See where the battle took place, audiovisual presentation, lots of information in the exhibition
Disadvantages:
Not the atmosphere I was hoping for
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Once again, an op on an 'attraction', rather than the actual town itself.
Culloden, near Inverness, is the site of the last major battle on mainland Britain, in 1746, between the Jacobite army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), and the government forces, led by the Duke of Cumberland, also known as the Bloody Butcher. To be honest, this is not ‘my’ period of history, however, last summer, after reading the Cross Stitch series of books by Diana Gabaldon, I became quite interested in the Jacobite period, and persuaded my long suffering father to drive me to Culloden!
Now for your history lesson… The Duke of Cumberland leading the Hanoverian army had followed Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites out of England to Culloden Moor. In an attempt to place his father, King James VIII, the Stuart king of Scotland on the English throne, Prince Charles had reached Derby with an army, but was forced to retreat to Scotland and consolidate his position. The Duke of Cumberland's army included some Scots who opposed the Stuarts – this battle wasn’t simply a case of Scots vs English as is sometimes mistakenly thought. Indeed, some families were split by their divided loyalties. Many of the clans which fought there did so under the leadership of the clan chief, but this wasn’t always the case since some clansmen went even when their clan chief was not a Jacobite supporter.
By the time the battle started, both armies were reduced in number - only about a third of the Jacobites reached the moor. The weather turned cold and wet, and the conditions were not favourable to the Jacobites. Cumberland's army was also better equipped with much more advanced weapons. The battle resulted in a crushing defeat for the Jacobites, despite lasting less than an hour. Over 1,200 Jacobites were killed, whereas Cumberland lost only 50 men.
So what is there at Culloden to see then? Well, in the words of my little sister, it’s just a big field! There is certainly not the sort of atmosphere here that you might expect – when driving through Glencoe for example, it always feels a bit eerie, particularly if I think about the massacre of Glencoe, but when I went to Culloden, it was difficult to imagine a battle ever taking place. It was a sunny day, quite warm, so maybe that accounted for some of it.
The positions of both sides are marked out by coloured flags, and turf and stone dykes which played a crucial part in the battle have been reconstructed on their original site. You can walk round (and it is a long walk – so not really suitable for small children, or those who have difficulty walking). There are some guided tours round, but we chose to go on our own. We bought a guidebook too. Things of interest here are the Graves of the Clans (marking each particular clan which fought here e.g. Fraser), the Well of the Dead, the Memorial Cairn, the Cumberland Stone and the Field of the English.
The original Leanach Cottage, which survived the battle being fought around it, has been restored several times and is now open to the public, with Living History presentations during the summer months. We went to one of these displays – the cottage was used to provide medical treatment, and the presentation was not for the squeamish – Lizzie (my sister) and I felt very sick, Liz had actually gone green! However, the presentation was very well done, with the presenters in costume, and it was a nice addition to the site. After it, we went to have a quick look in the cottage (we regretted this, since there was a reconstruction of an operation taking place in there – far too much blood for us!)
There is also a visitor centre with a permanent Jacobite exhibition. This is only a small centre, but there is an audiovisual presentation there, which explains the events leading up to the battle and the battle itself – it is very well done, just about the right level of detail there. It’s also available in foreign languages – you get given a headset. I know this because I was sitting near a Japanese guy, and I could hear the presentation in Japanese coming from his headset! There is also a small exhibition to walk round, with well displayed maps and charts, information, and also weapons used in the battle. Everything you could ever want to know about it is explained here – you really learn a lot! For small children it could however get a bit boring – my sister wasn’t overly impressed (though she was 15 – not exactly small!)
There is also a book shop, so if you get really interested, then you can find out some further information. The bookshop is also great for students of Scottish history!
Overall then, this is an interesting day out, though try not to go when it’s raining (hard in Scotland I know). You will learn a lot, even if the atmosphere here might not be quite what you were hoping for. I personally found the audiovisual presentation gave me more of a sense of what the battle was like, rather than wandering round the battle field itself.
To get here, take the B9006, and travel 5 miles east of Inverness. Prices are cheap - £4 for an adult and £3 for a concession, or £11 for a family ticket. However, if you’re a member of the national trust, you’ll get in for free.For further information contact:
Culloden Moor Inverness IV2 5EU.
Tel. Inverness (01463) 790607
Fax (01463) 794294.
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