Just a warning that I do talk about Outlander a lot in this post since I am a fan of the books and show. I apologize if you aren’t a fan, but maybe this post will peak your interest. Out tour guide even added extra stops for us since he knew most of us watched the show, so a big thank you to Graham from CIE tours!
The next day it was off to Culloden Battlefield, where Prince Charles Edward Staurt and the Jacobites were defeated on April 16, 1746. The battle only lasted an hour and a half. Around 1500 Jacobites were killed, while only 300 on the loyalist side (Protestants loyal to the British crown). The Jacobites received support from France, and this where Bonnie Prince Charlie fled after his defeat. This will sound familiar to Outlander fans since the main character Claire worked on preventing this from happening, but you can’t fight fate…
The amazing thing was that the tour took us here on the anniversary of the battle so I got to see the people dressed in their traditional clan gear, playing the bagpipes to their ancestors that died on the field at the memorial. UN representatives came to pay tribute. It was so packed, but really amazing to be there for such a moving tribute. I did also get to see the memorial for Clan Fraser where you can leave flowers in honor of Jamie and his fellow clansmen.
There is a museum there with artifacts from the battle: swords, coins, miniatures, portraits, costumes, etc. The history behind the battle is explained along with the key characters involved. I liked the medicine box on display. Culloden Battlefield & Visitor Centre will transport you back to the 18th century, and is a must see stop for the Outlander fans.
Our guide was great and took us to see the Clava cairns (human made piles of stones that were used for ancient burial chambers) where the split stone is, which inspired the writer of Outlander, Diana Gabaldon. In the books, Claire travels through time through the stone. I tried my best as you can see, but no time travel for me.
Another great Outlander stop was the Highland Folk Museum, which recreated an 18th century highland township. The Outlander show has filmed scenes there. It’s an open air museum. You can hike along a trail to visit the 18th century village where you can talk to some of the residents; they will tell you all about life there. It was cold when I went, so the fire felt really nice! There are other buildings from later centuries there. The kids really liked the school which I think was from the early 20th century. It is free to get in so it’s a great place to spend a couple hours getting lost in the past…
The day ended at another charming town, Pilotchry, known for its shopping area, and was a resort town for the Victorians. I will remeber it for the shopping since I found an amazing green leather jacket at Macnaughton’s…I had to get it since it was half off(plus it was actually made in Europe)! Plus where else can you find a green leather jacket? It was meant to be! The shops were really cute. My friend bought a cute tartan wrap with a nice clasp. It was the perfect place to relax.
We stayed at the Atholl Palace Hotel where you can get different types of spa treatments. The palace hotel was built in 1871 and feels like a trip back in time. The bar looks like a hunting lodge. Sitting by the fireplace drinking tea and reading Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of Baskervilles) was the perfect way to end the day.
The next day started at Blair Castle in Blair Atholl village in Perthshire, the ancestral home of the Clan Murray since 1629. The chief is the Duke of Atholl, who currently lives in South Africa. The castle can trace it origins to the 13th century. In the castle you can’t take photographs of the interior, except in the ballroom. The ballroom is beautiful, and looks very rustic. There are props for the kids, but of course my friend and I had to put on the crowns. Even though it was raining, I still went for a walk along the grounds, and found Diana’s Grove, and the statue of Hercules.
There was a bagpiper playing outside, which was a nice touch. He even took requests, and kept the Outlander theme going by playing the Skye Boat Song (used in the opening credits). It is a Scottish folk song commemorating the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie to the Isle of Skye before he left for France.
After the castle visit, we went on a tour of Blair Athol Distilery where we got to sample a “wee dram.” The single malt whisky we tried was only available in Scotland. The tour took us through the process of making whisky, and at the end we got to sample. There are tours devoted to whisky lovers, and whisky trails if that is what you desire to do in Scotland. I’m not a fan, but I liked learning about the process, and trying it was fun. After the whisky tour, we got the rest of the day off to relax.
After that is was lunch and tea at Hettie’s , which was an adorable tea house in Pilotchry. I love the pink and blue color scheme. The earl grey was amazing. My chicken and sun dried tomato sandwich was good too. My friend tried blue tea, which I had never heard of before this trip. All we did was shop the rest of the day, and then go back to the hotel for R&R.
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