Scottish Historical Sites - Day 17

 Another day and more planning.....  we have a few places that Kelly has in mind to visit and after some consulting with the "locals" we had things organized. Thomas, one of the workers at the shop, gave us a back road route that would provide for some better sights along the way, particularly the Culloden Viaduct.

Off to our first stop at Cawder Castle. The road became a single track and we quickly figured out the right of way with the system of passing places. Pretty straight forward. 

 We had a nice walk around the Gardens and into the forest area. Lots in info on the Wikki page here.

Cawder Castle

 

Sequoia!

 

 At the courtyard eatery, Kelly noticed scones and had to have one with her tea. 

Tea time!

We then traveled the "back way" to Clara Cairns and made a stop along the way for a visit with some other locals.

Kelly's friend.

We drove under the Culloden Viaduct on our way to Clava Cairns and stopped for a few pictures.

Culloden Viaduct (train bridge)

We then went to Clava Cairns, the ancient burial site. Kelly said this area was an inspiration for the book & TV series "The Outlander" that she enjoys. 

One of the Clava Cairns

Kelly's special rock... although not really "the" rock.

Clava Cairns wikki page here.

We then headed over to the Culloden Battlefield and Visitors Center and explored the area of a huge battle between the Jacobites and the Government troops of the Duke of Cumberland. The battle was short but over 1600 men died within an hour. Of that number, 1500 Jacobites had perished. We had a walk about the fields and explored the lines that the British and Jacobite fighters had held before fighting began. All very interesting.

 

Cabin used as a field hospital by the British.

Grave Marker for that clan.

We still had a bit of time so we drove off to Fort George which is a military garrison that was built to control the highlands and protect the waterway into Inverness. Unfortunately due the late hour, they would be closing soon so it did not give us any time to explore further. We may come back tomorrow, time permitting. 

Further details can be found on the Fort George Wikki here  

We enjoyed the scenery as we drove and some of the single lane roads certainly were a test in planning & patience. One spot that did not offer a view of oncoming traffic was memorable in that a caravan and huge lorry suddenly appeared. I stopped and backed up until I reached a passing point to allow then by... only happened once thankfully!

 

We headed back to the Manse and on arrival, enjoyed a beverage in the courtyard with Vicki & Roger. It was perfect weather, calm winds with the sun beating down on us... we had a lovely conversation on the building & how it transitioned over the decades to what it is now. Funny.... the building they are living in was built in 1842 and this is the original slate roof!! It's older than our country of Canada!! 

 

A great dinner followed and some more inside details on the finer points of the antique business were shared. He showed us some of his personal favorites that he has saved. Roger then brought out a nice bottle of scotch for us to all enjoy. It was very nice!

 

 We all headed for bed after watching Euan prepare his banana bread cake for a work friend. We all had a sample and it was delicious. 

 

Steps -10,500

 

Weather 18ºc with light winds and scattered cloud. We have been so lucky!!!