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Pitlochry to Inverness
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That morning we headed off to the battlefield of Killiecrankie. The Battle of Killiecrankie was fought between highland Scottish clans and government troops which consisted mostly of lowland Scots. The Jacobites were victorious but their leader was shot and their forces were scattered at the Battle of Dunkeld the next month.
Next we stopped for a look at Ruthuen Barracks. The ruins of this military fort sit on a natural embankment which I'm told was formed by a glacier which cut the ground in such a manner as to provide the ideal location for a military installation. We were now in the Scottish Highlands and even in April, it gets cold here! We began passing snow capped mountains and lochs, that's what they call a lake up here. Our next stop was Rothie Murchas which is the location of Loch Marlich for a short hike. This place was one of the highlights of the tour, it's spectacular, the kind of location one would expect to find in a movie with Sean Connery or whiskey commercial. We were told that the pieces of glass which are scatted along the sand occur naturally though after seeing one that looked like the bottom of a coke bottle I was not so convinced. Next we ascended Mt Calgoren which is the location of a ski resort. Scotland has a number of ski resorts, though like Australia it has been suffering from declining snow over recent years, most likely due to the effects of global warming.
Of greater interest was our following location, a genuine 4000 year old standing stones site. The Clava Standing Stones are located just outside a town called Cairns and features three ancient standing stone circles with burial chambers. The place has a kind of eerie feel to it and it is said that the people who place these stones here chose the location because it has some kind of energy. Though no one is sure what the stones mean and how they were used it is understood that the location served some kind of religious purpose. The battle of Cullodin occurred in 1746 and was led by what should have been Scotland's true king, Bonie Prince Charlie. He was Scottish born, though lived almost his entire life in France and could therefore speak no Gaelic. Though, with some financial assistance from the king of France, he headed for Scotland to take on the British and claim his position as Scotland's true and rightful king. After a couple of short lived victories, Bonie Prince Charlie led his army of 5400 Scotsmen to their graves in the battle of Culloden. His army was outnumbered and more importantly, outgunned. For this he is probably not so well remembered, though what was even worse was the absolute ban on all things Scottish which followed and lasted for about 50. Those caught speaking in Gaelic, wearing tartan or playing bagpipes were given 7 years in jail, sold as slaves or killed. This resulted in enormous numbers of Scottish leaving their country to start a new life in other parts of the world.
What trip to Scotland is complete without a visit to Loch Ness? Stories of sightings of this much loved monster of the deep date back to 565 when Saint Columba, a visiting priest from Ireland who, legend has it, saved a commoner who had been taken in its jaws by raising his staff and commanding it to return to the depths. Since then the stories have continued. The loch itself is vast and amazing. I am told that it is not Scotland's largest Loch though it does contain the most water of any loch/lake in the UK. But how can that be the case if it's not the largest?. We spent the evening at Inverness which is a lovely town and means 'entrance to Ness'. It was our going out night and we made a visit to a genuine Scottish pub with live Scottish music and Thai food... it's a good combination. The music, food and beer were great and it turned out to be a bit of a big night.
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