Undeterred we surface from our alcohol induced slumber at an early hour, as we intend to travel along the ‘Road to the Isles’ which will take us along the main A830 road from Fort William to Mallaig. A route steeped in history where Bonnie Prince Charlie found safety and security and is also renowned for its spectacular scenery.
Our first stop along the route is at Glenfinnan. It was here in on Monday 19 August 1745 a small rowing boat landed at the north end of Loch Shiel and ‘Bonnie
Prince Charlie’ came ashore and met his escort of 50 MacDonalds before retiring to a nearby barn to await the response to letters he had sent to possible supporters all over the Highlands. Another 150 MacDonalds were quickly on the scene, but for some time it seemed that Bonnie Prince Charlie was going to have to challenge for his father's right to the thrones of Scotland and England with just 200 men. Then pipes were heard approaching from the north. It was up to 1000 men of the Clan Cameron belatedly followed by three hundred Macdonnells who had been delayed by a successful skirmish with Government troops near today's Spean Bridge, and from here the beginnings of the Jacobite Rising were born. It was to end though in bloody failure at Culloden on 16 April 1746, less than eight months later. In its aftermath the Highland way of life that had existed for hundreds of years was swept away by brutality, suppression and self interest. Public executions of those loyal to the Jacobite cause impressed upon the Scottish people the need to toe the line, and the lands of the Jacobite chiefs were forfeited and a determined effort was made to end the clan system once and for all.
Our first stop along the route is at Glenfinnan. It was here in on Monday 19 August 1745 a small rowing boat landed at the north end of Loch Shiel and ‘Bonnie
Prince Charlie’ came ashore and met his escort of 50 MacDonalds before retiring to a nearby barn to await the response to letters he had sent to possible supporters all over the Highlands. Another 150 MacDonalds were quickly on the scene, but for some time it seemed that Bonnie Prince Charlie was going to have to challenge for his father's right to the thrones of Scotland and England with just 200 men. Then pipes were heard approaching from the north. It was up to 1000 men of the Clan Cameron belatedly followed by three hundred Macdonnells who had been delayed by a successful skirmish with Government troops near today's Spean Bridge, and from here the beginnings of the Jacobite Rising were born. It was to end though in bloody failure at Culloden on 16 April 1746, less than eight months later. In its aftermath the Highland way of life that had existed for hundreds of years was swept away by brutality, suppression and self interest. Public executions of those loyal to the Jacobite cause impressed upon the Scottish people the need to toe the line, and the lands of the Jacobite chiefs were forfeited and a determined effort was made to end the clan system once and for all.By 1815 the Jacobite threat had receded sufficiently into history to allow the erection at Glenfinnan of a monument to mark the raising of the standard, paid for by the wealthy descendant of a Jacobite. This is a stone tower surmounted by a statue of a kilted highlander (not the prince himself as is often thought).
Sitting adjacent to the monument lays Glenfinnan Viaduct which i
s 416 yards long and made up of 21 arches, the tallest of which is 100ft high. What is less obvious from a distance is that the viaduct is also curved, leading the track round the head of the River Finnan valley. The Viaduct is more recognizable today for the flying car sequence in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
From here we travel on to the end of the Road to the Isles to the quaint fishing village of Mallaig which is also the main ferry terminus for Skye and is also
the main hopping off point for those wanting to catch a ferry to the islands of Rum, Eigg and Muck. Alas, Mallaig in March is a rather desolate place as the town prepares itself for the influx of tourists at Easter and beyond. However, as the sun puts in a welcome appearance we manage to capture a scenic panorama of this famous harbour.On our return to Fort William we detour slightly off the A830 to visit the Silv
er Sands of Morar, made famous through countless calendars, were the setting for the beach scenes in the classic film 'Local Hero' were captured. There are a whole series of beaches lying to the west of the old road between Arisaig and Morar with the islands of Eigg and Rum in the distance. To our astonishment we find the Silver Sands bathed in brilliant sunshine and bereft of human activity as we rejoice in its solitude. For the brief hour or so we share on the beach, we could with a little imagination be on a secluded beach in The Bahamas, albeit in near zero temperatures.
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