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The Prince's Cairn on the shore of Loch nan Uamh, bracken turning round it.
Lochaber

The Prince's Cairn

A stone cairn on the shore of Loch nan Uamh, marking where Bonnie Prince Charlie left Scotland for France on 20 September 1746.

Welcome

On the shore of Loch nan Uamh, a short walk down from the Road to the Isles, a stone cairn stands among the bracken and birches looking out over the water.

It marks the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie left Scotland for the last time.

On 20 September 1746, after the Jacobite rising had failed, the Prince boarded a French ship here and sailed for France. It was about fourteen months since he had first landed on the mainland, on 25 July 1745, and he never returned. The cairn was raised by the 1745 Association in 1956.

It is well signposted from the A830, with a large layby just to the west and a marked path down through the woods to the shore. It is a quiet place to stop on the road to Arisaig.

Before you go

Open at all times, and free.

Where
Loch nan Uamh, on the A830.
Marks
20 September 1746.
Raised
1956.

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Did you know

Did you know

Fourteen months.

Bonnie Prince Charlie left Scotland from Loch nan Uamh about fourteen months after first landing on the mainland in July 1745.

Did you know

Raised in 1956.

The Prince's Cairn was raised by the 1745 Association on 4 October 1956.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Lochaber

On the shore of Loch nan Uamh, a stone cairn among the birches marks where Bonnie Prince Charlie left Scotland for good. He had first landed on the mainland at this same loch on 25 July 1745. Fourteen months later, on 20 September 1746, with the rising lost and a price on his head, he boarded a French ship here and sailed for France. He never came back. The cairn was raised by the 1745 Association in 1956. A marked path leads down through the woods from a large layby on the A830.

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Where it is

Signposted from the A830 between Lochailort and Arisaig, down a short track; park in the large layby just to the west.

Close byLoch nan Uamh.
  1. White houses along the shoreline at low tide, seaweed-covered rocks in foregroundArisaigThe village on Loch nan Ceall.5 miles 7 min by road
  2. Museum interior with fishing nets, an orange buoy and a Cabinet of Local Curiosities displayLand, Sea and Islands CentreThe village museum.5 miles 7 min by road
  3. Loch EiltLoch EiltA loch of pine islands.7 miles 9 min by road
  4. Yellow boat moored in a tidal river winding through a sandy beachSilver Sands of MorarWhite sand beaches on the B8008 coast road between Morar and Arisaig, with wide sand flats at low tide and views to Skye, Rum and Eigg.9 miles 13 min by road
  5. The white Fisherman and Child statue on a round grassy platform at the end of Mallaig's harbour wall, an anchor beside it and the harbour behind.The Fisherman and Child StatueA white statue of a fisherman and a child on the harbour wall at Mallaig, the fisherman pointing out to sea.12 miles 16 min by road
  6. Loch MorarLoch MorarThe deepest loch in Britain, eleven miles long, running east into the hills from Morar just south of Mallaig.12 miles 16 min by road
Directions
Picnic tables outside the West Highland Hotel overlooking Mallaig's church and coastlineRestaurantsThe Chlachain Inn12 miles
Empty café dining room with pale wooden tables, white chairs and hanging pendant lightsRestaurantsThe Cabin Restaurant and Takeaway12 miles
Backpackers Lodge building with The Tea Garden Cafe sign, "Seats insideRestaurantsThe Tea Garden, Mallaig12 miles
The Mallaig Heritage Centre, a low building under a pitched slate roof beside the railway platform, a brick path and planters in front.AttractionsMallaig Heritage Centre12 miles
Wild goats stand on a rocky hillside overlooking a misty glenAttractionsMinch Adventures, Mallaig13 miles
Minch Adventures boat approaching steep rocky cliffs along a narrow sea lochAttractionsPrivate Loch Coruisk, Isle of Skye adventure13 miles
Railway tracks curve past a "Welcome to Helensburgh" sign and hillside housesAttractionsMallaig13 miles
Weathered wooden post on a seaweed-strewn beach beneath a forested mountainAttractionsLong Beach, Knoydart14 miles
Rolling grassland and wooded slopes lead towards distant Highland peaks under a partly cloudy skyAttractionsThe Seven Men of Moidart16 miles

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The Daily for 23 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a concrete road bridge with angled supports spanning a sea loch, twin cloud-wrapped mountain peaks rising behind autumn-coloured hills.

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the cairn, and when each is next free.

Glenhurich Lodge, white-harled with dormer windows, at the end of its track behind a beech hedge, snow on the hills beyond.Glenhurich Lodge
  • Sleeps 11
  • In Glenhurich
  • 11 miles from the Prince's Cairn
Check datesThe house's gabled wing with a decked terrace and two chairs, solar panels along the roof, seen across a grassy slope.Borradill House
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Glenborrodale
  • 16 miles from the Prince's Cairn
Free 15–18 NovBorradill Cottage, ArdnamurchanBorradill Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Glenborrodale
  • 16 miles from the Prince's Cairn
Free 29 Nov – 2 DecA keeper's cottage and lighthouse stand together on a rocky headland overlooking the sea at Eilean Sionnach.Eilean Sionnach Lighthouse Cottage
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Isleornsay
  • 17 miles from the Prince's Cairn
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in LochaberAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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The collections it is in and more in Lochaber.

CollectionStanding Stones in Scotland Worth Seeing
More in Lochaber
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