Day 8 – To Oban

A travelling day from Glenfinnan to Oban via Crianlarich with the train packed with holiday makers moving from Fort William to Glasgow and points south of there.

I had time to have a look at the monument to where the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion started at the head of Loch Shiel. Bonnie Prince Charlie, otherwise known as Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart, was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland as Charles III.

After raising the Stuart standard at Glenfinnan on 19 August the small Jacobite army marched towards Edinburgh, which surrendered on 17 September. Four days later Charles achieved an unexpected and resounding victory against Sir John Cope and his British army troops at Prestonpans, the battle lasting just over 15 minutes with the key to their success being the Highland charge, a furious manoeuvre that regular troops had little experience of.

Charlie’s army would get as far as Derby in England and the Swarkestone Bridge over the Trent about 120 miles from London. But rather than push on, at a council of war the prince was completely outnumbered by his predominantly Scottish commanders and the Jacobite army returned to Scotland before being defeated at Culloden on 16th April 1746.