Killiecrankie, a name derived from Gaelic and meaning “wood of aspens”, is a tranquil oasis, set amidst dramatic and spectacular scenery. The distant views of moody-grey mountains; the foaming waters of the River Garry, tumbling between steeply wooded cliffs; and the picturesque pathways, that twist their way through the dense undergrowth, all combine to lend the gorge a soothing aura of peaceful detachment. But scattered about its tree-lined tracks, are numerous reminders of a long ago sunset, when the sudden sound of gunfire shattered the stillness, and a bloody battle exploded across the sylvan slopes of the ravine.

The Battle of Killiecrankie took place on 27th July 1689. It was fought between three thousand four hundred government troops, loyal to William of Orange, led by General Mackay, and two thousand five hundred Jacobite highlanders, supporters of the deposed King, James V11 of Scotland (James 11 of England), commanded by Viscount John Graham of Claverhouse, better known as “Bonnie Dundee”. As the opposing armies faced each other amidst the woodlands of Killiecrankie, the smaller Jacobite force claimed the higher ground and waited for the sun to move behind them, before Dundee gave the order to charge. Dazzled by the sun, the government troops watched helplessly as a screaming avalanche of tartan terror swept down the slopes of the gorge towards them. As the Royalist soldiers scattered, the ferocious Highlanders threw down their muskets and continued the fray with the flash of cold steel. A government soldier named Donald Macbear, took one look at the advancing hoard and, pursued by a gaggle of deadly highlanders, ran for his life. Arriving at the rocky shore of the River Garry, he escaped by jumping 18 feet to its opposite bank, leaving his pursuers gazing in astonished fury across the gap, which is still known as “Soldiers Leap” in commemoration of the amazing feat. By the time the sun sank over the battle site, the Jacobite troops had inflicted a crushing defeat upon the government forces. But their victory was a hollow one. For “Bonnie Dundee” suffered a fatal wound, as he waved his highland warriors on to victory. The Jacobite force never really recovered from his death and their army was later forced to disband after failing to capture Dunkeld.

In the Pass of Killiecrankie, a dull red glow has been known to bathe the area in its ruddy hue on the anniversary of the battle. Some people have been startled by the sudden appearance of ghostly troops, marching through the ravine in the fading light of day; others have heard the distinct volley of invisible muskets, firing in the air close-by them, and one woman looked up from a picnic she was enjoying, to see the phantom forms of several dead soldiers lying on the ground nearby.