Ireland, UK 2017: 5/21 Day 19 - Highland History

"'This is the place they call the Well of Death.' Roger stopped by the small spring. Barely a foot square, it was a tiny pool of dark water, welling under a ridge of stone. 'One of the Highland chieftains died here; his followers washed the blood from his face with the water from this spring. And over there are the graves of the clans.'

The clan stones were large boulders of gray granite, rounded by weather and blotched with lichens. They sat on patches of smooth grass, widely scattered near the edge of the moor. Each one bore a single name, the carving so faded by weather as to be nearly illegible in some cases. MacGillivray. MacDonald. Fraser. Grant. Chisholm. MacKenzie."
~Diana Gabaldon, Dragonfly in Amber

Distance traveled: 101 miles
Stops skipped: 2, due to road closures for the Marie Curie Etape Caledonia bicycle race (http://etapecaledonia.co.uk/about)


Since all the side roads in the area were closed for a bike race, we scored on using the "more modern" roads.

The Highland Folk Museum displays over 30 historical buildings furnished appropriate to their time period from the 1700's to the 1960's. Everyone must enter through the entrance gate, despite there being no formal admission charge (donations encouraged). At the gate, a volunteer gave us a map, explained the special event happening (the grand opening of a new building), and made a point to explain that season 1, episode 5 ("Rent") of Outlander was filmed in the 1700's township. That's what we had come to see anyway.

To get to the 1700's township, you have to take a walk through the woods.

The more typically Scottish weather for today gave us a real feeling for what it would have felt like to live in this setting in the 18th century.

After we left the Highland Folk Museum, we drove past a sheep farm with working sheep herding dogs. How come this picture makes it seem that the sheep is herding the dog?

Historians call the site of our next stop for the day "the last pitched battle fought on British soil." The Battle of Culloden signaled the end of an era for Scotland, as the British government responded to the failed Jacobite uprising with a series of repressive laws.

Our tour guide took us through the events on the day of the battle, and cleared up a few misconceptions. It's not fair to call it a battle of English vs. Scottish because people of various origins fought on both sides. In some ways, it was a civil war as Scots fought on the side of their loyalty (the current "Hanoverian" king and existing government vs. the Stuart claimant to the throne).

The guide specifically directed any Outlander fans to the location of the Clan Fraser stone.

After the somber visit to Culloden, we made one more tourist stop for the day to Clava Cairns to see more passage tombs and standing stones. Jeff thought he'd see if he could travel through the stones.

We spent the night in Inverness, which of course had a castle that was on top of a hill.