My Grandfather's stick from Bute

My Grandfather always had this strange wooden object in his house. One wooden face branded with the word Bute and on the other side a faded name and number. I’d seen it many times but only recently asked him what it was. He explained that he had found it on the Lochranza beach on the Isle of Arran but he knew a bit more of the story behind the object.

My Grandfather had been for a short holiday to the Isle of Bute in the late 70’s where he had witnessed an unusual sporting event that involved dozens of local residents hurling these homemade wooden batons into the sea to a roar of “Bute!!” The winner was whoever hurled the object furthest and shouted the loudest. Although found years earlier this is one of the batons used in that traditional event. Not only was the baton branded with the name of the island and the resident but was also carved in the correct shape.

His holiday had been a good over 25 years ago but he remembered that it had been the first weekend after Burn’s night and seemed to be a regular tradition. So, on the 28^th of January 2006 some friends and I decided to go for a day trip to the Isle of Bute. I’d heard of the island before, being from Glasgow the island is only about one and a half hours away but I’d never been there. As a few of my guests had never been to Scotland before I thought it would be a good chance to take part in this unusual event and see some more of the country.