Historic Stirling
Stirling, Scotland’s newest
city, is perhaps the place where our national heritage is most
vividly recalled. It was here that William Wallace – the
Braveheart – and Robert the Bruce won independence for Scotland.
Stirling
Castle, once the residence
of Scottish Kings, perches atop an extinct volcano, trailing behind
it the exquisite architecture and cobbled streets of Stirling’s
Old Town. The historical streets of the Old Town, wind upwards
to the castle, past the renovated Tolbooth and
the Old
Town Jail.
Next door stands the mediaeval Church
of the Holy Rude, where James
VI was crowned and John Knox preached the sermon. Argyll's
Lodging, a beautifully restored mansion house built in the 1570s
and extended in 1632, is your last stop before reaching the top
of the hill, and the Castle. Stirling
Castle, perched on its rocky
crag, is one of Scotland’s grandest. Its history is turbulent,
its architecture outstanding. As a military stronghold, seven great
battles - including the decisive moments of Scotland’s wars
of independence - took place within sight of its walls. Later,
for almost three centuries, it was a favourite royal residence.
The striking Wallace
Monument,
Scotland’s commemoration of its great hero, popularised in
the Hollywood epic Braveheart, stands proudly on the Abbey Craig,
overlooking the site of Sir William’s greatest victory, at
the Battle of Stirling Bridge, in 1297. Another legendary Scottish
victory - the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 - is celebrated at
the Bannockburn
Heritage Centre, just two miles south of Stirling,
where there is also a striking equestrian statue of King Robert
the Bruce.
Modern Stirling is a cosmopolitan
university city with a wide-ranging cultural life. Cafes and restaurants
to suit all tastes abound, and the town centre offers excellent
shopping opportunities in the pedestrianised streets or the covered
Thistle Marches Centre.
