Sea to Ayr to Highlands

Rather than mortify my family by snoring on the ferry ride from Belfast, I bought a delicious bottomless coffee and read about my "cousin" Mickey Mantle's 1956 season, eventually arriving to a dark Scottish night.

Courtesy of Jay's iPhone playlist routed through our Fiat's stereo USB port, upbeat rock music cranked over the speakers, keeping us alert as the one hour drive to Ayr raced by.

 

Loch Cluanie, In Highlands Between Glenfinnan and Skye

Jay did an outstanding job navigating us through dark streets directly to the Old Racecourse Hotel, where we'd eaten Sunday afternoon dinner less than a day and a half earlier. It sure seemed like we had been gone longer, but I've often found that time warps.

After checking in, we immediately headed back downstairs to the beautiful pub off the dining room at 11:20 PM, but despite a sign indicating the pub served until 11:30 PM, we were turned away by the bartender in the othewise empty venue.

Instead, the kids settled down with their iPhones in the miniscule lobby of the lovely hotel to message and Skype their friends on the free wi-fi, while Julie and I turned in. Our rooms were nice and roomy, but we just changed clothes and slept, rising for a full Scottish breakfast in time to be the first ones in the dining room when service began.

With no time to spare in Ayr, we hit the road, but after a few miles realized it was the wrong one, requiring us to double back to Ayr. It was our only unintended detour of the trip, which is an outstanding record based on my prior experiences navigating strange environs, which usually include frequently repeating some variation of the phrase, "Stupid map!" Needless to say, to Ayr is human. 

Jay navigated us back through Ayr, giving us our first chance to see its bustling downtown, and then down the right road. 

Fort William

Other than the occasional restroom breaks at places like Costa Coffee, where we felt obliged to buy cappuccinos which resulted in requiring another restroom break an hour later, we just drove and soaked in the scenery, not breaking for lunch until we reached Fort William.  I must confess that contrary to my previous claim of only buying ice cream at McDonalds on this trip, I bought a McChicken and burger in Fort William for the girls to justify using their restrooms, but that wasn't our primary reason for stopping.

Fort William is one endpoint for the Harry Potter Train.  We wanted to verify it left Mallaig on schedule so we could watch it pass a few miles down the road, at the historic Glenfinnan Monument, which has been unoffically designated as a viewing spot for the Harry Potter Train that passes maybe a half mile away a couple of times a day.

 

Mind you, no train actually goes to Hogwarts, but the movie producers used this train to represent the one Harry took to school, so we headed to Glenfinnan to see it.


Amy and Jay at Glenfinnan Monument

Based on the number of tourists we found there staring at the distant viaduct, waiting for the train to pass, it seems most of the people who paid 2 pounds to park their cars were more interested in Harry Potter than the brave Scots who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie during the Jacobite Uprising of 1745, and their monument for which the lot was established. 

Those who took the time to walk over to the monument would have learned about the Jacobite Uprising, designed to put the Stuart family back on the throne. 

 

Loch Shiel at Glenfinnan

More tourists understand the phrase Deathly Hallows than Jacobite. The latter refers to the Latin word Jacobus, which means James, leading to Jacobitism or supporting James.  Why Latin? Because the underlying cause was linked to the Catholic Church.

In 1685, Catholic King James II of England (he was also King James VII of Scotland) succeeded his Episcopalian brother, King Charles II, who had restored the Church of England.

 

Glenfinnan Monument

James II was already over fifty by the time he ascended to the throne, and he had two Protestant daughters, so his opposition chose to bide their time until he died.  However, in 1688, his young second wife, Mary of Modena (Italy), gave birth to a son, Prince James, who was immediately baptized Catholic. As the first son, Prince James would immediately become heir to the throne, and the young wife meant more backup heirs could be in the offing.



No longer content to wait, the "Immortal Seven" (no relation to the Magnificent Seven) supplanted James II with his daughter Mary and her husband, William of Orange. 

James II and his family fleed to France.

The Benevolent Reign of William and Mary

The Williamites (supporters of King William) defeated the Jacobites when James II tried to reclaim the throne, and also rebuffed his son, James "the Old Pretender" several times. 

The Jacobite cause was hurt by the general benvolence, tolerance of religious diversity and acceptance of emerging democratic ideals in the Kingdom of William and Mary, including their approval of an English Bill of Rights and greater co-operation with Parliament.  Another recurring theme in history is that those who rule justly are not overthrown easily.

Nonetheless, the Old Pretender's son Charles Edward Stuart, young and vigorous at age 25, was game for leading one more foray to win back the crown for the Stuart family in 1745.



Charles Stuart Welcomed in Edinburgh

The challenge from "the New Pretender" failed in 1746, but the legend is remembered romantically by the Scots.



The MacDonnell Clan, presumably related to the MacDonnells who defeated the MacQuillans in Ireland,  were on the losing side of this confrontation.  They backed the Jacobite claim, as did several other prominent Scottish clans, including Camerons and MacDonalds.  About 1,500 men gathered at Glenfinnan to follow Charles Stuart into battle.



While there were times when the uprising seemed destined to succeed, the Jacobites were outnumbered by government forces. France declared war on England but never sent troops to assist in the Uprising of '45.  In fairness to the French, their fleet had been decimated when, in a failed invasion in 1844, ships carrying 10,000 troops as well as the necessary supplies and equipment sank in a terrible storm on the way to invade England.



Battle of Culloden Chess Set



If Jacobites had recaptured the throne, an alliance with France instead of decades of war could have dramatically changed history. Under this alternative history, some claim England would not have increased taxes on the colonies to pay for their long war with France, and the colonies might not have felt compelled to rebel, leading to peace and prosperity. Based on what we know of history, however, it seems more likely the Jacobites would have been in control only until the power behind the throne, France, found an excuse to take control for themselves, opening an entirely new set of ramifications.  You can't change one thing without changing everything. 

 

Satirical Wanted Poster Offering
Very Real Reward of 30,000 pounds

After the Battle of Culloden in April of 1746, facing sure defeat in his quest, Bonnie Prince Charlie, as the New Pretender came to be called, fled to Skye. Despite a huge bounty of 30,000 pounds, which was literally a king's ransom, Highlanders who knew well his identity refused to turn Charles in. 

Dressed like a girl, Charles was eventually smuggled to France, thanks to the heroic assistance of Flora MacDonald of Skye. Bonnie Prince Charlie returned to his birth city of Rome, Italy, to live out the rest of his life in exile.

Honoring brave men defeated in a noble pursuit is as natural in Scotland as for Americans to celebrate champions in victory.

After political tensions of the Jacobite Rebellion receeded, Alexander MacDonald of Glenaladale (that's MacDonald, not MacDonnell, and Gleanaladale, Scotland, not Glendale, California, where Lester and Opal McQuillen moved to raise their family) built the Glenfinnan Monument, a tower topped by a kilted Scottish Highander, designed by Scottish architect James Gillespie Graham. 



Harry Potter Train at Glenfinnan Viaduct

It's hard keeping track of who's who in history when so many names are similar, whereas in the Harry Potter saga, there's only one Harry. Maybe that, combined with his story's happier ending, helps explain why so many tourists arrived to watch a train go by. Then again, we do love our fiction.

We were soon off to Skye, like Bonnie Prince Charlie, although we all wore jeans.