| Glenfinnan is found on the
beautiful Road to The Isles (A830) - between Fort William and
Mallaig from where you can take the
ferry to the Isle of Skye (there is now also a bridge link at
Kyle on the A87). An exceedingly pretty glen it is well worth a
visit. Apart from its beauty it has two claims to fame - Bonnie
Prince Charlie and the Glenfinnan Viaduct.
Prince Charles Edward Stuart
(Bonnie Prince Charlie) first set foot on Scottish shores on 25th
July 1745 - on 19th August this same year he rowed up Loch Shiel to
join his Jacobite clansmen and raise his standard at Glenfinnan.
Sadly the cause of the Jacobites was lost at
Culloden a year later and Bonnie Prince Charlie left from the
spot he arrived at a little further west at Loch nan Uamh; a cairn
marks the spot where Charlie left never to return.
The Glenfinnan Monument was
built about 70 years later by Alexander MacDonald of Glenaladale to
commemorate the clansmen who died for the Jacobite cause. The figure
on top of the monument is not actually Prince Charlie but a
Highlander.
The setting of the viaduct is
lovely. You can get off the train at the station and walk down to
the visitor centre and get a photo on the way (assuming you aren't
going to continue your journey to Mallaig since the train doesn't
stop that long! see the photo at the top, the Visitor Centre
is close to the loch side).
National Trust for Scotland Highland Games |
