Culloden Battlefield – the Moor and Afternoon Tea
A few hours.
The route
Culloden is where the last Jacobite rising ended, on an open stretch of moor east of Inverness, and its visitor centre tells the story from both sides.
Bonnie Prince Charlie made Culloden House his headquarters for the three nights before the battle, and today the Georgian mansion on that spot serves afternoon tea.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Newhall Mains in Balblair, 12 miles away.
Then Boath Cabin, 13 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Fri 16 Oct to Sun 18 Oct.
Book Afternoon tea at Culloden House
Book afternoon tea at Culloden House by phone on 01463 790461 or by email at least 48 hours ahead, for about 2.15pm after the battlefield: it's served from 2pm to 4pm, costs from £34 a person at the time of writing, and a deposit holds the table.
The day
Culloden
Two hours on the moor and in the exhibition, then a short drive to a long, unhurried tea in a country house.
About three and a half hours
Culloden Visitor Centre
An attraction
Park in the National Trust for Scotland's pay and display car park by the visitor centre, which can fill at busy times; members park free. Here, on 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army was beaten in under an hour. The exhibition tells the story from both sides, and a 360-degree battle theatre shows the fighting plainly. Then take the audio guide, which comes with the ticket, out on the moor, past Leanach Cottage to the flags that mark the two front lines and the clan graves. Give it two hours. The visitor centre is step-free, with wheelchairs to borrow, and the paths on the moor are hard-surfaced but sloped.
11 min by car
Culloden House
Afternoon tea
Drive 11 minutes west to Culloden House, where Bonnie Prince Charlie lodged before the battle. Afternoon tea costs from £34 a person at the time of writing and is served from 2pm to 4pm in the Georgian house, rebuilt on the same spot in the 1770s. Book at least 48 hours ahead on 01463 790461; a deposit holds the table. If you can't book in time, the visitor centre's café is open to 4pm.
If it rains
The exhibition and the battle theatre are indoors, and afternoon tea is too; in rain, look over the moor from the visitor centre's roof and keep the walk on the field short.