This stone house stands a silent witness to the Battle of Culloden (April 16, 1746) the disastrous final defeat of the Scottish Jacobites who wanted to place Bonnie Prince Charlie (a Catholic) back on the throne by the Duke of Cumberland's forces (who owed allegiance to the Protestant English king). The structure may have served as a field hospital for wounded English soldiers. Fallen Scots were given no quarter.
The place left me with a sense of windswept sadness that religion and politics could end so many lives. And even sadder that those two forces are still used to motivate violence today.
Here's the DH on our Loch Ness cruise. Aren't I a lucky girl?
The loch itself is a long (read: 23 miles!) surprisingly narrow body of water snugged between rounded peaks on both sides. The water is deep--over 700 feet--and has so much run off from the peat in the surrounding hillsides that the loch is perpetually murky.
We didn't see Nessie, but even with little wind, the water seemed to be constantly churning as if some large creature writhed beneath the surface.
On the shore of Loch Ness lies the ruin of Urquhart Castle.
Since I have new Scottish story due to Kensington soon, I'll use this experience to imagine the castle in my book Once Upon a Plaid.
The view from one of the upper chambers...
We weren't the only ones to break out our umbrellas. It wouldn't be Scotland if the weather didn't turn "soft" from time to time.
The vibrant yellow in the distance is blooming rape seed--the plant used to make canola oil. A beautiful splash of color, isn't it?
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