Pitlochry Games celebrates Highland Perthshire community and announces winning pipe tune

Pitlochry Highland Games was back at the recreation ground on Saturday after two blank pandemic years.

Rooms in the Perthshire town were booked out with hundreds of visitors anxious to see Pitlochry have its big day.

Pitlochry Highland Games held a minute’s silence at 1pm to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The competitors - from Highland dancers in sailor suit outfits to heavy events challengers - lined up along the field and stood along with the visitors in the terraces opposite for the tribute to the Queen.

Then a lone piper, Donald Macphee, played a lament to honour her passing.

A minute's silence to remember Queen Elizabeth II was observed by all involved in Pitlochry Games (Marius Bezuiddenhout Websmart Media)

Following some query as to whether the event should be cancelled in light of the Queen’s death two days earlier, the games committee confirmed despite “profound sadness” over her passing, they believed it would have been her wish that the popular Highland Perthshire event should be enjoyed.

Sunshine made it a strong, upbeat restart and the gates opened on Saturday at 9.30am.

The Highland Perthshire holiday hotspot does not do things by halves and while Pitlochry is home to the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, there were another eight other pipe groups all marching as one in a noisy parade down Atholl Road to the games arena at 11.40am.

Dancing winners with games chieftain Charles Butter (Marius Bezuiddenhout Websmart Media)

The day included running, cycling, jumping, solo piping, traditional Highland dancing, heavy events and a tug o’ war.

An impressive strength display in one of numerous heavy events (Bill Robertson)

Grand pipe band competitions followed and there was a competition to pen a new tune.

Pipe bands made an entrance at Pitlochry Games on Saturday, September 10. There were nine groups gathered for the 170th staging of the popular event (Marius Bezuiddenhout Websmart Media)

“To celebrate the 170th Pitlochry Highland Games, we held a Pipe Tune Competition,” explained games secretary June Templeton.

“We had over 100 entries from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain as well as from right here in Scotland.

“We found it very difficult to judge, there were so many great compositions with some of the best and most active composers for the pipes entering.

“We were delighted to announce that the winner was Niall Matheson.”

Niall's winning tune is called Lady Myra Butter, after the Pitlochry's 2022 games chieftain's late mother who sadly passed away recently and had never missed the games since 1946.

All the action at Pitlochry Recreation Ground was broadcast in a 5G trial by the University of Strathclyde, potentially seen by around 40,000 people (Marius Bezuiddenhout Websmart Media)

The day ended with the massed bands giving a finale parade at 5pm.

An estimated audience of 40,000 people were able to see the action on Saturday when Strathclyde University were involved in trialling 5G and broadcasting the games live to an international conference in Amsterdam.