Highland Gathering 2024

Any excuse for a pint in The Cardigan Arms right! Quite a good excuse on this occasion as day two of Corby's magnificent Highland Gathering... err... gathered on the Charter Field in the old village. Pipe Bands and Highland Dancing were the order of the day, both of which tasks make for thirsty work, particularly for us spectators. Bottles of pop and ice creams for the youngsters, wobbly pint pots of beer and ice creams for the grown-ups, more of which later.

There was a wide range of food and drink on offer, Dirty Fries, Burger & Fries, Doughnuts, Candyfloss and Fries etc. but we decided to go for the traditional Corby Viking offering of Polish Sausage & Bread, and a pudding of Wild Berries & Bread. Expertly cooked over open Viking fires by the fabulous Viking of Mercia, who when not cooking sausages and making bread could be seen teaching the children of Corby how to throw axes, handle enormous swords, and other useful battle tips.

Pudding

We could have stayed all afternoon in the warm, heavily-protected embrace of the Norse encampment, but there was beer to drink and Tennis to watch barely an axe-throw from the Pipes, Kilts & Swinging Sporrans at the Cardigan Arms in the old village.

This year's Highland Gathering just happened to fall on a truly huge weekend of sporting action, Wimbledon netting the afternoon crowds with their popular Men's Final, most folk cheering for Spain it seems! The evening session a more low-key affair, the Cardigan Arms beer garden acting as a safe haven for a surprisingly large England football support, mindful I'm sure of the noisy Spanish support on the nearby Charter Field...

I did fear for their safety though, not because of any potential trouble from opposing fans, more that in the time it took Carlos Alcaraz to wrap up the first game in the tennis, the garden had filled up to overflowing with fans eager to bag a good seat, a full SIX HOURS ahead of the kickoff. Yikes! Apparently the atmos' for matches at the Cardigan has been great throughout the tournament, helped in no small part by the management attempting to break their own World Record for 'Most Televisions in a Single Pub' with additional monster screens in the garden. Even the 'Horses' tellies in the bar had been pressed into service! They must have a deal with Currys...

Anyway, sporting shenanigans aside, the biggest news on a day of big news stories was the most important shift in beer range in a Corby pub since Posh Paddy's dropped the Jute (and look where that got them!). Doom Bar enthusiasts will of course be massively disappointed, but the Golden Ale trend that swept the nation some time ago has finally made it to Corby. Hobgoblin Gold the beer of choice, a long-time favourite with craft beer enthusiasts, the stylish 'Goblin' branding particularly popular so I'm led to believe. I only wish I could tell you where it's being brewed but owners Marston's are so keen to get out of brewing they've seemingly forgotten to leave a forwarding address

I also wish I could tell you what it tastes like, but we're strictly fizz fans now so the Brixton Reliance Pale Ale remains our beer of choice, a solid craft offering from a tiny railway arch brewery somewhere in London, possibly Brixton. Talking of craft beer, we decided to finish the day at the Ex-Servicemen's & Social Club, a rare opportunity to drink our way through the entire range of Sam Smith's beers in a safe if slightly echoey environment.

As it happened not only did we miss the early afternoon 'Turn' of Adele & Stevie, singing up a storm when we arrived in town but sadly finished when we were leaving, but only managed two examples from the huge Yorkshire beer range. The ever-reliable Extra Stout was indeed reliable, the craft offering, a bottled India Ale, accurately described if a little too 'toffee' for my taste. The Pickled Onion Monster Munch were in tip-top condition natch'. Thankyou again Corby for yet another great day out, with added Bagpipes.