Viking extravaganza at Lochranza
Vikings, visitors and villagers added an Up Helly Aa festival atmosphere last Saturday to the Lochranza gala.
Offering an entire day and evening of events, the gala weekend also included a ceilidh and quiz in the days leading up to it and the golfing Texas scramble, teddy bears’ picnic, barbeque and duck derby on the final day on Sunday.
Squeezing a huge amount of events into just a few days, the highlight of the weekend’s activities was the Viking-themed fun day. From parades to live mu- sic, children’s races to bogie races, there was a craft fayre, a barbeque and a Viking re-enactment along with traditional games, stalls, raffles and a beer tent.
Backdrop
Kicking off events, the Arran Pipe Band performed on the castle spit – with the dramatic backdrop of Lochranza Castle – before leading a parade carrying the sea queen and king, Daisy and Michael Innes, along the road to the village hall.
Following them the Arran Viking Society members, in full garb, were joined by the Glasgow Vikings and the Swords of Dalriada groups on the mainland.
Children and adults, many dressed as Vikings themselves, joined the long procession to the village hall where the craft fayre and barbecue awaited them.
On the expansive lawn and under glorious sunshine, visitors enjoyed an afternoon of fun games which included egg and spoon races, piggy back races and a bogie race where contestants were pelted with water balloons.
Later in the afternoon a well-attended dog competition was held while visitors enjoyed refreshments from the barbeque, snack stalls and the bar. Preparing themselves for the evening performance of Soundcradle, the band Brown Noise entertained the crowds with well-known rock ballads from the stage that had been set up in the back of a large, open-sided truck.
After an action packed day filled with fun, laughter and activities, visitors retired to the beach below the castle to watch the re-enactment of a Viking landing and battle.
As the Viking boat approached the shore, Celtic warriors awaited their enemies before they landed their ship to the cry of ‘The Vikings are coming!’.
In a flash of swords, axes and shields, a protracted battle ensued which resulted in just one Celt surviving to defend against the remaining attackers who, while outnumbered, were defeated.
After the re-enactment some of the children climbed aboard the Viking vessel to explore it.