Experience Scotland’s History: Medieval Fairs, Living History & Camping
Scotland’s history isn’t just something you read about in a museum or see behind a rope at a historic site.
Throughout the year, there are medieval fairs, living-history weekends, reenactments and historical events where you can see people in period clothing, watch traditional skills being demonstrated and get a much better idea of what life may have been like hundreds of years ago.
Some are large events with battles, jousting and historical camps. Others are smaller gatherings focused on a particular period, place or aspect of Scottish history.
If you’re visiting Scotland and enjoy history, they can be a great addition to a trip.
Traquair Medieval Fayre
One of the best-known examples is the Traquair Medieval Fayre, held at Traquair House in the Scottish Borders.
Traquair is already an interesting place to visit. Dating back many centuries, the house is one of Scotland’s oldest inhabited houses and sits in a beautiful setting near Innerleithen.
Then, for one weekend each year, the grounds become rather different.
The Traquair Medieval Fayre is scheduled for Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 May 2027, running from 11am to 5pm each day.
And if you’re expecting a few stalls and someone dressed as a knight, there is considerably more going on than that.
Knights, Armour, Swords & Shields
Jousting is one of the big attractions.
You can watch mounted knights charge against each other along the main avenue, while elsewhere around the grounds there are armed combat displays and living-history groups.
There is plenty of impressive equipment to see too — armour, swords, shields, bows and other historical weapons.
Seeing these things in use is very different from seeing them in a museum display.
You can get a feel for the size and weight of the equipment, see how it was handled and watch demonstrations of the skills that would have been required to use it.
And, on previous occasions, the event has even included cannon demonstrations, adding a rather loud reminder that medieval warfare eventually developed into something considerably more explosive.
Archery & Historical Skills
Archery is another part of the event, with demonstrations and opportunities for visitors to see traditional bows and shooting techniques.
Around the living-history camps you’ll also find people demonstrating crafts and skills associated with the period.
There can be blacksmiths, herbalists, stone carvers, willow workers and demonstrations of historical food preparation.
These are the sorts of details that make living history interesting.
You aren’t simply being told that people used to make things by hand — you can actually watch someone doing it.
Falconry & Historical Entertainment
There is more to the weekend than combat.
Falconry, music, storytelling and other historical entertainment form part of the programme, giving visitors a chance to experience some of the different sights and sounds associated with medieval life.
There are also historical camps where you can wander around and see how reenactors recreate aspects of everyday life.
You can take your time, look at the equipment, ask questions and see the people involved in the various displays.
Something For The Family
Events like this can work particularly well for families because history becomes something children can see and experience rather than simply read about.
At Traquair there have been children’s activities, crafts and a children’s battle, alongside the larger displays.
For children who like castles, knights, battles and stories about the past, seeing people actually dressed in armour and demonstrating weapons is probably a little more memorable than another information board.
And adults don’t have to pretend they aren’t interested in the cannons.
Food, Drink & The Fayre
Of course, you don’t spend an entire day watching jousting.
There are food and drink stalls around the event, with traditional Scottish food and other options available.
Previous Fayres have included things such as haggis, neeps and tatties, local sausages, soups, home baking and other food, as well as the Traquair Fayre Ale.
There are also craft and trade stalls to browse between the demonstrations.
So you can spend some time watching the action, grab something to eat, wander around the historic grounds and then head back to watch the next display.
Other Historical Fairs Around Scotland
Traquair is only one example.
There are other historical and living-history events held around Scotland throughout the year, covering everything from Viking and Roman history to the medieval period, the Jacobites and even the Regency era.
A few worth knowing about include:
A popular annual event in Ayrshire centred around Viking history and the Battle of Largs.
The festival has featured a Viking village, living-history displays, crafts, weapons, demonstrations, a battle reenactment, torch procession and the burning of a Viking longship.
A multi-period historical event in Fife covering a huge span of history.
Previous events have included Roman, Pictish, Viking, medieval, Jacobite, Napoleonic, Victorian and 20th-century living-history groups, along with historical camps, crafts, demonstrations and battle reenactments.
A series of Roman and Iron Age living-history events held at different historic locations around Scotland.
The events bring reenactors, historical camps, combat demonstrations, crafts and other activities together at some fascinating Scottish sites.
A celebration of Robert the Bruce and medieval Scotland in Dunfermline.
Previous events have included medieval combat, jousting, historical characters, crafts, falconry and a living-history village.
Something completely different from medieval knights and Viking warriors.
Held at Innes House in Moray, the Regency Experience creates an immersive look at life in the early 19th century, with period clothing, dancing, music, food, crafts and other activities.
These events all offer something slightly different, which is part of the fun.
You could be watching a medieval joust one weekend, learning about Viking life another, and then find yourself stepping into Regency Scotland somewhere else.
Why Not Camp?
Some of these events are particularly well suited to making a weekend of your trip.
Traquair, for example, offers camping during the Medieval Fayre weekend, with camping available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
That means you can arrive, set up, enjoy the event and explore the surrounding area without having to worry about driving back to Edinburgh at the end of the day.
And the Scottish Borders have plenty more to see while you’re there.
The Tweed Valley, surrounding hills, historic towns, walking routes and other attractions give you plenty of options for the rest of your weekend.
You could visit the Fayre on Saturday, explore the area on Sunday and then head somewhere completely different on the way home.
Bringing Camping Equipment to Scotland
If you’re travelling to Scotland from overseas, bringing a complete set of camping equipment with you isn’t always practical.
A tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, cooking equipment and other outdoor gear can take up a surprising amount of luggage space.
And let’s be honest, moving camp was a bit of a slog in medieval times too.
You had to pack everything up, load it onto whatever transport you had available and move the whole lot to the next place.
Thankfully, we’ve made things a little easier.
Rather than bringing all your camping equipment from home, why not hire it when you get to Scotland?
Scotlander offers outdoor equipment hire near Edinburgh, with tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, cooking equipment and other camping essentials available to hire.
So you can travel light, pick up the equipment you need and head off to explore Scotland — without having to bring the entire medieval camp with you.
History Beyond The Big Events
You don’t need to attend a major historical fayre to experience Scotland’s past.
Once you start looking, history is everywhere.
There are castles, abbeys, battlefields, ancient monuments, archaeological sites, historic houses and old towns throughout the country.
A historical event can simply be another reason to visit somewhere you might not otherwise have considered.
You might head to the Borders for a medieval fayre and discover the surrounding countryside.
You might visit an Iron Age living-history event and then explore the ancient monuments nearby.
Or you might follow a Viking-themed weekend with a trip along the coast.
The event doesn’t have to be the entire reason for your trip.
It can simply be one of the things that makes the journey interesting.
Experience Scotland’s History
If you enjoy history, Scotland gives you plenty of ways to experience it.
You can walk through ancient landscapes, explore castles and battlefields, visit historic houses and museums — or spend a day watching knights joust, trying your hand at archery, seeing historical crafts being demonstrated and listening to the sound of a cannon across the grounds of an old Scottish house.
That is perhaps what makes living-history events so enjoyable.
For a few hours, you’re not just reading about the past.
You’re seeing it, hearing it and getting a little closer to understanding how people lived.
So next time you’re planning a trip around Scotland, have a look at what’s happening while you’re here.
You might find that the most memorable part of the trip is something you hadn’t originally planned to see.