too hot, and this year we’ve had the complete opposite,” said 22-year-old Eilidh Hunter, who has been to the show every year since she was 11 months old.

“You can see how busy the bars are and everyone is still having fun. We might get a bit soggy but this only happens once a year, so we make the most of it.”