Culloden Moor
After landing in Inverness and recovering from a truly horrendous journey....beer and food are marvelous pick-me-ups--our first stop was Culloden Moor. They have a really great new visitor center which gives the history of the battle with some very well-done and moving displays, but the real experience is walking out on the moor. Not to be all melodramatic, but it is haunting. And so beautiful. I won't bore everyone with the history of the battle, but it's heartbreaking. 
Obligatory thistles. I took a fair number of thistle shots...I won't share all of them, though! Never fear...
The moor, looking from where the Jacobites were standing towards where the english were.
Now, there's a fancy-pants (and very well done) visitor center, but before that happened, the landowner put up his own memorial and clan stones. I found those to be more touching that the new ones, really.
Since the English were killing every tartan-wearing Scot they could find, and since so very many Scots died, they were buried in mass graves. Many clans have their own stones, but not all.
This placard shows the battle lines. Jacobites in blue, English in red.
Obligatory thistles. I took a fair number of thistle shots...I won't share all of them, though! Never fear...
The moor, looking from where the Jacobites were standing towards where the english were.
Now, there's a fancy-pants (and very well done) visitor center, but before that happened, the landowner put up his own memorial and clan stones. I found those to be more touching that the new ones, really.
Since the English were killing every tartan-wearing Scot they could find, and since so very many Scots died, they were buried in mass graves. Many clans have their own stones, but not all.This placard shows the battle lines. Jacobites in blue, English in red. And here we have a slug. The slugs were HUGE and everywhere. I put the phone next next to it to show the scale.
posted by amy @ 10:06 AM
4 Comments:
WOW. I am dying to go to Culloden. I am sure it's a humbling experience.
It's amazing...and even now, 262 years later, it's sad and haunting. Very evocative. It was one of my favorite experiences. If you do plan a trip to Scotland, let me know...I have lots of suggestions! :):)
I have been to Culloden, and the memory of that visit haunts me (literally) still. I really felt the presence of all those who died there. It was a misty, grey day when we visited, and the weather seemed as if it probably was made to order for such a place.
I know...it's truly a haunting place. It was misty and gray when we were there, too, but at one point the clouds cleared the sun lit up the heather...it was pretty magical. The new visitor center is something else...very well done...but I found just being out on the moor itself to be the most special and sad part of the experience. On a nice note, we saw lots of dogs there...the moor is a bit of an official dog park. :)
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