Lossiemouth, Scotland, United Kingdom
Today we are up early as we are planning to tour Culloden Battlefield. We went down to breakfast and had to sit in the overflow area as the room was very crowded. I wasn't very hungry so just had an egg, tattle scone, and tea while Mike chose the full Scottish breakfast which included a scrambled egg, ham, sausage, tattle scone, and a baked 1/2 tomato plus coffee. Well he should be fortified for the day, shouldn't he?
The weather is cold, cloudy and extremely dreary which seems appropriate for touring Culloden Battlefield on Culloden Moor. This is the site of the horrendous battle between the Scottish and English forces that occurred on April 16, 1746. Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite troops were defeated by the supporters of the Hanover dynasty (King George II's family). This was as Rick Steves called it, the Scottish Alamo moment, when the Jacobite resistance was stopped and the clan chiefs' lost their power. After the battle the victors roamed through the highlands methodically killing, imprisoning, and banishing thousands of Scottish people. They even banned kilts, tartans, and bagpipes and gave the land to distant owners for raising sheep. In order to understand the various reasons and the buildup to the battle, the visitor center is the place to begin. It is a high-tech introduction to the battlefield and is definitely a plus. On each side of the long hallway they have views of the lead up to the battle, the battle itself, and the aftermath from the English point of view and the Scottish point of view.
There are also docents showing how to fire and reload muskets, examples of Scottish and English uniforms (although the Highland Scots really didn't wear uniforms, just their kilts), etc. There was also the option to view a graphic video of the battle (it had a sign on the door warning us of the gory details in the video). Of course we did that. You sit on the floor in a round room and the video plays around you as if you were in between the soldiers--it gave one a really sickening feeling!
Then outside we went for a guided walking tour of the battlefield. It is quite large and the barren moor seems to echo a sadness everywhere. My MacPherson ancestors were not at the battle--they were on their way there but had stopped to rest and were eating breakfast when the battle began. They could hear it but they didn’t make it in time. So they covered the retreat of Bonnie Prince Charlie as he fled the debacle. Ever after they were known as the MacPherson’s of the Porridge!! So my never wanting to miss a meal apparently is inherited! :)
When we finished the tour, we decided to have lunch at the Visitor's Centre. Burgers (spicy burger for Mike and veggie burger for me) and hot tea, of course. We also had a salad and then split a cream scone with strawberries. Oh my they were marvelous! Before leaving this area we had to stop and shop. Time for souvenirs!
Next stop was a trip back in history as we toured the Clava cairns which are about 1 mile away from the battlefield.
These are 3 rock beehive tombs that are considered megalithic and the entire area is surrounded by odd trees. This set of cairns is considered to be some of the best preserved burial cairns and are very easy to access. Their official name is the "Balnauran of Clava" and they are said to be Neolithic burial chambers that date from 3000-4000 years ago. Right now they just appear to be giant piles of rocks with 3 different parts--a central structure called a ring cairn which has an open space in the centre but no way to get there, "passage" cairns which were once buried under mounds, and entrance shafts in each passage cairn that line up with the winter solstice. Each of the mounds has a circle of standing stones around it. One wonders if there are more that are not showing and why and when they were placed there. No humming from the stones so none of us went back to the 18th century a la Diana Gabaldon. Actually no one truly knows the reason for these stones so we will just have to guess.
As it was still early we programmed the GPS and headed via a back road for the city of Banff on the North Sea coast.
We’ve been to Banff in Canada and assume it was named after this one. Banff is a small town with about 4000 people that is situated on Banff Bay. It was not much of a sight and it was actually too late to search out museums here. So we decided to head back via the coastal trail which will take us through some small towns situated along the North Sea. Now that was quite gorgeous--the sun had come out and it sparkled on the waves and the white caps coming onto the beaches. We were all really glad we decided to do this drive.
As it was getting toward dinner time we stopped in the fishing village of Portsoy. These little towns are all made of grey stone and they all have a small hotel with a great bar/restaurant. This time we saw a sign for the Boyne Hotel so we stopped there. The front of the space is a bar but they take you through these heavy velvet curtains into a private room behind for dinner. It was a great experience. Mike and I both tried the Scottish dish known as “cullen skink” which turned out to be s creamed soup of smoked haddock and potatoes and was really yummy even if the name sounds rather suspicious.
We also shared an appetizer of fresh steamed asparagus with a blue cheese cream sauce--oh be still, my heart! It was amazing! To drink, Mike had a 1/2 pint of Tennants and I had a glass of the house white wine. This is another one of those surprise places to eat that is a really great find.
After dinner we continued along the coast driving through small villages with stunning views of the North Sea. We stopped at a pull off in the town of Cullen to take photos of the harbor. This is the town where, guess what? Cullen skink originated. This drive along the coastal way is one you should take if you are ever up this way.
Finally back at the hotel in Lossiemouth we decided to meet in the lobby after putting away our coats, etc. We are going to check emails and have a drink sitting on the cozy Chesterfield sofas. About 10 p.m. we decided we are all so tired that it is time for bed even though the sun is still shining.
2025-05-23