Ghosts of Culloden..

A friend once said of Culloden:

Even the birds don't chirp here...

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Remembered as one of the bloodiest battles between the English and the Scots, its only when we start reading the visual display at the Culloden center that we understand how loosely these definitions hold,  For there were many Scottish clans who fought for the English during the course of this battle. Bannockburn was a happy place, but Culloden is just sad, we feel it when we walked in and we feel it when we walk through the fields. Our audio guides attempt to recreate what happened  in these green fields of today, many many many years ago.

Culloden is important. It shaped history. Emotive,  as it is historically important , its hard to completely understand the events that lead to the moment of battle.  The visitor center is excellent. It reconstructs the battle as it were with accounts from both sides fighting. Along with it, dates and important events leading up to the bloody Apr 16th 1746 in Culloden, tell a tale of a struggle for power between the Jacobites and the English. A struggle that came at the cost of many lives and altered the course of history forever.


I Realize again how flawed my understanding of history is. Reading can sometimes make actual events simplistic without meaning to. Its easy to take sides, to judge is even easier...But to stand back and view everything, giving every story an equal ear is so incredibly hard.
Today the moors where we stand are a picture of peace, but the ground beneath holds the graves of hundreds of men. Is life ever worth giving , even for a war? I wonder .. And while I hold mine precious I respect those who give their lives in pursuit of something they deem higher than themselves.


It started with one king , who ruled two kingdoms under two names -  As James II he ruled over all England and Ireland and as James VII he ruled all Scotland. The Catholic King ,was seen as a threat to an increasingly protestant English elite who turned to his son-in-law William of Orange for help; And as always when there is a struggle for power people turn against one another, even your own blood.. More so your own blood! And so James was deposed and  replaced by his daughter Mary II and her husband William III both protestants.  James fled to France. The Jacobite uprising  sought to restore power to the Stuart Kings , the last of the lineage being the recently disposed James.

History unravels.. The thrill of seeing 'Madras' in a place far from home..

At that time , The kingdoms of Scotland, England and Ireland were divided over religion. The Jacobite uprising found sympathy with a Catholic population who felt largely discriminated against by the ruling Protestants; May of the Jacobites were protestants themselves. Clans were sharply divided and in the end there were a few who even fought on the side of the English.

The battlefield..

England had for a while been ruled by the Whigs, believers in Constitutional Monarchism wherein the powers of the king are not absolute and he serves as head of state within the framework of a constitution.
Going by what we have today it might seem like the Whigs were right. But that's where the plot thickens. Plagued by corruption charges, struggling to contain political infighting and internal dissent , the Whigs did not see the Jacobite uprising coming. The French threw their support behind the Jacobites and it seemed like this was a threat that the English had to take seriously.

Markers of events that happened here...

The Whigs found a leader in William , The Duke of Cumberland. What precipitated the rising was an English defeat on May 11 1745; The French defeated the English forces at the Fonteoy of Flaunders.
Scottish Loyalties were already divided then.  The Jacobites fought with the French; The highlanders with the English...
The French King 'Bonnie Prince Charles'  saw an opportunity, a moment of weakness in the enemy and left France. He intended to gather support. But a series of unfortunate events saw him turn back from his march to London and move all the way up again, an English army at his heel.

In memory of the clans..

It all culminated in Culloden. A weakened Jacobite army tired from its march back from London was crushed by the English.....

Memorial to the dead in the background

There are gravestones to every clan who fought here.  Over 1000 people died , most buried at the site of where we stand now.

Those who fell in battle..

In honour of their Clans.. 

Its a hot sunny day and its incredibly quiet. We walk up to the memorial erected in honour of the dead.

When we leave I feel an incredible sadness, I can't quiet define why..
The ghosts of Culloden hang around to this day!

Meena Venkataraman

Romance of the Urquhart..

Is there anything more beautiful than a Castle in Ruin? Perched on the clear blue waters of the Lochness, we can see history crumble gently. The wind blows in whispers and the Lochness ripples its head in agreement. If I had to pick favourites, this would be it; The Urquhart resplendent in the gorgeous yellow sunshine.
All the world is a stage and all its men and women merely players and so Urquhart played its role in the affairs of men.

Driving down to the Urqhart..

We arrived in Lochness a day before. The drive was breathtaking, the scenery arresting. As the lanes got narrower we had to stop trusting the Satnav and go with our instincts instead. We were delighted to discover that out B&B sat by the lake. Our delight was short lived for I found myself ruing that we only had a night to explore the place. But as always we left the next day vowing to come back for a longer stint at this fantastic place..

The Lochness

As we drove down past startlingly green Pine forests under a skittish sun  we stopped for a few pictures.
The Lochness was a constant, A calming presence interwoven with the character and history of this place. We talk about Nessie the monster - Legend? Myth? The calm waters don't say much. If there are monsters they are definitely not out and about today.

Reading about the Urqhart , the castle offers very good visual displays to the visitor..

When we enter, we walk into the visitors center. There are several visual displays describing the history of the castle. A video presentation is about to begin. We hurry into the hall. The video details the history of the castle from it speculated beginnings during the 13th century, its capture by Edward 1 of England; its redemption by Andrew De Moray ; it's gifting to a noble Scottish family of importance and its destruction on 1692 by Williamite forces during the Jacobite uprising. Urqhart weathered many a storm to where it stands now. When the curtain finally lifted to unveil a view of the castle I was speechless. Yes it was in ruin, but the brown stonework ravished by the blue waters of the Lochness was of incomparable beauty.

The beautiful ruin..

We walked  into the castle to explore. We cross over a wooden bridge, there appears to have been a draw bridge once here. Much smaller than the Edinburgh castle and the Sterling Castle, Urqhart still holds its own . We walk up the tall tower. The view from here is amazing. I remove my shades getting rid of this sunglass tinted reality, and squint into the bright sunlight. The outlines of trees not quiet into spring move gently in the breeze.

Watching the lake from the Urquhart..

Standing here we can see why the positioning of the Urquhart is so strategic , affording clear and unobstructed view over the waters of the Lochness on three sides it would have been hard for the enemy to approach unnoticed.

Exploring the Castle..

We clamber down and walk all the way to the edge of the Loch. No Nessie we hope :).

The Sterling Castle at 'Stirling'..

We stopped at the beautiful castle at Stirling, the second on our trip here. As with the one in Edinburgh, I was immediately struck by the strategic positioning and the view it commandeered; in times of peace the totally gorgeous Scottish countryside, and in times of war a hawk's eye view of the enemies approach if they were ever to get so close..

View the castle overlooks..

Outside stands a statue of Robert the Bruce. He seems to be overseeing the land beyond.

The iconic Robert the Bruce..

We walk into the palace. The next tour is about to start. ( The tours are free). We join in. Our rendezvous with the sunshine seems to endure. As we walk through this beautiful piece of 15th century Renaissance Art, history unravels. Here lived James V and it was under his reign that the palace was complete at around 1595. The rooms and halls are exquisitely decorated. James 5 was married to Mary of Guise. But his newborn daughter who would one day rule , Mary Queen of Scots did not see her father for long, for  James V died five days after she was born.

The Bowling Grounds..

We walk into the beautiful bowling grounds.  The beautiful maintained green lawns is an accurate reflection of how it would how looked in its days of royal splendor.

The walls are adorned with beautiful structures. It is ironic that I use the word beautiful for each of these grotesque creations some of whose faces are contorted in pain are ugly. But the carving is so painstakingly detailed that their pain seems to make the stone come alive in their suffering.

Inside the Great Hall..

The great hall that we walk into is massive, the largest banqueting hall of it time in Scotland. We see the dias where the king and queen once sat. At the far end of the hall hangs the symbol of the Unicorn, representing The Scottish Royal court of Arms. The beams stands high above us. The hall saw two great events, the baptism of the first born of Mary Queen of Scots and he in turn celebrated the baptism of his son prince Henry here. After a restoration project spanning 35 years the hall was finally restored to its former glory.

The inner hall of the queen has the magnificent Stirling tapestries. James V had two tapestries bearing the  symbol of the unicorn. The Stirling tapestries are a set of 7 and are a more recent project commissioned by Historic Scotland. The seven tell the story of the Unicorn and are meant to be viewed as some sort of a parable.

The Unicorn..

Monument to the 75th Stirlingshire regiment : Says.. India, Seringapattanam, Delhi, Relief of Lucknow..

We walk around and out of the castle and something catches my eye, a monument which looks like a cross with the words Seringapatnam caved on it. Its a tribute to the regiment which fought in the Mysore campaign from 1792 to 1799. I stand and contemplate how stories can be told and retold. For us who studied Indian history, the wars were the heroic fight of Tipu Sultan, The Tiger of Mysore  against the colonizing English.  For some others it was symbolic of the English conquest in foreign lands.
I remember  Chimananda Adichie and what she says about 'The danger of a single story.  Standing here I feel am part of both stories and I can see the scale of death and destruction on both sides and I feel a deep sense of sadness for all the lives lost not just Indian.

Meena Venkataraman

The Legend of Bannockbourn..

A quick stop at the airpot to pick up the car we hired and we were on our way to Inverness.
The drive was beautiful. Not quiet in the driver's seat, I turn navigator, Satnav in hand paying attention to every turn and every exit..
We discover that there are a few places maintained by the National Trust that we could stop by on our way.

Bannockburn: what lies in front of us are green fields , the grass merrily dancing in the wind.
The site of an epic encounter between 5500 Scots, led by Robert the Bruce and a 20000 strong English army; A pitched battle spanning over two days, which saw the significantly smaller Scottish army victorious.

Inside the heritage center, we read the account of how the war was won. A very long time ago I read the story of Robert the Bruce. For me as a child his lesson from a spider which refused to give up as it slid down a cave where he had taken refuge, was inspirational. Somewhere along the way, I just assumed the story was a story and nothing more. Remember what Tolkein says in Lord of the Rings.. :)

"History becomes legend and legend becomes myth" 

And so I came face to face with the legend of Bannockbourn.

The stories unfold... "Try Try Try Again.."

The castle at Sterling was under seige from the Scots. The advancing English army sought to end the siege. Large in numbers, an English victory seemed almost certain. The arresting painting by Jim Proudfoot stands at the center of the narration, splendidly detailed in its account of the battle; transporting me instantly to that time in history when Edward King of England proudly surveyed his massive army, confident that victory would be his...



That this battle would happen had been forseen a couple of months ago and Bruce undeterred, put his army into training. For every scot there were 4 English soldiers and it was imperative that every man be put to use the best way possible; The Scottish answer to the English challenge was a war formation called the schiltron- a shield troop, standing in an hedgehog formation, they stood their ground , spears spread outward resisting the onslaught of the English infantry....



Bruce's men positioned themselves along the Falkirk- Sterling road, blocking off Edward's advance to the Sterling castle.  They say, A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and the English largely overlooked that their large army lacked co-ordination. Bruce led from the front. The initial English charge seeing the king, charged- a confrontation which Bruce deftly evaded , but it cost him his good battle axe..
the first day saw the Scots capture some key prisoners , denting the English morale..

The English finally crossed the Bannockburn; described by Sir Thomas Grey, the son of one of the knights captured by the Scots as 'an evil very deep tidal stream';  Their advance observed by the Scots, Bruce contemplated guirella warefare to overcome their superior numbers; but Sir Alexander Seton part of a small Scottish contingent fighting with the English arrived with news of the plummeting English morale and wise counsel

"Now is the time and now is the hour"...

The site of the battle..

And so on June the 24th , Bruce and his men moved in early, high in spirits; They were blessed by the Abbot of Inchaffray and they knelt in prayer, prompting Edward to remark "Ha, they kneel for mercy!" .  Was it safety in numbers that prompted this error in judgement? The English were totally unprepared for the early Scottish assault, and suffered early casualties. The Scots pressed ahead. With the river behind them, the English were on the back foot, and were being forced into a stretch that became narrower with the Scottish advance. An attempt by the English archers was thwarted by the Scots, who attacked under Keith , the charge of the cavalry saw they scatter...
Edward finally took refuge in the Castle of Sterling...

War is never kind. May perished in the swirling brown waters of Bannockburn. But this was a Scottish victory, heroic in every sense...

We walk out into what was once the battlefield. The exact site of the battle is still debatable, but two locations seem likely Dryfield and the Carse. As we walk on a little boy fights his sister .."I am Robert the Bruce", he says; summing up the importance of this pitched battle in childish eloquence.
The winners don't just get to write history, they also get to write pop culture :).
We leave with a sense of elation, something about this particular encounter with history leaves us happy..
As we drive on we would have a sadder date with history , in Culloden...

Meena Venkataraman

Around Edinburgh..

It was late in the evening. We caught the bus from the airport and arrived to a mild drizzle and a chilly breeze. Well, rain is nothing out of the ordinary here as most of the locals would tell you.
Our hostel was in the middle of town, very conveniently located. Edinburgh is just as grey as London and every bit as beautiful. But they are sisters in contrast, the latter a sprawling metropolis, while Edinburgh, is much more friendly in terms of distances to the pedestrian.  We could walk to our hearts content through the wet rainy streets, gusts of wind wrecking my newly acquired umbrella.

A cold rainy day in Edinburgh 

Our first day saw us walk the Royal mile to Edinburgh castle.  One Scots mile long, this stretch is full of colour and history from street performers, to restaurants and pubs lining the streets, to offers of tours on ghosts and gauls, to narrow alleyways. Art and Literature converge and some of the greatest Scottish writers and Poets stand immortalized, in stone.

We reach the castle and check out options for tickets. We find ourselves a good deal, an explorer pass which allows us entry into a couple more castles along the way and valid for five days. For all else we are hoping the National Trust membership card proves handy and it sure did as we were to discover.

Exploring the Edinburgh Castle..

The Edinburgh castle is visible from a fair distance, silent watcher of the city and keeper of its secrets.
Having been in the center of much of Scottish history like the Scottish War of Independence and the Jacobite Raising, the castle is a beautifully preserved monument. From gorgeously lethal siege  canons with very amusing names(Imagine being called Mon's Meg), to pretty little chapels, stone structures and early prison systems, each section carries plaques telling the visitor where he or she is standing and its place in history.  Somewhere in between I stand transfixed , seeing the exquisite stained glass paintings inside St Margaret's chapel, believed to be the oldest building inside the castle..
We walk and walk and finally head to the restaurant in search of steaming hot coffee.

Inside the Edinburgh castle..

When we finally leave its almost afternoon and we walk down into Princess gardens. Where this public space now stands was once Nor Loch, a public drainage system, severely polluted. But in 1820 all that changed. The gardens are gorgeous, green and full of flowers, chilly from the morning rains. But we walk on. In a distance we hear the pipers play. We walk in search of the source of the music and find ourselves in the Edinburgh's Ceilidh Culture Street Fair. The rains are unrelenting. We cancel old plans and make new ones...

The castle, with its magnificent gardens in the foreground..

The storm clouds clear and we have blue skies. We are walking up the road when we read signs and decide to take a detour. Off regent road , we briefly get lost before finding the stairs which would take us up to Carlton Hill. Nelson's monument  (456 feet above sea level ) to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson who died serving his country in the Battle of Trafalgar(1805) dominates the skyline. It seems like the finish line standing tall and proud in the distance. All around its lush and green. It doesn't take too long for the stairs to give way to green grassy slopes.


Trekking up Carlton hill, Nelson's monument in a distance ..

We sit a while. All around we can see the city, still wearing shades of grey and terribly moody and sullen from the rains.


The unfinished Acropolis - 'National Monument'..

Right on top we see the Acropolis, a beautiful unfinished structure set in stone. It looks everybit like its original, 'The Parthenon of the Acropolis' in Athens. Built as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Napoleinic wars , its incompletion earned it the dubious nickname 'Nation's shame'. I think its beautiful. Stark against shades of green and yellow and with the blue sky in a distance, sunlight filtering through its many beams.

View of the city from Carlton hill..

We saunter back down unhurried, enjoying the views of the city spread out before us.

Scott Monument..

The Scott Monument, a steep flight of stairs to the heavens, is a beautiful structure in memory of Sir Walter Scott . It was 15 mins to closing time when we got there, so it turned out to be a race against time. The problem was we weren't the only ones in a hurry. From a distance I actually mistook the structure to be a church, its tall spire proudly held against the now blue sky. Mostly blackish, it is supposed to be of Victorian Gothic descent, the construction of which started in 1840 culminated four years later. It's architect who submitted the winning design in a competition to honour Sir Walter Scott, met a watery grave and therefore did not live to see its opening.

View from the top..

At some places the steps are so narrow, that traffic in both directions seemed impossible. We retreated to the balconies at each floor to decongest and allow people upstairs to walk down. At one point , I got too claustrophobic. We were one level below the top. But we ran out of time and heeding the call over the loudspeaker announcing closing time we climbed down.

'The World's End,' Edinburgh has loads of pubs with names alluding to its history and literature ..

The next day we are out early. Our destination is Hollyrood.  Sadly its shut , because we hade chosen a public holiday for the visit :(. Again we change plans. We take on of the routes which directly take us up the famed Aurther's seat. The climb is beautiful. Again we get to see a different side of the city, Nelson's memorial stands tall in a distance. Its a good hike up. We snack a bit, and sit a while discussing history and politics, before deciding which route we woud take down. The hill some believe is the location of 'Camelot' , the home of King Auther and the Knights of the Roundtable.

From  atop Auther's seat..

We head in the direction of the lake. We see specks of white. We would later discover that they are swans.

The lake on the other side of Auther's seat..

We walk round the late. We are famished. Our quest for a pub lunch is thwarted , as the clocks dont think its lunch time yet and most places arn't open. Finally we settle for something on the way.

A beautiful sunny day..

Edinburgh's food is among the best I've eaten. From the delicious cream teas in Deacon House, to the exquisite Peshawari Naan of Kebab Mahal, to the totally yummy hand backed Pizzas from Mama's Pizza , we did not hold back when it came to the food. What was fascinating for me was that some of these places were allusions to Edinburgh's rich literary and historic past. Sitting in Deacon house we uncover the legend behind Dr Jekyll and Hyde; Broody was an exemplary citizen by day , even serving public offices , but was a burglar by night. He finally was sentenced to death and where his workshop once was is not the cafe. The freshly baked scones , and the fresh cream are to die for. I lost count of the times ,we yielded to temptation and made our way up Royal mile to get one of their famous cream teas.

Kebab Mahal is a small place serving the yummiest food form the Indian subcontinent. Sometimes the place is spilling over with people, but their hot biryanis and wonderful curries make the wait totally worth it. We rarely have Indian when we are out traveling, but with Kebab Mahal we had to make an exception.  As I write this , I wish I could have them deliver their Peshawari Naan and Bhindi Baaji here :). Oh well!

The legend of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde..

The super menu at Deacon's house

The National Gallery of Scotland, stands right outside the Princess Gardens and is a lovely place to get lost in the exhibits. As always my favorites were the impressionists.

Since admission is free, we went there a couple of times.

The National Gallery of Scotland..

Among others , The Royal Botanical Garden was a gorgeous morning out, with landscaped gardens and many interesting bits of information about the plant kingdom along the way. The cafe inside was great too and we did sit and laze around a bit when we thought we had had enough action.

Royal Botanical Gardens..

No matter where we were it was pretty easy finding our way back. Too tired to walk, the bus services were super convenient. The only hitch was that we sometimes did not have the exact change and had to get off :(.  Royal Mile was always alive with life and activity. We did try the Ghost tour which gave us many interesting insights into the city and its bloody past.

Sights and Scenes from the Royal Mile...

The famous sky-terrier - 'Bobby', owned by a night watchman. When his master Grey died, Bobby spent the rest of his time sitting by his grave and is today immortalized in stone

Savor the Sun.. Princes Gardens on a sunny day, people throng the grassy spaces..

Edinburgh was a bag of surprises. If there is some place where I would like to live here in the UK, apart from London it would definitely be Edinburgh. Have been hearing so much about the fringe that we are hoping to catch the Military Tatoo sometime next year. Luckily for us apart from the rains on the first day we were blessed with perfect weather. Now onto Inverness..

Meena Venkataraman