World Stone Skimming Championships 2025

This event has been on my wish list for about 15 years - ever since we took the girls to the cheese rolling and started looking round for other wacky British events to go to. With it being on Easdale island it was always a bit too far to go, but now I live just two hours away this year was THE year to tick it off.

I booked my accommodation about 6 months ahead, expecting it to be busy, seeing as Easdale is a tiny island with few places to stay nearby and about 1000 people expected to visit on the day of the skimming.

By strange coincidence, as I surfed the stone skimming website for details of ferries and about the day of skimming itself, I came across a photo and thought - I recognize that guy! It was one of our locum GPs, Kyle, handing a trophy to a previous winner. Turns out he is one of the main organizers of the event. So when he next visited I mentioned that I would be there and we had an animated discussion about the event, followed by him asking if I fancied volunteering on the day. I agreed as it would be nicer than simply spending the day there alone, and also to be part of a team doing something they love and raising a lot of money for charity. There is a great documentary here about the event if you want to know more about it. It really is the most serious, well organised event I've ever been to - I guess as the World championship they need to maintain their integrity.

Then Kyle mentioned the Pre-Skim Party with a blue grass ceilidh band and dance by The Homecoming String Band. A good ceilidh is one of my favourite things so I booked a ticket - I would deal with the social anxiety about going alone later. I booked a ticket for the post-skim disco too as it was only a fiver, but knew I was pushing it a bit with two parties in two days.

So on the Friday, I called in at home briefly after work to feed the cats and grab my bag, then set off to Seil, a tiny island north of Oban for two nights. I went straight to Seil village hall for the party as it was doors open at 7pm and I would be arriving at 8pm. I took a few deep breaths, texted my sister for some encouragement (reply - three rolling, crying, laughing faces!), and then headed in. As it turned out Kyle was by the front door and so I immediatly felt more at ease. He introduced me to a few people, I grabbed a drink and then headed into the hall just in time for the band to begin. They were brilliant, doing a great mix of songs and dances, including a rendition of Beyonce's Texas Hold 'Em. I watched the first one and then Kyle asked me to join him for the next one. He is a very competent ceilidh partner and it was a fast paced dance. The next one was one where you swapped partners throughout, so I danced with everyone around the circle - men and women, and then there was one danced as a three, and one in a group of four and then a line dance where I could dance on my own. By 10.30pm I was ready for bed as I had a 6.30am start the following day, so I headed back to my pod. It was lovely and clean and on a working farm, so it was quiet with lovely countryside views.

The next morning I got up and out with the intention of walking the two miles to the ferry port (limited parking available) in time for the volunteer boats at 7.45am. Within five minutes a van had stopped and asked if I would like a lift - yes I did! Turned out he was the ferryman and so I got chaffeured to the ferry 'port' - a small wooden shed on the dockside. I jumped onto the first boat across to Easdale, an even smaller island. There are no cars on Easdale, which is the smallest permanently inhabited island in the Inner Hebrides, and the boat only takes about 10 people at a time on the two minute crossing. So I was nice and early for the volunteer briefing and explanation of the merchandise stall I would be working on for the first three hours. We were also treated to free bacon butties! We did a steady trade in hats, t-shirts and hoodies and it was a good atmosphere in the hall as people checked in for their turn in the competition and grabbed tea or coffee and a shirt to remind them of their day.

At 11am I got a quick break to go and see the opening speech and first stone throw, or toss, as it's called. This is for the comedy of course - Kyle is Toss Master (commentator), the veteran skimmers are Old Tossers, and the tie break round at the end is called the Toss Off. There are children's categories and adults (female and open), but most of the skimmers were male.

Easdale island has several old quarry pits but the quarrying ended when a huge storm flooded the quarries. The championships began in 1983, turning a favourite passtime into a fun international contest. The quarry used is 63m wide and the ultimate toss is when the skim hits the back wall. Only Easdale slates must be used in the skimming contest. They must be no more than 3 inches at their widest point. They must stay within a marked lane and bounce at least twice before sinking. Contestants stand on a large flat stone on the edge of the pool, called the Skim of Destiny, and have three turns each. There were 398 contestants taking part over 5 hours. There was witty commentary throughout and I overheard one bemused American tourist wondering whether all the references to tossers was intended to be funny. And when the microphone went on the blink someone began a spontaneous round of 'If you're happy and you know it' - comedy gold.

I did an hour and a half on the tea and cake stall and then took a little break to check out the tiny island museum and art gallery which were as nice as they were surprising for an island with only 60 inhabitants, but I didn't discover the soap shop until much later and it was closed. I then watched the last hour of the contest, sat up on the rocks overlooking the pool, enjoying the cool breeze and joining in with the oohs and aahs of the spectators.

After an edge-of-your-seat toss-off the open competition was won by Jonathan who got two back wall hits, and Lucy in the ladies category - one to add to her previous wins! Trophies were awarded to much cheering in the community hall. Then it was my chance to go and explore the rest of the island and have a swim - with so much water around, how could I not?! I headed to the smallest of the quarry pools at the opposite end of the island to the skimming pool, nibbling blackberries as I walked, in the hope of some quiet, but I forget that almost everyone in Scotland seems to regularly dook. There was a good number of people jumping off the rocks into the pool, which was the clearest water I think I've ever swum in, and surprisingly not absolutely frigid. I headed back to the community hall in the hope of food and was lucky enough to go halves on the last portion of chilli con carne, suggested by the kind chap who was actually behind me in the queue...

It was time to head back to my pod - my knees, feet and back were killing me and I was not up to the disco. I headed to the ferry port, only to find Kyle there who introduced me to his dad who is just the loveliest man! We had a nice chat whilst waiting for the boat and I think he said the one of best things anyone has ever said to me. He asked if I had taken a slate from the island, and I said I had thought about it but forgotten to choose one. He held his clenched fist out in a conspirational way and dropped a stone into my hand. I asked if we weren't supposed to take them and he laughed and said 'no of course you can, but I've just added a little frisson of excitement to it'. And so not only do I now have a lovely slate memento, but also a sweet memory to go with it. Anyway - we got off the ferry and he asked if I had a car there so I decided to just be direct and ask if they were heading my way and they were so kind and gave me a lift back to my pod.

The following morning I did a couple of hours on the island, clearing up the hall after the disco, and then headed home. I stopped as I left Seil to take a few photos of the Bridge Over the Atlantic. Strange to think an island can be just a few metres from the mainland like that.

A fabulous weekend, and well worth the 15 year wait! See the website here.