Battle in the Burgh 2023

 Battle in the Burgh is a Beetleweight (1.5kg) combat robot competition which has been held annually in South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, since 2019. 


Yesterday, I was lucky enough to not only watch the event, but to participate and drive Belladrum as part of Team Tartan Heart. Congratulations to them for making it to the Top 8, and for taking home the Most Destructive Award!

Although I did lose all three of my battles, it was an amazing experience and taught me so much about how the sport works. Many thanks to John Rae for allowing me to drive his reserve robot!



This event, and seeing all the crazy designs and meeting all the amazing people, has inspired me to go back next year with my own beetleweight design. I wonder what it will be...






I also had my picture taken with Arena Marshall Dave Weston!











Fight #1: vs Crofty Angel


This was my first time driving Belladrum (aside from a little test twitch) so I was a little unsure going into this fight. The battery of the robot had also been left outside overnight so it was driving a bit slow during this fight! Although I lost by a judges decision, it was a very close fight and, for a first time driving this robot, I thought it went quite well.

Fight #2: vs Speeny

This one was over quite quickly! After the final hit, the removable link of Belladrum fell out so I was unable to move! Although I lost by swift knockout, the robot was relative undamaged, which was a relief for everyone!

Fight #3: vs Fortunate Son

Before this fight I felt reasonably confident that I could get my first win of the day, however this was not to be. Part way into the fight, the robots got stuck together. After they were unstuck, Belladrum stopped moving completely. The real mystery is that, in the pits, Belladrum was working perfectly. We still don't know what happened!


This event was truly a privilege to be a part of, and I highly recommend it or similar events to people interested in lower weight classes. I am extremely looking forward to returning with my own robot to compete with next year!


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