Trifter

A STUART Prince leaves Scotland for the last time, being rowed out to a waiting French frigate. A lone piper, the last of thousands of clansmen who followed Bonnie Prince Charlie into England and back to that dreadful field of Culloden, plays pibroches and laments as the prince disappears into the darkness. That lone piper has become the finale and the symbol of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Now visitors to Edinburgh can experience this great event throughout the year by going to the new Spirit of the Tattoo exhibition.

All items of Highland and Jacobite adornments, such as kilts, tartans and of course the great war pipes or bagpipes, were proscribed by the Hanoverian Government following the crushing defeat of the clans at the Culloden and its brutal aftermath. Only the Highland regiments and militias were allowed the Highland accoutrements. It was only when Sir Walter Scott persuaded King George IV to visit Edinburgh that this proscription was finally lifted.

Tartan, kilts, the pipes and all things Highland became all the rage among the fashionable classes. Jacobite parties were held in all the sophisticated houses.

Eventually the Edinburgh Military Tattoo was inaugurated as a showcase for the army in general and the Highland and Lowland regiments in particular. The mucic along with faultless marching and countermarching on the esplanade caught the imagination of the world.

Millions of people watch the Tattoo each year while more than 100 million people view it on television throughout the world. There have been performers taking part in the festival from over 40 different countries.

The Tattoo quickly became the incomparable spectacle of Scotland’s military and of her music, dance and display.

Marching, countermarching, music, dance, display, spectacle and other events take place on the esplanade under the glare of floodlights. Suddenly the esplanade is plunged into darkness. A pipe sounds from the skies above the fortress. Two lights finger their way up the wall to focus on one solitary piper standing at the top of the castle.

The Lone Piper has began playing high above the streets of Edinburgh. This position is highly sought after by the pipers of the Scottish regiments. It is a great honour to be the Lone Piper and they compete very fiercely for the position.

It is almost the finish of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The floodlights lower to illuminate the gateway of the castle. The regiments, led by their pipes and drums, march out of the gates, through the Esplanade, down Castlehill and along the Royal Mile to Holyroodhouse.

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is over. It is an event that is timeless, yet ever-changing and still remains one of the great entertainments on the world stage today.

Now visitors can experience the essence of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo all the year round by going to the Spirit of the Tattoo at 555 Castlehill on the Royal Mile.

It is located in the very shadow of Edinburgh Castle, in a 19th Century Victorian reservoir at the top of the Royal Mile and it has become the capital’s latest free access visitor attraction.

The Spirit of the Tattoo is an interactive exhibition combined with a movie theatre. There is a retail outlet and it has a rooftop café restaurant. The Spirit of the Tattoo exhibition has good disabled access throughout.

It is open from 09:30 to 17:30 on Mondays to Saturdays and 10:00 to 17:30 on Sundays throughout the year.

The Spirit of the Tattoo lifts the lid on the magic of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo with more information being available on 0131 225 9661.