Scotland Guide
The Highlands
Culloden
Five miles east of Inverness, the windswept moorland of CULLODEN (site open all year; free), witnessed the last-ever battle on British soil when, on April 16, 1746, the Jacobite cause was finally subdued – a turning point in the history of the Scottish nation.
The second Jacobite rebellion had begun on August 19, 1745, with the raising of the Stuarts' standard at Glenfinnan on the west coast. Shortly after, Edinburgh fell into Jacobite hands, and Bonnie Prince Charlie began his march on London. The English had appointed the ambitious young Duke of Cumberland to command their forces, and his pursuit, together with bad weather and lack of funds, eventually forced the Jacobites to retreat north. They ended up at Culloden, where, ill-fed and exhausted, they were hopelessly outnumbered by the English. After the battle, in which 1500 Highlanders were slaughtered (many of them as they lay wounded on the battlefield), Bonnie Prince Charlie fled west to the hills and islands. He eventually escaped to France, leaving his erstwhile supporters to their fate – the clans were disarmed, the wearing of tartan and playing of bagpipes forbidden, and the chiefs became landlords greedy for higher and higher rents. Within a century, the Highland way of life had changed out of all recognition.
Your first stop should be the eco-friendly visitor centre (daily: April– Oct 9am–6pm; Nov– March 10am–4pm; £10; 
www.nts.org.uk ). The sleek building hosts actors, state-of-the-art audiovisual and interactive technology, all employed to tell the tragedy of Culloden. The pièce de résistance is the "battle immersion theatre" where visitors are surrounded on all sides by lifelike cinematography and the sounds of the raging, bloody scenes of the fight. Go up to the rooftop platform to enjoy the elevated view across the actual battlefield before, armed with a nifty audioguide, walking around the battle site on twenty-, forty-five- and sixty-minute routes. Flags mark out the positions of the two armies while simple headstones mark the clan graves.