The Glenfinnan Monument sitting at the head of Loch Shiel. In 1815, the Jacobite cause was no longer a political threat. Alexander Macdonald of Glenaladale, a minor branch of the Clan Donald, built a memorial tower at Glenfinnan to commemorate the raising of the standard of the Young Pretender. The tower, which is surmounted by a statue of an anonymous Highlander, was designed by the Scottish architect James Gillespie Graham. The monument's location at Glenfinnan was made possible because in 1812 a new road - built by Thomas Telford - opened between Fort William to Arisaig.

Since 1938, the Glenfinnan Monument has been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The Trust have also constructed a visitor centre, which provides tickets, information and exhibitions, and a shop, cafe, and toilets. The tower has also become a monument to Alexander Macdonald, who died before its completion. Hundreds of Jacobite enthusiasts gather at the tower each year on 19 August to remember the Rising of '45.

Loch Shiel

The view down Loch Sheil and the Glenfinnan Monument