Left Aberfeldy at 7am.

Just Andrew and I, luckily, so one else could make us late.

I had a sore throat and the beginnings of a head cold.

We returned the rental car (after missing the airport off-ramp because we were driving INTO the [...]]]> The last day of our trip on Friday was AWFUL.

Left Aberfeldy at 7am.

Just Andrew and I, luckily, so one else could make us late.

I had a sore throat and the beginnings of a head cold.

We returned the rental car (after missing the airport off-ramp because we were driving INTO the sunrise).

We checked in at our ticket counter and were informed our plane had been rescheduled for an hour later (which they didn’t tell us when we checked in online the night before).

Except it wasn’t an hour … it was closer to 2 hours.

So long, in fact, that we had time to get me sore-throat lozenges… plus lunch… plus went and found the rest of my family who left 2 hours after us and whose plane took off before ours.

So that’s awesome.

Flight to Newark and my head cold in earnest (so I start hoarding napkins, Kleenex and paper towels)

Land in Newark at 4:15p – our connecting flight is at 430p! Ha!

We still have to get our luggage and go through customs… Which wasn’t terrible but they were understaffed.

Finally go wait in line so Continental can get us on another flight.

Woman in front of us throws a temper tantrum.

Get up to the counter, informed we were rescheduled for a 5:30 flight but we missed that too…

So we get put on a 7:30 flight. Same as the temper tantrum lady, actually.

So we got some more airport food … And Andrew’s head cold is now coming on.

About 30 minutes before we are supposed to board they change gates. Awesome.

PLUS all this time (at Newark) it is raining and thundering… so more flights are canceled or delayed so the airport is getting CROWDED …

And Andrew and I are both sniffling like crazy.

We finally board about 8:30p … and then don’t take off til 9:30p or so.

With both Andrew and I sick and awake now for almost 24 hours.

We both slept a bit on the plane to LAX, finally landing, getting luggage, getting picked  up and getting home around 1a.

26+ hours after we stared.

And then Andrew had to work the next day.

I still can’t wait to go back

Do you have any horrendous travel stories?

Once we had walked all through the Cathedral and gravestones, Dad wanted to visit St. Andrew’s Castle site before it closed so they did that…. While the 4 ‘kids’ walked way out the long pier just behind the Cathedral near East Sands beach …

So gorgeous to see St. Andrews from that direction …

For his souvenir, Andrew wanted whisky! We found a liquor store (though I’m sure that’s not what they call it)… and Andrew picked out a bottle of Edradour (the distillery he visited in Pitlochry) …. So fun.

Our parking pass was up at 5p … so we stopped by and got Andrew’s whiskey and went to meet Mom and Dad by the car.

Of course, once we got there we noticed that parking is free after 5p, so we could have stayed “out” without worrying – but no matter.

We were all getting hungry, the big sites were closing, and Andrew and I had to leave early to catch our flight the next morning … .

But first – dinner.

Being in a college town there were all kinds of pubs. Everywhere, practically. We had passed by one – The Central – with a photo of some delicious-looking bangers and mash advertised outside … so obviously we had to go there!

Dinner was … interesting.

• The bartender was not super polite
• But, some nice man gave up his seat so all 6 of us could sit together (and then disappeared so we couldn’t buy him a drink)
• Both Kevin and Chelsea ordered meals that the pub was out of and had to change their order

But my bangers and mash were quite good! I wasn’t able to finish it… but I was also coming down with a cold, so no one else wanted to share it either …

Not much left to the trip … drove home. Finished packing. Earlyish bed.

Thursday night Kevin, Andrew and Chelsea walked down to town to the pub at the Blackwatch Inn for drinks and darts.

I had to bully my dad into reading in his bedroom so I could go to sleep, though.

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From Andrew:

Our last night in Aberfeldy, Kevin, Chelsea and I walked down the road for one last night of drinks and darts to the Blackwatch Inn.

We got a small table right next to the entrance and immediately got a few pints and began talking with a young Irishman. He had been living and working in Aberfeldy for a year or so and was asking us how we liked the trip and Scotland and if we planned to go to Ireland at all. He gave Kevin and Chelsea some recommendations for Ireland and we talked off and on with him for an hour or so.

photo by Chelsea

It was warm and dark in the bar, a perfect complement to the cold drinks. We got a few games of darts in, it was fun playing with 3 people.

The pub is such a good place to relax and enjoy the company of close friends or family. Such a welcoming environment. It was a great way for me to end my Scotland journey.

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All that’s left now is to go home! SO sad!

We separated – Mom and Dad to the golf course to buy something for Grandpa, and the other 4 of us to find St. Andrews College so I could get a [...]]]> When we got to St. Andrews we parked on North Street, about across the street from St. Salvador’s Chapel – and Butts Wynd.

We separated – Mom and Dad to the golf course to buy something for Grandpa, and the other 4 of us to find St. Andrews College so I could get a hoodie.

We passed “Butts Wynd” a street very unfortunately named ….

… and of course the first thing Kevin does is write a song about it …. Kind of early 90s pop-ballad song, all with varying lyrics ending in ‘butt’s wind” … obviously.

We walked down to the Museum of St. Andrews which is cute and small-ish but still interesting.

Among other things – they had a plaque commemorating a visit form Prince William and Catherine Middleton (a month or 2 before they were married) and a seal-press with scratch paper to emboss/press/whatever its called your own seal.

I had to ask the employees there where the bookstore was (so I could get my sweatshirt) and we backtracked all the way to Market Street …

For whatever reason, we always put off picking out souvenirs.

By our last day in Scotland – at St. Andrews  – I had despaired of finding a fun Scotland ornament to take back.

I do, however, love university and college hoodies. So being at the oldest university in Scotland was the perfect place for me to pick out a souvenir.

I am now the proud owner of a purple St. Andrews University hooded sweatshirt … and Andrew picked out a St. Andrews coffee mug to take home.

The plan was to meet Mom ad Dad at St. Andrews Castle at 3p. When we got there, though, we decided to go on to the Cathedral instead. There was only a couple hours left before both sites closed – and we had already seen 3 castles in 3 days on the trip.

On to the Cathedral … and the rain still held off a bit….

The Cathedral is now only ruins – walls and spires picked clean by centuries of scavengers – surrounded by a still-in-use graveyard…. And a climbable tower.

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From Rick Steves:

We walked down the small road to the end of the town where St. Andrews Cathedral ruins are….

There is a big stone wall all around the property – still standing – including entrance gates.

There are partial walls (mostly just foundations of walls) of the Cathedral so you can roughly see the layout of how the Cathedral used to be …. But grass is completely grown in… There is one spot where a large stone step still remains where the altar used to be … but otherwise its all grass

… and seagulls. Very strange to see 2 seagulls nesting on top of an ancient stone pile that used to be the wall of one of the most important Cathedrals in Europe.

Bizarre.

There is a climbable tower … and an unclimbable tower….

… and everywhere you look are gravestones.

The graveyard is MUCH more recent than the Cathedral… how bizarre to choose to be buried near the ruins of a Cathedral. I think I saw headstones from as late as the 1980s!

I wish we could have taken some kind of guided tour here… I did the best I could with the Rick Steves book. But I’m sure there is a lot more to learn about.

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From Andrew:

While we were at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Kevin, Chelsea and I decided to climb to the top of St. Rule’s Tower, located in the center of the cathedral grounds. Admission to the tower was free with the passes Terry purchased for us, we simply had to retrieve a token to get through the gates.

Once inside, we climbed the 155 stone steps to the top of the tower and were rewarded with a gorgeous view of St. Andrew’s and the sea. The tower is a remnant of the Church of St. Regulus which dates to the 12^th century. St. Andrew’s Cathedral was built over these grounds over a period of a century in the late part of the 12^th century.

After about 15 minutes atop the tower, the three of us began our descent in order to feed the parking meters. However, just as we got halfway down the extremely narrow stone staircase, a lare group of maybe 40-50 tourists began their ascent. None of them appeared to speak English or to care to let us by at all. We were trapped for about 10 minutes while tourist after tourist shoved by us. It was hilarious. I don’t know how they all fit at the top of the tower’s platform.

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(Just a few hours left of Scotland…. so sad)

Of course, we followed Kevin’s [...]]]> Once Mom had gotten her St. Andrew’s sand, we jointly decided to get back in the car, drive south to the little East Neuk fishing villages and find the fish and chips place both Rick Steves and a friend of my mom’s had recommended – the Anstruther Fish Bar.

Of course, we followed Kevin’s GPS driving … and it (again) took us off what appeared to be the main route through ANOTHER 1-lane “road” through a field. And this time we DID run into another driver coming straight toward us.

I have no idea what the protocol is, but she had a tiny pull-out – so she pulled off to the side, partway into the field, to let us pass.

Yes, I DO mean a 1-lane road.

After that, we found our way to the road the Anstruther Fish Bar was on, but couldn’t find the building. I don’t know what the GPS was telling him, but Kevin led our car first north a mile or so, then south … all along the same small road. Yes we had found Anstruther – and it was, in fact, a TINY fishing village. We had found the road it was supposed to be on, and we even had the address…

… but, bizarrely, the buildings on either side did not appear to be in any kind of numerical order …. 36…. 47…. 25…. 19…. ??

And, believe me… it’s not as though we were misreading them. The road we were on was gain one lane. Or, rather, slightly wider than one lane but that INCLUDED cars parked on either side at intervals.

There would be a car parked on the right, half on the sidewalk…. And once we had gotten around it there would be a car parked on the left, halfway on the sideway only 12 or 15 yards down the road…. And then, of course, once we got around that, there’d be another car coming in our direction …. But once they saw there were 2 cars on our side, they would actually have to back up a ways so we could get through.

Combine all of that with the big Mercedes Andrew was driving, still trying to understand the building numbers and at one point a man in a ladder, painting the second story shutters ….. it was insanity! And hilarious!

Not to worry …. We eventually found the Anstruther Fish Bar.

For a small town, the restaurant took up 3 store fronts.

It is set up kid of in the style of a diner – our waitress wore a paper hat and everything – with a small ice cream counter near one of the doors.

We got there around lunchtime and it was quite crowded…. In addition to a few families, we also saw several high-school-age uniformed students (presumably on their lunch break) as well as a group of old (old old) people who appeared to be all there together.

We finally were seated, but only by breaking up our party to a table of 2 (mom and dad) up some short stairs and a table of 4 (me, Andrew, Kevin and Chelsea) down near the ice cream counter.

All 4 of us ordered the “special” : Haddock fish and chips …. According to everything we had heard, as well as all the signage on the outside of the restaurant, this was the best fish and chips in the UK.

Apparently all restaurant meals include a drink and bread and butter … so we all got cans of soda… AND each got a single slice of white bread – straight from the bag…. Sliced in half and served on a small Styrofoam plate.

It was absolutely one of the STRANGEST things we were served the whole trip!

Also, I don’t really understand why ….

As I said, the restaurant was pretty crowded that day … and there was a man with a video camera who appeared to be getting some kind of stock or ambiance-type footage of the restaurant on a busy lunch. We soon found out he was taking footage for the website!

He ended up filming quite a bit of our table … when we were served our fish and chips in particular. I’m SURE it’s because we were pretty much the only table of young people in the whole place.

Andrew and Kevin kept joking about giving each other high-fives over the food and other such cheesy ridiculousness and hopefully have that footage used on the website.

Apparently the Anstruther Fish Bar has been dubbed the best fish and chips in the UK … buy no less authority than the Scottish Tourist Board and others.

… but I wish I had had fish and chips somewhere else to compare it to.

It was just fish and chips to me …. Along with that bizarre slice of bread.

Once we were done with lunch, we (obviously) got some of their homemade ice cream and went outside to eat it …

As it had started raining again…. We stayed in front of the restaurant, under the eaves, eating our ice cream.

While we were standing there, a big van (12 or 15 passenger) with the word ‘Ambulance’ painted on the side double parked right in front of the restaurant.

A group of old people started to cross in front of us and line up to get in the van. And I’m talking REALLY old. The kind of old that when they walk by their eyes are glazed over and they wouldn’t hear you talk to them because they have to use all their energy to stay standing up …

So, as they passed us, one of the younger ones (maybe only 85 or so, in the blue sweater in the photo below) saw Dad – of white beard and bald head – and said to him, “Hey, come along with us!”

Andrew said it sounded like they knew each other and had been talking earlier – but that is NOT the case. This adorable old man just took the chance that Dad had a sense of humor and poked a bit of fun at him!

Hilarious and awesome and we couldn’t stop laughing!

Finishing our ice cream, still laughing at Dad being invited to join the Ambulance, we hopped in the cars and headed back to St. Andrews….

I added St. Andrew’s to the itinerary primarily because of Dad … and his desire to see the golf course.

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From Rick Steves:

St. Andrews

For many, St. Andrews [...]]]> Thursday. Our final day in Scotland. It feels like the week went by so fast! There’s so much more to see in the country!

I added St. Andrew’s to the itinerary primarily because of Dad … and his desire to see the golf course.

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From Rick Steves:

St. Andrews

For many, St. Andrews is synonymous with golf. But there’s more to this charming town than its famous links. Dramatically situated at the edge of a sandy bay, St. Andrews is the home of Scotland’s most important university – think of it as the Scottish Cambridge. And centuries ago, the town was the religious capital of the country.

In its long history, St. Andrews has seen two boom periods. First in the early Middle Ages, the relics of St. Andrews made the town cathedral one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Christendom. The faithful flocked here from all over Europe, leaving the town with a medieval all-roads-lead-to-the-cathedral street plan that survives today.

But after the Scottish Reformation the cathedral rotted away and the town became a forgotten backwater. A new wave of visitors arrived in the mid-19^th century, when a visionary mayor named (appropriately enough) Provost Playfair began to promote the town’s connection with the newly in-vogue game of golf. Most buildings in town date from this time.

Today, St. Andrews remains a popular spot for both students and golf devotees (including professionals and celebrities such as Scotsman Sean Connery, often seen out on the links). With vast, sandy beaches, golfing opportunities for pros and novices alike, playgrounds of ruins, a fun-loving student vibe and a string of relaxing fishing villages nearby (the East Neuk), St. Andrews is an appealing place to take a vacation from your busy vacation.

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We left Aberfeldy early-ish to drive about an hour and a half to the east coast to St. Andrew’s. It rained on and off the whole way there, but once we arrived the rain had stopped for a bit.

Upon arriving in town – a tiny, coastal college town – we went straight to West Sands Beach. Just off the Old Course, and the site of the filming of the opening scene of Chariots of Fire, West Sands Beach was at VERY low tide when we got there (maybe 10:30a or so).

The walk from the parking lot (of the golf course) to the beach was over a wooden boardwalk, through beachy weeds – very northeast-U.S. beachy. Definitely reminded me of the beach in ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ or similar. There was even a looks-like-it-is-about-to-fall-over wooden slat fence keeping the overgrowth from the sand.

In true tiny-tourist-town fashion, as soon as we stepped on to the sand we saw a lifeguard picking up the little bit of trash that was present on the beach.

We spent maybe 45 minutes or so at West Sands Beach …

When you walk on to the beach, the town of St. Andrew’s is to the south (your right) with only coastline visible to the north (your left). We stepped on to the bright sand, and the ocean felt so far away! I just tried to imagine what the opening scene of Chariots of Fire must look like (since I’ve never seen it) … with a lone runner jogging down the beach…

We all started heading toward the water – but at different speeds. The ocean was at low tide, yes, but parts of the sand were still pretty wet and muddy. Andrew was wearing canvas boat shoes that ended up getting pretty wet. Chelsea was wearing suede boots and I don’t think she came very far out at all.

We were generally headed in the direction of what looked to be some climbable rocks … as we got farther and farther out toward the water line, we began to see something strange on the wet sand.

Andrew thought they were worms – and they certainly looked like they could be … brown, squiggly thin piled on the sand…. But then – especially as we got even closer to the water – we started to see these piles appear from the sand!

I still haven’t looked them up to see specifically what it was… but we came to the consensus that SOMETHING (crab, worm, something) was under the surface of the wet sand and expelling or regurgitating thin columns of sand up onto the surface. … just like those Play-Doh factory toys …. Squeezing out Play-Doh spaghetti.

I still tried to avoid stepping on them, but I was kind of glad to know I wasn’t surrounded by worms!

360 degree video:

Turns out the dark rocks were totally covered by slippery sea plant of some kind, smelling and not at all climbable. They must be under water once the tide comes up …

SO beautiful there

After visiting the beach, it was just about lunch time …. that story coming up!

…. taking photos of the silly-to-us-Americans road signs:

The castle itself feels a lot bigger than it looks – especially since a couple of the towers still [...]]]> So, after lunch at Urquhart … and after spending as much time as possible waiting for Kevin and Chelsea, we decided to go on to the Castle itself …

The castle itself feels a lot bigger than it looks – especially since a couple of the towers still have working stairs. In one corner, you can go down a flight, or up 2 flights from the ground-level.

(Of course, the stairwells are extremely narrow and a bit claustrophobic – but that’s no reason not to explore).

The castle had one small gate, with a path leading down to the water. Easier to defend that way, I assume.

So we spent about an hour wandering around the castle ruins …. Until Kevin and Chelsea got there.

Then we spent another hour or so wandering around the castle some more …. Laughing, taking photos, and such until we were politely asked to leave by a castle guide.

Not even close to sunset, but apparently they close at 6p.

SO gorgeous ….. wait til you see the drive home …. coming up next!

I had cut up some veggies that we snacked on in the car … Mom had brought some “crisps” for more snacking.

Kevin and Chelsea were (finally) on their way north, so we told them to meet [...]]]> We left Culloden Battlefield around 1:30p or 2p and headed back west through Inverness to Loch Ness

I had cut up some veggies that we snacked on in the car … Mom had brought some “crisps” for more snacking.

Kevin and Chelsea were (finally) on their way north, so we told them to meet us at Urquhart Castle (on the North side of Loch Ness).

Great story about visiting Loch Ness from Jackie Travels

We had a *basic* ideas of where we were going (without the GPS), but again, the streets and sites are all really well signed so we didn’t have much trouble finding Urquhart Castle at all….

Unlike Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle, Urquhart Castle is still in ruins, on the coast of Loch Ness. When we got there it wasn’t super clear where to go to show our Explorer pass (to get into the castle). Of course, whatever we did was apparently wrong, and the employee was rather rude to us about it. Whatever. The only real rudeness on the whole trip (and the guy behind us in line kind of stood up for us).

For lunch, Andrew had gone to the grocery store to get stuff for sandwiches. We very precariously wrapped 8 slices of bread in paper towels and then in a plastic grocery bag, plus meat and cheese in their original packaging, plus cut up cucumbers.  We decided to wait to eat until we got to Urquhart Castle, and luckily they have a small café with tables inside and outside (where we sat). Mom even finagled some “rogue condiments” from the café so we had mustard and such to put on our sandwiches.

(rogue condiments)

Urquhart Castle is still in ruins – just a shell of what it originally was. Its previous owners blew up the Castle to keep the Jacobites from taking possession of it.

While there’s not a whole lot of historical information available at the castle itself, the visitor’s center features a 10-ish minute video dramatizing the castle’s history up until it was destroyed ~1692. Regardless, it is quite the beautiful location right on the lake….

Yes, Urquhart Castle is on Loch Ness. When we were planning our trip, pretty much EVERYONE asked us if we were going to visit Loch Ness.

Apparently, most “Nessie” sightings take place in the deepest part of the lake – just in front of where Urquhart Castle is situated.

Standing at the Castle, it’s easy to see how someone could fool themselves into thinking they saw something. Between the dark, deep water and the wakes of boats and birds I’m sure could talk yourself into anything.

Sadly, we did NOT see Nessie.

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From RICK STEVES:

Sightings on Loch Ness

In July of 1933, a couple swore that they saw a giant sea monster shimmy across the road in front of their car by Loch Ness. Within days, ancient legends about giant monsters in the lake (dating as far back as the sixth century) were revived – and suddenly everyone was spotting “Nessie” poke its head above the waters of Loch Ness.

In the last 75 years, further sightings and photographic “evidence” have bolstered the claim that there is something mysterious living in this unthinkably deep and murky lake. (Most sightings take place in the deepest part of the loch, near Urquhart Castle). Most witnesses describe a water-bound dinosaur

(resembling the real, but extinct, plesiosaur). Others cling to the slightly more plausible theory of a gigantic eel. And skeptics figure the sightings can be explained by a combination of reflections, boat wakes, and mass hysteria. The most famous photo (dubbed the “Surgeon’s photo”) was later discredited – the “monster’s” head was actually attached to a toy submarine. But that hasn’t stopped various cryptozoologists from seeking photographic, sonar and other proof.

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Kevin and Chelsea left Aberfeldy around 11a or noon … drove ~2 hours north … stopped for lunch and THEN got to Urquhart, with maybe only an hour or 2 til the site closed.

The other 4 of us had plenty of time to wander the grounds of the castle – especially since there weren’t really and placards or exhibits to read.

Mom walked down to the lake’s shore to get a small Ziploc bag full of sand. She gathered sand from the west coast (in Oban), from Loch Ness …. And then the next day she would get sand from the east coast (in St. Andrew’s). Each in its own labeled baggie…. And I imagine she got more when they went to Ireland! I don’t think she was totally positive what she was going to do with this sand – but I’m picturing some kind of decorative display in little jars.

The castle is “protected” by a grassy moat … or, rather, steep grassy hills … ideal for sliding or rolling down if you’re a kid.

 It was SUCH a gorgeous day …. More on the Castle itself next ….

After going all through the Culloden visitor’s center …. learning about the politics of each side and how the battle progressed…..

…..at the backdoor, we got an audio guide to the actual battlefield.

It’s an audio guide tied to GPS, so as we walked along the clear path through the field, every 30 [...]]]>  

After going all through the Culloden visitor’s center …. learning about the politics of each side and how the battle progressed…..

…..at the backdoor, we got an audio guide to the actual battlefield.

It’s an audio guide tied to GPS, so as we walked along the clear path through the field, every 30 yards or so we hear a “ping” sound, stop, and the audio guide would tell us about where we were on the field.

You start (at the star in this image) behind Government lines (marked by a line of tall red flags) … and continue in a circle clockwise on through the Jacobite line (marked by a line of tall blue flags), then back around, past the mass graves … and back to the visitor’s center.

Part of the reason why the Jacobite army lost SO badly is because of the ground they were standing, running and fighting on… and you really can see that when you’re standing out there – on the damp, soggy, uneven moor land. It seems impossible to think they tried to run across it with any real force.

As you follow the path along the way back – away from the Jacobite line toward the Government line – you pass the mass graves of the Highland clans.

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From the website:

Lying on either side of the road driven through battlefield in 1835 these headstones bear the names of the clans. Erected by Duncan Forbes in 1881 they mark where the battle dead, who amounted to over 1000, were buried by local people, some of whom were known to them. They were identified by their clan badge, a plant sprig worn in their bonnet.

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Just near the grave markers is a memorial Cairn. Made of stone. It’s the highest, most solid landmark on the battlefield – fittingly so.

Again, this was one of my FAVORITE parts of the whole week….

In large part because of the striking visitor’s center exhibit and the battlefield audio guide, I feel like I really experienced this ‘tourist attraction’ more than any other on this trip.

After Culloden, it was on to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle ….

Andrew got up EARLY Wednesday morning and walked to the grocery store to get food for a picnic lunch…. Even with not a ton of sleep we were up and ready to leave [...]]]> Continuing with our Scotland photos and stories. …. I kind of love dragging it out this much…. I loved that vacation!

Andrew got up EARLY Wednesday morning and walked to the grocery store to get food for a picnic lunch…. Even with not a ton of sleep we were up and ready to leave about 9a.

Kevin and Chelsea elected to stay and sleep in … but Mom and Dad got up early to come with us.

But first, gassing up!

We had an approximately 2 hour drive north to Inverness, on the main, big highway through the country … through the National Park.

We read from the guidebooks about where we were going and talked about Scottish movies and generally had a relaxing drive…. Especially since Andrew was driving!

(drive by photo of the country side. This is pretty typical of the whole 2 hour trip!)

(gas station coffee. Not great but better than nothing)

Since Kevin and Chelsea weren’t coming north until the afternoon (if then) we decided to go to Culloden battlefield first.

Gaelic and English

The building on the left was the Visitor’s Center with exhibit and history and all …. Through that doorway straight ahead is the battlefield …

Before visiting Culloden Battlefield, I honestly had NO idea what it was about. I put it on the itinerary basically based on Rick Steves’ recommendation and the fact that it was near Loch Ness. Not always the best way to plan excursions, but in this case it TOTALLY worked out.

Culloden Battlefield – including the visitor’s center and audio tour – was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.

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FROM RICK STEVES:

The battle of Culloden (April 16, 1746) marks the end of the power of the Scottish Highland clans and the start of years of representation of Scottish culture by the English. It was the culmination of a year’s worth of battles, known collectively as “the ’45.” At the center of it all was the charismatic, enigmatic Bonnie Prince Charlie (1720-1788).

Charles Edward Stuart, from his first breath was raised with a single purpose – to restore his family to the British throne. His grandfather was King James II, deposed in 1688 by Parliament for his tyranny and pro-Catholic bias. In 1745, young Charlie crossed the Channel from exile in France to retake the throne for the Stuarts. He landed on the west coast of Scotland and rallied support for the “Jacobite” cause. Though Charles was not Scottish-born, he was the rightful heir directly down the line from Mary, Queen of Scots – and so many Scots joined the Stuart family’s rebellion out of resentment at being ruled by a foreign king (English royalty of German descent).

Bagpipes droned and “Bonnie” (handsome) Charlie led an army of 2,000 tartan-wearing Gaelic-speaking Highlanders across Scotland, seizing Edinburgh. They picked up other supporters of the Stuarts from the Lowlands and from England. Now 6,000 strong, they marched south toward London, and King George II made plans to flee the country. But anticipated support for the Jacobites failed to materialize in the numbers they were hoping for (both in England and from France). The Jacobites had so far been victorious in their battles against the Hanoverian government forces, but the odds now turned against them. Charles retreated to the Scottish Highlands, where many of his men knew the terrain and might gain an advantage when outnumbered. The English government troops followed closely on his heels.

Against the advice of his best military strategist, Charles’ army faced the Hanoverian forces at Culloden Moor on flat, barren terrain that was unsuited to the Highlanders’ guerilla tactics. The Scots – many of them brandishing only broadsword spears – were mowed down by English cannons and horsemen. In less than an hour, the government forces routed the Jacobite army, but that was just the start. They spent the next weeks methodically hunting down ringleaders and sympathizers (and many others in the Highlands who had nothing to do with the battle) ruthlessly killing, imprisoning and banishing thousands.

Charles fled with a ₤30,000 price on his head. He escaped to the Isle of Skye, hidden by a woman named Flora MacDonald (her grave is on the Isle of Skye and her statue is outside Inverness Castle). Flora dressed Charles in women’s clothes and passed him off as her maid. Later, Flora was arrested and thrown in the Tower of London before being released and treated like a celebrity.

Charles escaped to France. He spent the rest of his life wandering Europe trying to drum up supportiHighH to retake the throne. He drifted through short-lived romantic affairs and alcohol and died in obscurity, without an heir, in Rome.

Though usually depicted as a battle of the Scottish versus the English, in truth Culloden was a civil war between two opposing dynasties: Stuart (Charlie) and Hanover (George). In fact, about one-fifth of the government’s troops were Scottish, and several redcoat deserters fought along with the Jacobites. However, as the history has faded into lore, the battle has come to be remembered as a Scottish-versus-English standoff – or in the parlance of the Scots, the Highlanders versus the Strangers.

The Battle of Culloden was the end of 60 years of Jacobite rebellions, the last major battle fought on British soil, and the final stand of the Highlanders. From then on, clan chiefs were deposed; kilts, tartans and bagpipes because illegal paraphernalia; and farmers were cleared off their ancestral land, replaced by more-profitable sheep. Scottish culture would never recover from the events of the campaign called “the ’45.”

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The visitor’s center is clearly new. 2007, I think. It’s run by the National Trust for Scotland … and it is clear that a ton of work (historical, archaeological, social) was done in the planning.

Interesting detail: the logo for the site is really just a red and a blue line. Clearly not parallel lines, but I couldn’t really Figure out what we were supposed to think based on this ‘logo’ …

But we soon realized those lines represent the British government battle line (red) and the Jacobite/Bonnie Prince Charles Highlander battle line (blue).

The visitor’s center is laid out so well – you follow a clear path through … with the “government” point of view told on one wall and the “Jacobite” point of view told on the opposite wall.

Below you can see the red arrow pointing to the left and the blue arrow pointing to the right (just below the words Continental War) to help orient you ….

It really was a brilliant design strategy! I learned so much!

(there was a small theater with screens on all 4 sides, showing a film of the battle reenactment.)

It’s amazing how thoroughly I was able to understand the history and battle, just from the visitor’s center.

All of the indoor exhibit deals with the history, environment and plans leading up to the Battle of Culloden…. … And prepares you for visiting the battlefield itself (post to come) …