Bumper crowds turn out for Sanquhar Riding of the Marches celebration

Jul 03, 2023

The festivities began at 6am and continued all the way through until the evening

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The Royal Burgh of Sanquhar has been celebrating the Riding the Marches, in its present form, for 113 years and the traditions and spectacle was thoroughly enjoyed on Saturday by bumper crowds.

It followed a week of gala celebrations in the Upper Nithsdale town.

Saturday’s ROM began at 6am with the burgh piper’s Reveille from Piper’s Thorn to Gallows Knowe and back, ahead of the ceremonial swearing in of the new Cornet, Lori Johnson, at the Tolbooth, before the horse cavalcade left to ride the marches.

Cornet Johnson, supported by Cornet’s Lass Kelly Sanderson and Ensign Ross Jamieson, gave his report on the boundaries in Queensberry Square, with presentations to the chase winners, while the public pageant of decorated floats had been gathering and judged in Station Road.

Then came a special moment in the life of Ellis Rundle, who was crowned as the 2023 Sanquhar Queen by Mrs Yvonne Barber at a public ceremony, and supported by her royal retinue of attendants Keira Hunter, Evie Lindsay and Jorja Mitchel; herald Finn Gibson, and pageboy Frankie Donald McNulty.

The parade of decorated floats and bands then left the Square to go around the burgh, much to the delight of the hundreds of onlookers.

The afternoon was given over to free entertainment at Sanquhar Primary School with the Muck Medden Bike Track, a pipe band competition, stalls, hot food, and children’s funfair.

And there was more to come with a fantastic display of massed bands from the town hall and along the High Street.

This year it featured Thornhill Pipe Band, Lockerbie Pipe Band, Strathaven Pipe Band, Upper Nithsdale Youth Pipe Band, Sanquhar Silver Band, Bay Beat Carnival Band, and the Boom Bang Marching Band.

It was followed by the trophy prizegiving.

The special day was brought to a close with a family music night in the town hall with Gary Cleghorn.