A Battlefield, A Castle and Old Rocks

The Battle of Culloden was basically a slaughter that occurred on the morning of April 16th, 1746. The Jacobite forces that wanted to put Bonnie Prince Charlie on the Throne were defeated by the English. 1500 Scots died while only 50 English died. This was the last major battle ever fought on British soil. This battle also was the beginning of the mass migration of Scottish people to the New World. It was very sad being here. There were random markers and a large memorial cairn that told of where certain clans perished. What cheered me up were the Hairy Coos that were feeding nearby.

We had lunch at Cawdor Castle ( built many centuries after the time of Macbeth). It is a real castle that is lived in today. The former Earl of Cawdor was a real partier in the Sixties and Seventies and basically ran through his fortune. When he died, he left the castle to his second wife and not to his eldest son from his first marriage, the current Earl of Cawdor. This was a huge scandal, but nothing could be done about it. It turns out, the second wife has a great business head on her shoulders and the castle makes tons of money from tourism. The rooms on view were lovely, but of course, now pictures were allowed. I went on one of the nature walks behind the castle and again I was alone with my thoughts. I walked for about half an hour and realized that I had better turn back or I would miss the bus.

We then went to Clava Cairns which is an ancient burial ground and the rocks apparently have some sort of cosmic energy. I hugged a rock and felt nothing. I need to become more openminded.

We finally made it back to Inverness in the pouring rain. Then the sun shone at 9 pm. That is how I got a decent picture of Inverness Castle. Very interesting weather. Also there were many giant rabbits and many giant rabbit holes located in the sloping yards along the river.Read more