As thousands of Scots and Scots-at-heart around the world pay tribute to the life and works of Robert Burns our National Bard it made me stop and think about everything Scottish that our campers love trying out for the first time at our Edinburgh Summer Camp. Our Burn’s themed evening always strikes a chord.

Before we sit down for our evening camp meal, you will see one of our campers attempt to recite the following Selkirk Grace in their best Scottish accent:

“Some hae meat and canna eat, and some wad eat that want it, but we hae meat and we can eat, and sae the Lord be thankit”

The above Grace is then followed by the tasting of some traditional Haggis, neaps and tatties. The haggis will have been caught fresh from the mountains of Scotland for the occasion! This may be accompanied by some Irn Bru as our campers are too young to try a nip of the main National drink we are best known for.

This leads to the main event of the evening and one of the most unique experiences of our camper’s week which is to fling themselves into a Scottish Ceilidh. The ceilidh, pronounced ‘cay-lee’ is Scotland’s traditional folk dance. The word means ‘social event’ and what better social event to bring students from around the world together and dance to traditional music including the pipes and fiddle than a good old Ceilidh. The night will fly by and students will hardly know what has hit them as they attempt to burl, spin and polka around the dance floor and learn the various dances. The special feel of the evening is that all students are in the same boat and therefore throw themselves into it all the more and have a good laugh along the way. The night flies in all too fast and soon the campers hear the familiar tune that is now recognised as the second most played song in the world (after Happy Birthday) that was written by Robert Burns himself, ‘Auld Lang Syne’. As students link hands and join together to mark the end of the week, soaking in what memories have been made and when thinking back to Summer Camp Scotland in years to come will think of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ or ‘Old Times’ together as a unique and collaborative group that will have plenty of Scottish memories to last a lifetime.

If tasting haggis or throwing yourself into a Ceilidh strikes a chord with you then make sure to read more about our Edinburgh Summer Camp.