Friday, September 21, 2018

Battle of Culloden, Stones, and Border Collies

 September 20th -

Today we left Inverness to travel to Pitolchry and had an amazing day.  In the morning we stopped at the Battle of Culloden (1746) to see the sight of the final clash between the Jacobites and the English army.  The museum was terrific and we also took a guided tour of the battlefield which brought a lot of the history to life.  We heard more details of the origins of the conflict and how it changed the people of the highlands after that point in time.  Along the battlefield we saw the stone markers representing the clans that died there.  Another windy and cold day to be outside walking around a field, but it was worth it.


For you Outlander Fans - A short distance from Culloden we found the standing stones where Claire time traveled back to meet Jamie, and interesting enough the show takes place during the time of the Battle of Culloden.  Other than a TV show prop, these stones date back to very primitive times and early people used them for sun dials, burial chambers, and most likely a break from the strong Scottish wind!




Back in the car and along the way on scary back Scottish roads we came upon a sheep farm that have daily sheep dog demonstrations each day in the afternoon.  So we stopped along with a bus full of German tourists to watch the dogs in action.  It was amazing to see them work and how focused and smart these dogs are.  Tom and Paul even participated in the sheep shearing part of the demonstration.  Paul and I had our heartstrings tugged remembering our faithful Border Collie, Annie, that we had for 14 years, a lot of these dogs resembled her spirit and beauty.



And finally we found our resting place for the evening, The Inn of Tay, which is a quaint place right on a picturesque rushing river.  Great ambiance in the bar and wonderful food.  I finally tried Sticky Toffee Pudding and totally hooked.

Sadly, tomorrow is our last day in Scotland.  We're leaving Pitlochry today and heading to Stirling to visit the seat of Scottish freedom.  Hopefully we'll find some William Wallace Braveheart sights and a few other surprises too.  Stirling is close to some of my paternal side ancestry.
"Slan" for now!

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