The Glenfinnan Monument. Photo: NTS

Conservation bosses have found a new slant on a historic monument to Highland rebellion.

The National Trust for Scotland revealed its Glenfinnan Monument is leaning.

The charity admits it is not in the same league as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but the column, which is topped by statue of a Highland warrior, is deviating from vertical by 27cm – just over 10 inches.

The 18m (59ft) tower is built on sandy soil at the head of Loch Shiel, which accounts for its slant, but the NTS said, unlike its more famous Tuscan counterpart, the structure is stable and there is little chance of the lean increasing.

Pisa’s tower is 3.9m out of true.

The Glenfinnan Monument, on the Road to the Isles between Fort William and Arisaig, marks the place where Bonny Prince Charlie raised his standard after sailing from France in 1745 to start the Jacobite rebellion.

The monument was built in 1815 to a design by James Gillespie Graham and is the starting point for many of the sub-munro hills in the area, and the walk to Corryhully Bothy.

Pisa's tower: more of a slant

NTS property manager Rudy Vandecappelle said: “We’re at the height of the visitor season here at Glenfinnan, welcoming thousands of visitors from Scotland and beyond every week.

“They all love to hear the story of our leaning tower, although it’s not quite on a par with Pisa.”

The little-known fact is one of many about trust properties newly published on the National Trust for Scotland’s website, as part of a project to revamp the information provided about its properties.