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Paintballing In the Highlands
If you enjoy paintballing, the Scottish Highlands is the place to indulge. Paintballing sites exist all over the Highlands, and you can experience this fun and exhilarating activity in the rugged Highland wilderness. The varied terrain, mountainous regions, wooded landscape, and moorland provide excellent venues for paintball games—and you have the opportunity to test your skills and paintballing acumen in a wild and craggy setting.
Paintballing is essentially an outdoors participation sport in which you compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate other players. This is done by hitting the players with capsules containing paint and propelled from a paintball marker, which looks like a gun. This paint is non-toxic. There are myriad levels of paintballing, competitions, and rules. In the Highlands, you should check with each centre offering paintball activities to find out what their minimum age requirements are and if there are any other restrictions. There are now even worldwide leagues, tournaments and teams for paintballing games, and some people even consider themselves to be professional paintballers. It is worth noting that the military also use paintballing activities as training exercises in riot response and non-lethal suppression of dangerous suspects. Paintballing is considered a great activity for corporate team-building, for hen and stag parties, and other groups looking for a little outdoor adventure.
Paintballing can be played on all kinds of playing fields, both indoors and outdoors. Of course, in the Scottish Highlands, paintballing takes place outdoors because the naturally rugged terrain is perfect for it. Sometimes artificial terrain is added for strategic play. Depending upon the organization or centre which is running the paintballing game, there can be a variety of ways of playing, with many different rules and procedures, including capture-the-flag, elimination, and defending / attacking a particular area. Games can last from literally seconds to hours, and even days, depending upon the structure of the play. Games are generally overseen by referees, and rules are strictly adhered to. Of course, if you are shot with a paintball, it is quite obvious, and the player’s responsibility is to raise his or her flag and then remove themselves to the sidelines.
Paintballing requires some special equipment, but the good thing about going paintballing in the Scottish Highlands is that it is usually run through outdoor and activity centres that will provide the equipment you need as part of the cost of the day. A paintball marker or paintball gun is the primary piece of equipment needed. It will be fitted with a hopper which will keep the paintball ammunition loaded. Of course, you will need paintballs. And you must wear a mask or goggles for safety reasons. It is important to guard eyes, ears, nose, and mouth from paintballs, and some masks also provide throat guards. Paintballs, while harmless, can sting when hitting their target. Severe injury can result from not being properly protected with a paintball mask. Your outdoor centre will instruct you in how to gear up and will provide you with what you need.
Paintball rules are important because they ensure safety of all players, prevent cheating, and keep the game fair for all players. Masks-on is a rule for all players when they are in the playing area. This should be obvious for safety reasons. A minimum distance rule will be enforced because of the pain which can result if a person is hit at close range by a paintball. Overshooting is also discouraged. This means that a player repeatedly shoots at another player even after they have been already eliminated. Wiping is another thing which is discouraged—this means a player tries to wipe a paint mark off himself so as to remain in the game.
A few points to consider when you are planning a paintballing outing: first, wear old clothes and trainers. Layers of clothing are even better. Be frugal when firing your paintballs, or chances are you will run out before the game does. Be prepared for unpredictable weather in the Scottish Highlands. And remember to follow all the safety guidelines of the centre which is running your paintballing game. Suits, equipment, masks, and a safety briefing should all be provided for you.
The Scottish Highlands have several paintballing centres for you to choose from. Highland Paintball in Morayshire is ideal for stag and hen parties, corporate events, or a day out. They cater for all ages and abilities. They are located in Balnagown Wood near Ardersier. Organised games last about 20 – 25 minutes, and you will be fully kitted out for an entire day’s worth of fun. Wildwoodz Paintball Park in Inverness is another centre which offers a great variety of paintball activities. They are an accredited and 4-star rated activity centre. They will cater specifically for your group and for the ages and abilities involved. This paintball park includes the following playing scenarios: a temple with a maze, a jungle, a pod, a fort, a bridge, a national shoot-out arena, a landing, and coming soon, a labyrinth of tunnels and trenches. A day of paintballing at Wildwoodz will be memorable indeed! Highland Activities in Kinloch Laggan also have paintballing adventures. Priced from £30 to £50 per person, you can experience the thrill of paintballing on their fantastic woodland courses. These games last up to 2 hours, and included in the price are your paintball suits and masks, paintball markers, and 500 paintballs. Tazball Paintball in Inverness is another 4-star activity centre offering an exciting paintballing experience. When you arrive at the site, you will meet the staff, learn about the site, and get your kit. You will have a safety briefing and learn the rules. Then, you will be taken out into 50 acres of Forestry Commission land for your exhilarating day. Lunch is provided, and there are refreshment breaks throughout the day. Tazball is a great choice for a full day’s experience.
Whatever motivates you to want to go paintballing, you have a wide variety of venues here in the Scottish Highlands to choose from. Some of them, like Tazball, are open year round, so you might want to give yourself a greater challenge and go paintballing in the wintry weather! Book a great day out now—perfect for groups, parties, and corporate events. Paintballing in the Scottish Highlands will be an exciting, challenging, fun activity to remember.
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