Culloden
The windswept moorland of CULLODEN (site open all year; free), five miles east of Inverness, witnessed the last-ever battle on British soil when, on April 16, 1746, the Jacobite cause was finally subdued - a turning point in the history of the Scottish nation. The second Jacobite rebellion had begun on August 19, 1745, with the raising of the Stuarts' standard at Glenfinnan on the west coast. Shortly after, Edinburgh fell into Jacobite hands, and Bonnie Prince Charlie began his march on London. The English had appointed the ambitious young Duke of Cumberland to command their forces, and his pursuit, together with bad weather and lack of funds, eventually forced the Jacobites to retreat north. They ended up at Culloden, where, ill-fed and exhausted after a pointless night march, they were hopelessly outnumbered by the English. The open, flat ground of Culloden Moor was totally unsuitable for the Highlanders' style of courageous but undisciplined fighting, which needed steep hills and lots of cover to provide the element of surprise, and they were routed. After the battle, in which 1500 Highlanders were slaughtered (many of them as they lay wounded on the battlefield), Bonnie Prince Charlie fled west to the hills and islands, where loyal Highlanders sheltered and protected him. He eventually escaped to France, leaving his erstwhile supporters to their fate - and, in effect, ushering in the end of the clan system. The clans were disarmed, the wearing of tartan and playing of bagpipes forbidden, and the chiefs became landlords greedy for higher and higher rents. The battle also unleashed an orgy of violent reprisals on Scotland, as unruly English troops raped and pillaged their way across the region; within a century, the Highland way of life had changed out of all recognition. Today you can walk freely around the battle site; flags show the positions of the two armies, and clan graves are marked by simple headstones. The Field of the English , for many years unmarked, is a mass grave for the fifty or so English soldiers who died. The visitor centre itself (daily: April-Oct 9am-6pm; Nov-March 10am-4pm; closed early to mid-Jan; NTS; GBP4) provides background information through detailed displays and a film show, as well as a short play set on the day of the battle presented by local actors (June-Sept only; included in admission fee), or you can take the evocative hour-long guided walking tour (June-Sept daily; GBP3). The site is served by Guide Friday buses from Bridge Street in Inverness (May-Sept; 10 daily from 10am; last return bus leaves Culloden at 5.45pm) and Highland Country bus #12 from Inverness post office (Mon-Sat 8 daily).
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