Believe It Or Not

 

We are on an epic adventure. We are going hunting after one of the most notorious monsters in the world. A monster which has often been scoffed at and many times called a hoax even though there have been documented sightings since the 6^th century.  

We are going on a three-hour cruise in search of Nessie. Well, maybe there is also a castle to be seen, but Nessie is the goal.

Loch Ness itself

Our cruise ship 

In search of Nessie

Urquhart Castle
One of the most visited castles in Scotland
This is the closest we got to it.

My friend Gretchen was able to catch on film Nessie - or at least her tail.  
Lower right-hand side

Alas, this is the closest I came to Nessie

If you are a fan of Outlander or a student of Scottish history, you know about the Battle of Culloden. In short, the Scottish clans considered James VII, a Stuart, the rightful heir to the English throne. His followers in Scotland were called Jacobites which is the Latin word for James. Bonnie Prince Charlie, James VII's son, mounted a campaign which culminated in a disastrous battle at Culloden. In a span of 45 minutes, 1600 people died, of which 1500 were Jacobites. Think about this – 1600 people died in 45 minutes. This was the end of the Scottish clan system as the English wanted to make sure that there could never be another uprising. Bagpipes, kilts and tartans were banned. Any suspected Jacobite was punished by either confiscation of their land, death or prison. This led to a mass emigration of the Highlanders.

We came to the Battlefield, and we first toured the museum. The museum was very impressive and very well done. It tried to convey how this battle came about from both the Jacobite and the English viewpoint. There was an immersive room where you stood in the middle and videos on all sides were populated by people re-enacting the battle. For about five minutes, you were in the middle of the battle. It was horrifying.

After the museum, we walked through the battlefield itself. The National Trust of Scotland is trying to reclaim the moor and bring it back to the way it was in April 1746.  There were headstones marking the mass graves where the various clans had fallen. Maclean, Mackintosh, MacDonald, Fraser and many more.

This memorial cairn was erected by Duncan Forbes of Culloden in 1881,
 in memory of the fallen Jacobites. 

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