Clouds over Culloden

Woke up this morning around half-past seven as usual after an excellent’s night sleep. Tried to get my head around the fact that it was 1st May already. What – already a third of 2025 had passed? Tempus fugit.

Time Flies, Say Not So
Time Remains: ‘Tis Man Must Go.

The weather was a bit of a contrast to yesterday, heavy cumulonumbus clouds and a nippy little wind. It was only 14°C, a nine degree drop from the glorious weather of yesterday. But never mind, at least it wasn’t raining, and the sun might appear later on.

Breakfast was a feast to set us up for the day as usual, and I was pleased I was wearing loose trousers with an elastic insert in the back! We started off with Helen’s wonderful, whisky-laced porridge and then a fantastic full cooked breakfast, all washed down with tea, freshly-brewed coffee and orange juice.

After the breakfast dishes had been cleared away, we all sat around in a companionable silence, reading, checking emails, or just looking out of the window, where we could see Dan the engineer getting the ropes ready to cast off. Occasionally someone would read a headline off the BBC News web site, or comment on Reform’s chances in the local elections.

Around 10 o’clock, the engines of the Glen Massan rumbled into life once more, and the ropes were cast off before she slowly moved out of her berth and we set off along the canal, next stop Inverness. The sun was trying to get out by now but there were still plenty of grey clouds around, and we needed to put on a jacket when going out on deck.

We slowly made our way up the waterway, looking around with interest at our surroundings. We went through locks and passed other yachts and pleasure craft, and people walking their dogs along the tow path waved cheerfully to us. We kept our eyes peeled for any more wildlife, but all we saw was a heron scratching around on the bankside.

It was a happy and relaxing atmosphere but, as we got closer and closer to Inverness, I tried hard not to get despondent that this would be our last “port of call” on this cruise, and we should arrive around lunchtime.

We came to another swing bridge and went up on deck to watch as it opened to let us through.

Then, around 11.30am, we came to another lock – this one was the last one on our journey. 🙁

Trevor and Ian were pressed into service one final time to carry the ropes of the Glen Massan into and out of the lock again. It had been a new experience for Trevor; in fact, several times he had helped with the casting off and the tying up; he believes that immersing yourself in the whole small-vessel cruising experience enhances it and makes the cruise more personal and memorable.

It was just before one o’clock when Glen Massan was made fast at her berth for the rest of the day and tonight, and it was really sad when her engines juddered to a halt, symbolising the end of our wonderful voyage. 🙁

Looking at our surroundings, we were opposite lots of other boats and small yachts, whose masts we could hear clinking musically in the breeze.

By now, it was nearly lunchtime. Skipper Iain appeared and asked if anyone was interested in visiting the Culloden Battlefield which was about a 30-minute drive away; he said he would organise a mini-bus for those of us who wanted to go, and seven of us opted to do so. Iain therefore booked the transport for 2.30pm, which would give us plenty of time ot have lunch first.

The Culloden Battle site is maintained by the National Trust, and it so happened that Ian and Sue (who weren’t going) were members of the NT and had their visitor passes with them, so they kindly lent them to Trevor and me. But first… lunch. 🙂

Once again, our meal was a delectable concoction of hot-smoked Scottish salmon with fresh green salad, beetroot slaw mixed with feta (an amazing combination!), gherkins, capers and oatcakes, and served with what I at first thought was bubble and squeak, but was informed it was Colcannon (Irish potatoes mashed with cabbage). What an absolute gem Helen was; in fact, the Majestic Line must have a secret society of top chefs that only they know about, because the gourmet food is a theme across all of their vessels and cruises. 🙂

Around 2.15pm we all returned to our cabins to change into walking trousers, cagoules, hats and sturdy footwear for our visit to Culloden. Whilst it wasn’t actually raining, there was a cold wind, and Jen had advised us that, because the battle field was open ground, we could expect it to be quite blustery up there.

The mini-bus arrived on time and we all piled in; three in the back row, three in the middle and Chris up front with the driver, who was friendly and chatted with her all the way to the visitor centre at the battle site. Inside, we went to the desk to get our tickets, showing Ian and Sue’s NT passes as we did so. A 45-minute guided tour was about to start so we said we would join it, and we went outside where a small crowd was gathered in front of our guide.

As we walked around the site, our guide told us all about the battle. The infamous Battle of Culloden, fought on April 16, 1746, was the decisive clash between the Jacobite forces and the British government army, effectively ending the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. It was a brief but bloody battle, resulting in a decisive victory for the government forces led by the Duke of Cumberland. The Jacobite army, led by Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), was routed, leading to a significant blow to their cause.

The battle lines of each side were marked out by blue flags for the Jacobite army and red flags for the government soldiers, and we could see over the vast, windswept fields where it all took place; soldiers might have fallen right in the very spots where we were standing.

Our guide showed us the huge memorial cairn as well as some stone markers that had been placed around the site by descendents or clans of those who had lost their lives.

It was all very interesting and really very tragic, knowing that over 1300 people were massacred in little over an hour. Of the dead, 1250 were Jacobites, with hundreds others wounded and 376 captured.

We returned to the visitors’ centre, where you could go up on the roof and look right across the battlefield. Trevor and I went to the top and looked across at the green fields which must have been strewn with the bodies of the fallen, and we felt that the dark, ponderous clouds above us were more fitting than cheerful bright sunshine and blue skies.

Once our guided tour was finished, we had an hour before our mini-bus was due to return, so we made our way back to the visitor centre and spent some time looking at the display boards and a diorama of the battle ground, as well as a short film showing a reenactment. You learn something new every day!

Soon it was nearly 5.00pm and time for us to return to the car park outside the front of the building and await our transport back to the Glen Massan. The minibus was 10 minutes late, and the driver apologised and said the traffic was really bad. He wasn’t wrong either; it was ten to six when we got back; I had just over an hour to be showered, shampooed, blow-dried and dressed before our pre-dinner canapés at 7.00pm. I managed it though, and was back in the bar enjoying a nice refreshing gin and tonic. 😀

As we all took our places around the big table, it was with a little pang that I realised this would be the last dinner the 10 of us would share together. Yaz the steward was serving the drinks, and in between I asked her to take a photo of us all, and she was happy to oblige. Here we are:

Dinner was a grand affair once again. We partook of a tender, juicy fillet steak with fresh vegetables and potatoes; Trevor and I opted for some horseradish sauce with ours. It was all washed down with house wine and water as usual.

At one stage, the sky darkened dramatically and it started to rain, but on the other side of the boat the sun was shining brightly. The result was a fantastic rainbow among the masts of the boats, and I couldn’t resist setting down my knife and fork and going outside for a photo.

Dessert was amazing; I’m not one for desserts usually (I usually prefer the starters) but this was home-made sticky toffee pudding served with vanilla ice cream and it was sublime.

After we’d enjoyed our coffee and the incomparable cheeseboard once again, and all the plates and glasses had been passed down the table and been removed, Yaz the steward said she had organised a quiz for us tonight. 🙂

All our names were put into the hat, and Yaz drew out two teams of five; I was in the same team as Trevor, Ian, Jen and Chris. There were 24 questions in total, and some were worth more than one point, so there were 33 points up for grabs. Categories included general knowledge, music, film & TV and questions about this cruise! 🙂

Once we’d finished, we swapped papers with the other team so we could mark each other’s answers. Our opponents scored 15/33, but we were the winning team with 20/33. We would have had 22 if we hadn’t changed our mind about two of the answers! It was all great fun and, afterwards, we all sat together and enjoyed a post-prandial little one. Even those who didn’t normally indulge were tempted into having a “wee dram” on this, our last night aboard Glen Massan, and most people didn’t return to their cabins until well after 11.00pm, very late for them.

Soon there was just Trevor and me left, and once all the clearing up in the galley was done, Yaz and Dan came out to join us, and we swapped stories and told them about some of our cruises. Trevor and I decided to stay for one more drink, then we reluctantly dragged ourselves out of our comfortable armchairs in the saloon and returned to cabin #3 (JURA). I didn’t want to go to bed, as it would feel as if I was officially making it the end of the cruise. 🙁