Culloden Moor, a place beyond time

 Full of grief, the low winds sweep
O'er the sorrow-haunted ground;
Dark the woods where night rains weep,
Dark the hills that watch around. 

Culloden Moor by Alice Macdonnell of Keppoch

If a place held the spirits of long dead men, Culloden Moor would be it.  There is a feeling on the moor of worlds colliding and a strong sense of grief from times past.  The Battle of Culloden Moor on the 16th of April 1746 marked not only the end of the Jacobite rising in Scotland, but the effectual end of the Highland Clans.  Nearly 7000 men, who were tired and starving rose up that day to fight against the Duke of Cumberland's forces.  2000 of them did not make it off the field.  Their bones are still there, buried in mass graves beneath the heather.  Stone markers lay on the tops of these graves, on them the names of the clans that fought and died that day, Fraser, MacLean, MacGillvary, MacIntosh.

 I remember the day I visited Culloden Moor, and I don't think that it is day I will ever forget.   It began as a sunny autumn day in September.  The bed and breakfast that we were staying at was just a couple of miles from the battlefield, so we got an early start.  I'll be honest here.  To me, the visitor's center at the battlefield seemed a little out of place. It was very modern and cold feeling.  Everything is definitely state of the art, but it felt to me as if the place needed something more reverent and reminiscent of the battle that had taken place there.  Walking out the door and into the battlefield, you are struck by an other-worldliness around you.  The realization that so many men had fought and died there, in effect, a whole way of life had died there, is quite overwhelming.  As we walked along the battlefield, a heavy fog began to roll in and settle among the stones marking the graves.  On the graves, visitors had placed heather and wildflowers in remembrance.  Since we had arrived early, the field was mostly deserted, and the combination of the fog and quiet made the place seem very alive with the past.  We walked among the quiet of the stones, and no, we didn't see any ghosts, but the feeling of the place definitely went with us through our day.  Perhaps it was just the somberness of a place where so many lost their lives, but Culloden Moor is like no place else I have been.  I would definitely recommend visiting and learning the history that has shaped the country that it is today.


If you are an Outlander fan, you will definitely recognize Culloden Moor from Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon.  The little farm house that so many waited before loosing their lives, and where Jaime was saved from death still stands today.



Culloden Moor is a National Trust for Scotland property, and there is a fee to visit it.  Please take a look at the NTS website for more details: http://www.nts.org.uk/Culloden/Visit/
 

Until next time,

Delightful Doune

Doune Castle is not a name that most people will recognize, by many people might know it from it's role in famous films and television shows.  Perhaps its most famous appearance was in the 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where King Arthur and his knights invade Doune in search of the Holy Grail.  There is even an annual "Monty Python Day" at the castle. It has appeared in both Ivanhoe films and in the TV Series, Game of Thrones, as Winterfell.

Most recently, fans of the Starz adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series will recognize it as the McKenzie stronghold Castle Leoch.  Starz did an excellent job of transforming Doune Castle into Castle Leoch, and you can watch just how they accomplished that in this video from TV Guide:

In it's present form, Doune was constructed by the Duke of Albany between 1375 and 1425.  It has lots of wonderful rooms and spaces to explore.  A couple of my favorite places to visit in it are the "Mary Queen of Scots" bedchamber with it's modern (for 1500's) toilet and sleeping closet.  Also, on one of the upper floors is a small, cosy round bedchamber that I could imagine myself settling into quite nicely :)   The Lord's Hall is a lovely room that has been restored, and can be rented for events.

 

It seems like, for our family, a trip to Scotland is never complete without an awkward or embarrassing story to tell.   Doune Castle was not an exception to this.  On one visit to Doune several years ago, the public toilets were being constructed in a small cottage near the entrance of the castle.  At this time, there were portable toilets for public use.  There were not porta-potties, but full bathrooms.  My dear mother-in-law, Tater, was along with us on this trip.  Upon exiting the toilet, she pulled what she "thought" was a string that turned out the lights.  It wasn't.  We figured this out when a loud siren immediately started sounding!  It was some type of an emergency alarm.  So, we did exactly what anyone else would do... We ran as fast as we could to the car & sped away! 

The picture above is of myself and my husband on a more recent trip, taken in front of the more picturesque toilets at Doune.  Thankfully, this time we did not set off any alarms! 

Doune Castle is a Historic Scotland property.  They are open year-round, unless filming is taking place.  Other information including opening times, and admission prices are listed on their website:
Historic Scotland - Doune Castle

If you are interested in reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, I would highly recommend it!

Outlander Series