King Robert the Bruce was born 750 years ago and reigned from 1306 to 1329. He is best known for leading the Scots to victory against England at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 - a triumph that effectively restored the nation's independence. He was buried at Dunfermline Abbey and many tourists come today to view the elaborate tomb within the church. A city charter was awarded to Dunfermline last year and this elevated status, combined with the significant anniversary of Bruce's birth ensured the time was ripe to revive the two-day event bearing the great man's name.
The first Bruce Festival was staged in 2008 and ran a for a few years before disappearing from the calendar. The venue was always Pittencrieff Park, universally known to locals as Dunfermline Glen, or simply the Glen. This year's programme was organised along similar lines, featuring battle re-enactments, horsemanship & medieval jousting, falconry displays, demonstrations of traditional crafts, food stalls and artisan traders. There was also a bouncy castle and other amusements for the kids. A shuttle bus service (using vintage vehicles) ran from a large peripheral car-park to the Glen in order to alleviate congestion issues. Admission was free and the action took place from 10am to 5pm. The single most important factor determining crowd size at these types of gathering is the good old Scottish weather. Thankfully it was a blazing hot day as we strolled through the entrance gates. I was quite taken aback by the hordes of people in attendance. Obviously many families took advantage of a cheap day out in the sunshine but all demographics were well represented. We had a look around the tented craft village which featured demonstrations of ancient trades such as wood turning, fletchery and metalworking. We then found a nice shaded spot beneath a tree to use as a base camp. The queue at the beer tent was lengthy and instead I fetched chips and refreshments from the food trucks. The vendors were doing a brisk trade. Pittencrieff Park adjoins the town centre and covers 76 acres of mixed terrain. The festival activities took place on the vast expanses of open grass. Formerly a private estate, it was purchased and gifted to the town in 1902 by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, a local boy who had left for America as a young lad and made an enormous fortune in the steel industry. According to legend, Carnegie remembered the days from his childhood when ordinary folk were barred from entering Pittencrieff Estate and he wanted to change that situation. Carnegie funded many local projects and his DNA is all over the heart of Dunfermline. Back at the festival, the tannoy informed us the knights were about to enter the arena. I headed over to witness the mounted spectacle.
The display drew a large group of onlookers and the commentator introduced the riders one by one. As you might expect, there was a strong showbiz element to the proceedings and Sir Galahad of Dumfries & Galloway was clearly earmarked as the baddie, a role he revelled in as he rode around gesticulating at the crowd. A few warm-up routines were performed, with the knights slicing cucumbers as they sped by. They also aimed their lances at a rotating helmeted mannequin. The jousting bouts reminded me of the professional wrestling scene, where everything is well choreographed and nobody really gets hurt. But it was good fun to watch and there were a couple of comedy gold moments. On one occasion, both riders fell off their horses and resumed the scrap on the turf. The spirit of Monty Python was channelled when Sir Anton opted to continue, despite having a broken-off prop lance "embedded in his chest" - dismissing it as a trivial scratch while the commentator, naturally, hammed things up to the max. Surprisingly enough, the nasty Galahad didn't win the heart of the mounted ladies and the victorious rival knight rode around the arena while standing on two horses, a foot on each saddle, to rapturous applause. A great entertainment session and, for me, the highlight of the festival. There must have been a good few thousand people on site and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I made a mental note to bring a camping chair next time, as dozens of others had done. The sunny weather continued the following day and the organisers have already confirmed the event will return next year. I presume this means the financial model is sustainable. Apparently the council chipped in ten grand to the funding pot but the local economy would certainly have received a boost over the weekend. Dunfermline has a rich cultural heritage and has often been accused in the past of not promoting the historical angle enough. Staging the Bruce Festival on a regular basis will help redress the balance. As the on-field activities began to wind down, we wandered across to the aviary to visit the peacocks. The exotic birds have inhabited Pittencrieff Park since 1905 and were originally brought over from India.
Enjoying the "freedom of the city", the peacocks have been a common sight for decades in the Glen and the streets beyond. A list pinned to the enclosure wall informed us there are currently nine cocks and six hens living within the park. This is a marked increase since the days of Clive roaming the town centre as the solitary remaining peafowl resident. He became a local legend and could sometimes be seen strutting up the High Street as if he owned the joint! Clive lived to the ripe old age of 20 but didn't produce any offspring and he passed away in 2017. By this time, new birds had been introduced and the breeding programme appears to have been a success. A terrible incident occurred in the summer of 2022 when two boys - aged 13 and 11 - broke into the aviary and beheaded an 11-year-old bird known as Malcolm. Another male, Louis, suffered serious injuries and still hasn't ventured outside since the sickening attack. The culprits were identified and charged but at that age there's probably very little the law can do. I would assume they are being closely watched by the authorities as you're looking at sadistic thugs of the future. The local population was utterly appalled at the crime and rallied to raise over £15000 to repair the damage caused by the break-in and to further improve facilities for the birds. A memorial garden has been created for Malcolm and planted with fruit the peacocks can eat. A wall plaque and small statue commemorate Malcolm's life. The aviary today was buzzing with visitors and four peachicks were running around the indoor area. It seems the population will continue to grow. The sanctuary relies completely upon donations. Make sure you pop in to see these colourful birds when exploring the captivating Pittencrieff Park.
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