Battle of Prestonpans viewpoint

📌 Prestonpans, East Lothian
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The name Prestonpans is forever etched into the Scottish history annals as a result of a 1745 feud which is remembered as one of the most famous Jacobite victories. On 21st September, Sir John Cope’s government forces were defeated in less than half an hour by Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army, thanks to a combination of local knowledge and redcoat inexperience. As in numerous skirmishes on Scottish soil, marshy ground was a key contributor to the outcome – but this time the Jacobites were the beneficiaries, in a reversal of fortunes from the equally prominent 1513 Battle of Flodden. Unlike at Flodden however, much of the land surrounding Prestonpans’ battlefield has since been scarred by heavy industry, communications links and residential suburbs. The monuments commemorating the site are therefore rather scattered; the main one is a colossal, scrubby pyramid with views across the battle site and wider area, with a series of interpretive panels describing the events leading up to and during the clash.