I’ve been up all night for a good cause – to create a video report of my visit to Claymore last weekend which was made possible entirely due to the generosity of a patron.
It was a long journey, but fortunately not too arduous, because the flight to Edinburgh from Gatwick took less than 90 minutes. Travel to the show itself the next day was eased by a kind Twitter follower – thanks @FWorthingham – who collected me from my hotel which turned out to be waaayyyyy out on the outskirts of the city!
I really enjoyed the show. It was, above all, relaxed and friendly. There was a nice selection of games of a good club standard, rather than the showcase style one often sees at Partizan, for example, and one definitely felt that they were all ‘attainable’ . There were also a lot of participation games, and I was particularly pleased to see a large number of youngsters getting involved.
There was a really good spread of traders too, with familiar faces like Dave Thomas, Magister Militum, Kallistra, Baccus, Warbases, Old Glory, Fighting 15s and many more making an appearance, so the shopping was as good as at any other show of comparable size and better than some.
The catering was decent enough, with what was obviously the college cafe in the Atrium open for a time. Hot food was available from about 11 through to perhaps 2.30, at which point the eatery appeared to close completely. There were vending machines for fizzy drinks and sweets, though I did not test them. Fortunately, I managed to get a couple of decent coffees and a sausage roll before the shutters came down – I believe burgers and a chicken curry were also on offer.
The venue itself, as you can see in the video, was light and airy in the Atrium and main hall; Hall B, where the Bring & Buy took place, was much smaller and I only stuck my head in there briefly. There is also a lovely quadrangle in the middle of the complex, with bench seats amongst the shrubbery and trees, which was very inviting on such a warm day.
The entrance fee was only £3, which I count as a bargain. Unfortunately, with the show coinciding with the opening weekend of the Edinburgh Festival, the same cannot be said of travel and accommodation for those visiting from further afield – had it not been for the generosity of a patron, there is simply no way I could have afforded the trip. (The Ibis Budget hotel way on the outskirts of town was £155 a night, not including breakfast. Flights from Gatwick were a comparative bargain at about £190 return; rail fares are about the same from Brighton, but of course you face a journey of around 7 hours, compared to under 2.) As ever, I’m sure the diligent bargain-hunter might do slightly better.
Nevertheless, if I was located within easy driving distance, I would certainly have the show in my diary. Above all, I was impressed with the friendly and enthusiastic atmosphere, with the buzz of conversation evident all around, and there were quite a few ‘notables’ in evidence. And my day recieved not just the icing on the cake, but also the cherry on top, when not one, but two kind readers of The Wargaming Compendium brought along their copies for me to sign. To say i was chuffed, nay bowled over, is an understatement.
And finally, there is Edinburgh itself, surely one of the most impressive cities anywhere, and incomparable in the unexpected sunshine. Heaving with people during its summer festival, it was certainly more crowded than I have ever seen it before, but it has a certain self-confidence as a place, littered now with trendy eateries, strewn with artisan coffee shops and showing off its expensive shops. As a place, it creates an impression somewhere between the grandeur of London and the easy-going Georgian grace of my own Brighton and Hove. I loved it, and the trams, my dear friends, are simply fantastic, running all the way in from the airport at one end, right through and into the city centre with bargain fares.
As it was, having avoided the near six-mile walk from my hotel to the venue on Saturday morning, my Fitbit recorded the fact that I racked up more than 22,000 steps after the show! I really must improve my map-reading, as what I intended to be a gentle stroll turned into something of a half marathon around Edinburgh’s sun-soaked streets. I shall never forget the location of the John Lewis department store, where I staggered upstairs to buy a fresh, cool T-shirt to change into!
So, my thanks to the show’s hosts, the South east Scotland Wargames Club (www.seswc.co.uk) and of course to the generous patron who made this visit possible. I had a splendid, and unexpectedly exercise-filled time.
Henry
P.S. In accordance with my new policy, this video will be exclusive to patrons for a week before going public.
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