Stone Free

Oma left us yesterday, which was probably a good thing as we had another very rainy day, which meant we ended up back in the car.  Which is a bit of a shame really, because the routes travelled are so very pretty when you can see the hills and lochs and mountains, and not so pretty when everything is covered in low lying cloud and mist and you're looking through rain smeared windows.  However...

First up was a drive to Killicrankie, where we ended up spending a good hour playing with stones.

The pass of Killicrankie, 3.5 miles north of Pitlochry, where the River Garry rushes through a narrow gorge, was the site of the 1689 battle that ignited the Jacobite rebellion. 

The large, flat rock to the right of the picture below, is said to be the site from which Donald McBane, a Redcoat soldier, fleeing the Battle of Killicrankie, leapt 5.5 meters / 18 feet across the River Garry while being pursued by Jacobite Clansmen.  Far more interesting though was the river and riverbed at the bottom of the gorge...

How many stones can you stack in 2 minutes?  3... 2... 1... GO!

Though the rain, for the most part, was off, the clouds were still low which somewhat hampered our afternoon walk and 'Queen's View' of Shiehallion (which we didn't see on Monday either when we drove along Loch Rannoch).  Queen Victoria came here in 1866 and thought the view was for her but in actual fact it is believed to be originally named after Isabella of Mar, the first wife of Robert the Bruce.

Isabella is said to have fled to this area and hidden in nearby woods during the Wars of Scottish Independence.  Isabella never became queen as she died in 1296, at age 19, ten years before Bruce was crowned king, but was said to have been beautiful, wealthy and educated.