Perthshire castle to feature in Bonnie Prince Charlie and Jacobites trail

Young Pretender campaign highlights Scottish attractions

A new campaign capitalising on the renewed global appeal of Bonnie Prince Charlie will feature various sites across Courier Country.

National Museums Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Royal Collection Trust and the National Trust for Scotland have joined forces to create a new trail of 25 properties and attractions throughout the country whose history is intertwined with Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites.

The announcement was made on the 229th anniversary of Charlie’s death – January 31 1788 – and at a time when the historic figure plays a major role in the hit TV series Outlander.

Funding of £40,000 from VisitScotland will help the campaign to reach a bigger digital audience across the UK.

The Young Pretender’s trail will include Doune Castle near Stirling and Huntingtower Castle on the outskirts of Perth, which has historical links with the Jacobites. Lord George Murray was born at Huntingtower, and both he and his brother Charles were involved in the 1715 rising.

Lord Murray also took part in the 1719 rising but was wounded at the Battle of Glen Shiel.

It also includes Killiecrankie in Perthshire, where the first shots were fired in the Jacobite cause in 1689, and the House of Dun in Angus, which was built for a Jacobite sympathiser and includes many hidden references to his loyalties.

A key part of the campaign takes place from June 23 to November 12, when the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh will host an exhibition on the Jacobites. The display will include Bonnie Prince Charlie’s shield, sword and his travelling canteen.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, emphasised the significance of the event.

“Bonnie Prince Charlie is one of Scotland’s most enduring historical figures and we are delighted to support this collaborative campaign that will help visitors follow in his footsteps,” he said.

David Forsyth, lead curator of the National Museum of Scotland’s exhibition, Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites, said: “Our exhibition will present the best material there is – real objects and contemporary accounts and depictions – to present the truth of a story which is even more layered, complex and dramatic than the many fictional and romantic interpretations which exist in popular culture.”

For more information visit www. jacobitetrail.co.uk where the trail route is available to download.

Lord George Murray, right, who was involved in the 1715 uprising alongside Charles, left, was born at Huntingtower Castle, top.