The Bonnie Prince Charlie Ride
On the Bonnie Prince Charlie ride we ride through the countryside and visit places associated with the '45 rebellion when the Young Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart famously returned to Scotland to reclaim the throne that was rightly his. The Prince and his loyal Jacobite army of Highland clansmen marched South into England and came close to regaining the throne with famous victories at Prestonpans and Falkirk, taking Edinburgh and Carlisle and marching south as far a Derby. But fortunes changed as the expected support from English Jacobites was not forthcoming and funds began to run low, so the Prince pulled back into Scotland awaiting promised funds from France and Spain which never arrived. The final and most famous battle of all took place on Culloden Moor near Inverness, where the Princes army of near starving Highlanders met the Duke of Cumberlands men in a battle that saw both the Jacobite army and the Princes dreams of regaining his fathers' throne destroyed. The battle took less than an hour and it's aftermath changed the Highlands of Scotland and it's peoples' way of life forever.
The Prince fled from the battlefield and spent five months as a fugitive, running through the heather and hiding out in caves, sometimes being offered shelter by loyal Jacobites. He covered a huge amount of ground, never staying anywhere long and travelled as far as the Western Isles, where he was famously aided by Flora Macdonald, posing as her maid for his journey 'over the sea to Skye'. From Skye he returned to the mainland hiding out again in the hills, until he finally set sail for France, never to set foot on Scottish soil again.
The Route
Wherever possible, we try to faithfully follow the routes that the Prince took, however, this is a riding holiday and much of his flight through the heather was on foot as the ground was deemed unsuitable for horses, so we have chosen the best routes that can be ridden - if we cannot ride the exact route, we ride as close to it as possible!
Day 1
We begin our ride at approximately 10.00am just outside Inverness, visiting desolate Culloden Moor where we ride past the graves of the Highland clansmen who fought so bravely and died so tragically for the hopes and dreams of Bonnie Prince Charlie. We ride past mystical 4000 year old Clava Cairns the best preserved stone circle and burial cairns of many in the area and follow the Princes trail (as closely as we can.....) to cross the River Nairn at the Ford of Faillie. From here we ride through Stratherrick on the South side of Loch Ness.
Day 2
We ride on to Whitebridge today, still following the route as best we can along the hills and glens between Loch Ness and the Monadhliath mountains. Lovely trails with high passes and forest rides.
Day 3
We ride to Fort Augustus today, then follow the Caledonian Canal to Aberchalder, where the prince crossed the river Oich, returning to Fort Augustus for the night.
Day4
Today we head over the stunning 770m (2526 ft) Corrieyairack Pass. This high, lonely stone track was one of General Wades military roads and was famously taken by the Prince and his men on their march South, when his hopes of victory were still high.
Day 5
We head West today from Laggan through hills, forests and beside Loch Laggan through Ardverikie estate - famous as the setting for the 'Monarch of the Glen' TV series, with the hills where the prince hid in Clunys Cage in Ben Alder behind us, then follow the River Spean to spend the night at Roy Bridge.
Day 6
Still heading west, we ride to Spean Bridge with stunning views from the hills. We ride to Highbridge where the first action of the uprising occurred.
Day 6
Following the caledonian canal initially, we ride on to the old pony path at Glen Loy - the route that the Prince and his loyal Jacobite followers took from Glenfinnan to avoid the redcoats at Fort William, emerging at Fassfern, where the Prince picked a white rose and wore it on his bonnet, this to become his emblem.
Day 7
The final day! We ride from Fassfern on to Glenfinnan, where the princes monument stands on the shore. Glenfinnan is famous as the place that the Prince rose his standard shortly after he first arrived in Scotland and rallied the Clans. The Glenfinnan viaduct crossing the glen may be familiar to some folk as it was used in the Harry Potter films! We will try to time it so that we see the famous steam train.......
The Bonnie Prince Charlie ride might also be of interest to any 'Outlander' fans, as our routes take in many sites referenced in this popular series of books by Diana Gabaldon.
Price: 1190 GBP
7 days riding, 6 nights accommodation, full board
Transport
We will collect you from Inverness on the morning of the ride and take you to the start at Culloden. After the ride has finished, we can transport you back to Fort William, from where there are good transportation links back to Inverness, or onwards to Glasgow.
Alternatively if accommodation is available in Glenfinnan, you might want to stay there to experience the Highland Games on Sunday 19th August. There are both bus and rail links back to Fort Augustus from Glenfinnan.
