Hogwarts Express

“There are few places in my life that I’ve found more ruggedly beautiful than the Highlands of Scotland. The place is magical—it’s so far north, so remote, that sometimes it feels like you’ve left this world and gone to another.”

— Julia London

Glenfinnan

To use the wonderful British term, you can’t help but be gobsmacked by the beauty of the Highlands! Take Loch Shiel for example.

This monument at the northern end of the loch marks the spot where Charles Stuart returned to Scotland and raised the hopes of many Scots that a Stuart king might be restored to the British throne.
Today Charles faces a challenger to the throne of celebrity in Harry Potter.
Behind the monument is the Glenfinnan Viaduct, over which the Hogwarts Express famously passes. The loch was also used as the backdrop for Harry Potter’s flight on the back of the hippogriff Buckbeak and the second (underwater) task of the Triwizard Tournament took place in these waters.

The **Glenfinnan Monument** was erected to remember the place where, on August 19, 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart rowed up Loch Shiel towards the tiny hamlet of Glenfinnan with a small band of his most loyal supporters. He had called on clan chiefs to muster their men and join him here for a daring quest to restore the Stuarts to the British throne.
When he arrived at Glenfinnan, there was barely a soul to be seen. But late in the afternoon, the song of the pipes coming over the hill signaled the arrival of the first of 1,200 clansmen who pledged their allegiance to Bonnie Prince Charlie that day, before setting off to start their campaign.

While the rising ended in defeat at Culloden in 1746 and the Highlands suffered punishment and reprisals for years to come, the gathering of clans and raising of the royal standard (or flag) at Glenfinnan that summer was a moment of hope and enthusiasm for many.

The Monument was built in 1815 as a tribute to “the generous zeal and undaunted bravery” of those Highlanders who “fought and bled in that arduous and unfortunate enterprise”—the 1745 Jacobite Rising.

Almost exactly 278 years later, standing where Bonnie Prince Charlie came ashore.

Jacobites

Did you read/watch Outlander and wonder what was a Jacobite? Did you ever wonder who was this “Bonnie Prince” character? Why did Jamie and Claire go to France? If you’re interested, I’ll provide a succinct summary here. If you don’t give a tinker’s curse, then scroll past this section in grey.

No More Catholic Monarchs

In England in 1688, Roman Catholic James VII (of Scotland) & Il (of England) was unpopular. Parliament deposed him in an act that was immediately hailed as a “Glorious Revolution.”

In a highly unusual maneuver, Parliament “invited” James’s Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange to become joint monarchs (the only time England had joint monarchs).

Supporters of the deposed king fought back in 1689, but their uprising proved short-lived. King James fled to France at at the end of the year. The supporters of James become known as the Jacobites, after the Latin Jacobus, meaning supporters of James.

In 1706 Scotland and England were united into one kingdom by the name of Great Britain.

James’s second daughter Anne (also Protestant) succeeded Mary, but when Anne died in 1714 leaving no heir, Parliament replaced the Stuart dynasty with their distant German cousins, installing the Hanoverian King George I.

In doing so, Parliament overlooked the claim of James’s son from his second marriage, James Francis Edward Stuart, who was Catholic. “The Old Pretender,” as he later became known, had been living in exile in France, where King Louis XIV had recognised him as the rightful heir to the British throne. The word “Pretender” comes from the French “prétendant”—a claimant to the throne.

The Fifteen (‘15)

The Stuarts first attempted to take back the throne in 1715. They lost support as the army moved south into England and were forced to fall back towards the Highlands.

The rebellion eventually petered out in February 1716. James Stuart (the Old Pretender) returned to France, leaving his Highland followers to fend for themselves.

The Rising of 1719

A second attempt to reclaim the throne for James Stuart began in March 1719. This time, the Jacobites had support from Spain.

An invasion force of 27 ships, carrying 5,000 soldiers, set sail from Spain aiming to rally the Scottish clans. But most of the ships were dispersed by storms and only 300 Spanish troops managed to land on the west coast of Scotland.

The Jacobites established their headquarters at Eilean Donan (where we’ll visit with Dave and Christa in July), only for the castle to be destroyed by Hanoverian warships a month later. In June 1719, the Jacobites were defeated at Glenshiel.

Highland Guard

Following the Jacobite Risings of 1689 and 1715, it was noted that “…from the want of Roads and Bridges government troops were grossly disadvantaged.” General Wade was appointed by King George I to remedy this situation, building roads to link the military strongholds across the Highlands. Incredible engineering achievements were undertaken—the roads, bridges, and fortresses permanently altering the Scottish landscape. The winding route between Glencoe and Kinlochleven built by Wade's successor Major Caulfeild, became known as “The Devil's Staircase.”

The detailed mapping of the Highlands to open up inaccessible areas was the origin of today’s Ordinance Survey.

Fort William was built by the English to control the Scots, long before the Jacobite Risings; however, it was a crucial English fortification during the Risings. It was first given the name Fort William in honor of King William of Orange. Though it was later renamed, the name returned, this time to honor Prince William, Duke of Cumberland. Both Williams were reviled in Scotland and the name Fort William must still sit rather uneasily in the minds of many Scots.

In the aftermath of the First Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, Independent Companies of militia were raised from loyalist Highland clans for policing and peacekeeping duties. These companies were commonly known in Gaelic as “The Black Watch,” due to their unpopular nature and their dark green government-issue tartan.

The Forty-Five (‘45)

Charles Edward Stuart, the son of James Stuart, against the advice of his father and his advisers, and without French support, set sail from France in June 1745 and launched an attempt to reclaim the throne his grandfather, King James VII of Scotland and II of England, lost in 1688.

In August, Charles arrived at Glenfinnan aboard a French frigate. “The Young Pretender,” as Charles was nicknamed, entered Edinburgh and proclaimed his father as King James III with himself as Regent.

Supporters described the young Prince as handsome, although he did not gain the nickname Bonnie Prince Charlie until after the '45.

Charles’s 6,000-strong army crossed the border into England. It captured Carlisle and marched south through Lancashire. The army entered Derby, only 125 miles from London, but his army was tired and weakened by desertion.

Fewer English Jacobites joined Charles than he expected: it was said that they were Jacobites when drunk and Hanoverians when sober.

Disagreements among his advisers and a failure of nerve decided him to turn back. Charles was bitterly disappointed.

Government troops under King George l's son, the Duke of Cumberland, chased Charles homewards to the Highlands. There, Cumberland trained his troops for approximately two months in preparation for engaging the Jacobite army.

On April 16, 1746, Cumberland engaged the main Jacobite army near the village of Culloden. The battle lasted only an hour, with the Jacobites suffering between 1,500 and 2,000 casualties, effectively ending the Jacobite rising forever. Cumberland earned the title “The Butcher” for his ruthless treatment of the Scottish.

After his defeat at Culloden, Charles fled across the Highlands as a fugitive. He left Scotland forever five months later (you'll see the monument of where he left below).

The story of Outlander (Book 1 and Starz Series 1) is the story of the ‘45.

The colors behind us are so vibrant it looks like we’re standing in front of a green screen. The famous Glenfinnan Viaduct is behind us.

Several times each day, a steam-driven locomotive and a string of maroon carriages—some used in the Harry Potter films—make the 42-mile journey from Fort William in the east to the coastal town of Mallaig and back.
Each time the train passes, there are hundreds of HP fans gathered all around to witness its crossing over the viaduct.

If this foxglove suddenly freezes, I’m going to freak out!

Dumbledore’s Grave

At the western end of Lock Eilt sits a small, unassuming island that became famous when it was used in the movies as the final resting place for Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

The island first appeared in the third film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when Lupin and Harry are walking through the forest and discussing Harry’s reaction to the dementors. The pair stops and looks out over the island.

Here is our video “from the grave:” https://youtu.be/r8ug9LeSk4M

The Prince’s Cairn

This cairn, on the the eastern shore of **Loch Nan Uamh** marks the spot where Prince Charles Stuart embarked for France on September 20, 1746, five months after the disastrous Battle of Culloden.

Loch Morar

We ended our dueling tour of Charles vs Harry with a visit to Loch Morar, which featured as the Great Lake (aka Black Lake) in the framing shots of Hogwarts castle.

“The narrow path had opened suddenly on to the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone