The Fairy Glen on the Isle of Skye by @joebhall_ Skye is the largest of the Inner Hebrides and home to some of Scotland’s most iconic landscapes. In prehistoric times, Skye was occupied by Gaelic-speaking Scots from Ireland. Norsemen ruled the island from the 9th to the 12th century. Thereafter, while the Kingdom of Scotland claimed the island, the Lords of the Isles maintained independent control of the Hebrides until the 15th century. The support the clans afforded to the rebellious Lords of the Isles led to many royal expeditions against them, such as one by King James V in person in 1542. One of the most famous residents on Skye was Flora MacDonald, known for helping Prince Charles Stuart escape capture after defeat at the Battle of Culloden. Flora’s adventure with the Prince began in 1746. Her benefactor, Lady Clanranald, was a Jacobite sympathiser, so Flora was closely informed and touched by the plight of the Prince, who was now being hunted all over the Highlands and Islands. So when a plan was hatched to smuggle the Prince to the safety of Skye, Flora agreed to help. In June 1746, Prince Charles landed on South Uist. There he met Flora, and arrangements were made to disguise the Prince as ‘Betty Burke’, an Irish maidservant. They sailed ‘over the sea to Skye’, just as the militia landed nearby. The Prince was dressed in a calico gown, quilted petticoat and headdress. After landing on Skye, the Prince’s perilous wanderings continued for a few more weeks, until he managed to escape to France. He and Flora were destined never to meet again.