About a month or so ago we were travelling down to the north of England for a few days, just for a change of scene and as usual we stopped off at the couthie wee town of Moffat. We normally have our lunch there and check out the secondhand bookshop. Yes I did buy a few books!
It was busier than usual but we put that down to it being a Saturday. Just as we parked the car – congratulating ourselves on managing to get a space in the High Street we heard pipers tuning up and realised it was their Gala day.
The wee Border towns have been better at holding on to these old traditions, Moffat choose a ‘shepherd and lass’ each year and they’re in the carriage.
It was impossible to get photos without people in the way but you can also see the lovely cushioned hills in the background, perfect backdrop to any town.
Jack took a couple of very short videos while we were there.
They haven’t got around to putting up a video of the 2019 gala yet but you can see a wee bit of what went on in the 2018 gala if you’re interested.
What fun to stumble on a celebration! What a lovely little town.
Joan,
It was definitely a nice surprise, I’m just amazed we were able to get parked!
How lovely to see the photos and videos. Beautiful horse-drawn carriages.
Can’t think that I’ve seen many horse-drawn vehicles in street-parades here, maybe a brewer’s waggon drawn by massive Clydesdales, plenty in rural Show Grand Parades however.
“Lolly-scrambles” – I presume they were tossing toffees or similar to the by-standers? – and a pipe-band or silver band marching, and involvement of Guides and schools/pre-schools, and local businesses, and vintage tractors and traction-engines, are features we’d share in common.
All interesting to see!
Valerie,
We have sweetie scrambles here – toffees , boilings, humbugs and such. I don’t think Health and Safety would allow lollies to be thrown nowadays in case the stick hit someone in the eye!
One of my d-i-ls runs the local Guides in her village, they’re really popular.