Culloden Battlefield

Whenever I go to Inverness to stay at the lovely and luxurious Frisco Villas, there is one poignant place I always have to visit.

I do not know anywhere else like it in the world, although if I ever get to Wounded Knee I imagine it might have the same sort of overwhelming atmosphere. Meanwhile, Culloden does it for me.

It always seems to be grey over Culloden, with soft rain falling, and that really suits it. Just a few miles outside Inverness, Drumossie Moor is the site of the bloodiest hour in Scottish history, the one that ended the 1745 rebellion, led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart (or Bonnie Prince Charlie to his friends).

He needed to defend Inverness, where all his supplies were stored and there were three choices of battleground.

Contrary to many popular beliefs, the Jacobites did have muskets and were trained. Some soldiers even came from France with Charlie and there were as many lowlanders as there were Highlanders (do NOT let any of the locals tell you any different). But they were wiped out nevertheless. 'Butcher' Cumberland really lived up to his name as he ordered the wounded stripped and left to die. On this fateful day, he and his men would commit large scale atrocities on and off the battlefield, killing and wounding not only the Jacobite forces but also those who retreated, as well as innocent bystanders. As detailed in historical records, the instructions were to effectively wipe-out and destroy any semblance of life in the Highlands, in what could be described as a genocide of sorts, played out by Royal soldiers setting alight to homes, murdering, imprisoning and raping as they meticulously carried out their instructions. This terrible battle featured most recently in the hit Amazon TV production “Outlander” where the series stars Jamie and the deadly “Black Jack” fight furiously as combat rages all around.

Outlander’s Black Jack & Jamie

In that hour on 16th April 1746, between 1500 and 2000 Jacobites were killed, and according to records, around 50 of the opposition, with 250 wounded. The moor is covered with little plaques marking the spots where, not just men, but entire clans fell and died. Believe me, It is a real work out for your emotional muscles.

If you have any Scottish in your family tree you will definitely want to take tissues. And if you are feeling strong, you might want to get The Corries singing Drummossie Moor or The Rose of Prince Charles up on Spotify. Add to that the atrocities that came in the wake of the defeat ... the Clearances, the banning of the language, the music, the tartan, the clans ...

So for a historically themed day trip from Frisco Villas I highly recommend you venture out to Culloden Moor for an emotional look back at the last great battle to take place on mainland UK.

By The Scottish Traveller Kate Copstick