Welcome to the on-line home of the Lonach Highland & Friendly Society! 200 years ago the local community and my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Sir Charles Forbes came together to form the Society that today hosts Scotland’s friendliest games.

 

Scotland was on the cusp of monumental change in 1823- at last able to emerge from the bleak post Culloden years to resume our rightful place in the World. With so much change in the air our ancestors saw the need to preserve the best of their heritage whilst still embracing the new, and so the Society was born- and now we are continuing to fulfil that vision in a third century. 

 

The Gathering and our unique March represent the public face of our year round commitment to the “preservation of Highland garb and the promotion of social and friendly feelings among the inhabitants of the district”. Encountering the Lonach Highlanders for the first time takes you back to pre-1745 Scotland, but this is no historical re-enactment: we represent an unbroken link with our forefathers. 

 

This spirit of continuity drives our commitment to our founders’ goals throughout the year. On Lonach Day all roads lead to Strathdon, but once the crowds have departed and the Lonach field has returned to its primary role as pasture, the Society is doing much more than preparing for its next tartan extravaganza. This website gives some insight into all that we do and represent- I hope that you enjoy it, and I look forward to seeing you on the fourth Saturday of August for Scotland’s friendliest Games.

 

Ho Ho Lonach!