This was the 23rd year of the Clan Donald Tournament on the Isle of Skye. The tournament is held early in July in the grounds of Armadale Castle, about a mile from the ferry terminal for Malaig on the mainland. Fifty four archers came this year, from as far away as Holland and Jersey as well as many parts of England and Scotland. This was a smaller entry than recent years and meant we ran only one detail.

Sunday saw teams of people measuring and marking. We managed the FITA field on the Castle lawn in a couple of hours, before running for cover, but the Field team, under Karen's guidance, spent all day in the pouring rain, determined to make the course "interesting and challenging".

Monday started damp, but by midday it was dry and we had a lovely afternoon in the practice field. The Field practice target with its marks every 5 metres is a must and there seemed always to be some archers working on their sight marks.

Tuesday and Wednesday saw us all in front of the Castle for the FITAs, 38 recurve bows, 10 compound and 6 longbows. Both days ran smoothly with everyone helping to set up targets, move them between distances, and stack them away at the end of the day. On Skye we do not have a field party and do appreciate everyone's help.

Thursday was Clout day. It's a Metric Clout so the target circle is big, but 165m is still a challenge for a man with a longbow! (The 125m ladies distance was quite far enough for mine). Compound archers must remove their sights and no practice is allowed for the Clout. Afternoon scores are often much higher than the morning as people find their mark, and this year was no different.

Friday, assembling at the gate, score boards and target faces were handed out to group leaders, before we set off into the woods. A loud blast on a whistle started us off. Shooting one round of 14 targets in the morning, we returned after lunch to do it all again. At the end again everyone helped strip the targets and bring all the equipment out ready for uplifting and storing away till next year.

One day of practice and four whole days of competitive shooting, and are we finished yet? No, but it is all fun from now on. 8.00p.m. sees us all in the Village Hall for prize giving and the Ceilidh. An accordion and fiddle band keep us dancing till midnight, while our special Skye Midge badge is for sale to those people who "shot the lot" (double FITA, double Clout and double Field).

Saturday morning , for those who don't have to rush off for ferries, is Handicap round. We pair everyone off highest with lowest, based on the higher of the two FITA scores. We shoot 3 dozen arrows at approximately 60 yards, (quite trying after the Ceilidh) with prizes for the best pairs and a trophy for the highest individual score. The Perfect End is a single arrow elimination round at variable unmarked distances with a Trophy for the winner.

Once the sun came out for us on Monday the weather was really kind to us, although the camping field was waterlogged. We had dry days, some sunshine, and light breezes to keep the midges away.

Skye week is a holiday as much as an Archery competition and it is great to see people coming back year after year and to welcome new faces. We have a good team in the Organising Committee, so although it is a lot of hard work no one person has to do it all. The fact that all the archers are willing to help on the day ensures the even the organisers are able to relax and enjoy the shooting too.

The closing date for this year's event is mid June so there is still time to send your entry in. Email the organiser - Ruth Williams