A Short Stop in Stirling, Scotland

After leaving St. Andrews and on our way to Edinburgh, we diverted to the west, destination: Stirling.

Braveheart lovers may have heard of Stirling through its relevance in the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Battle at Bannockburn, just outside, during the war for Scottish independence. William Wallace, portrayed in Braveheart by Mel Gibson, beat the British troops at Stirling Bridge by drawing them across the narrow bridge with their horses and heavy armor, into the boggy marshes and then attacked from above while they were stuck in the mud and before the full company had made it across. Later, at Bannockburn, after Wallace had been betrayed and defeated at nearby Falkirk, William the Bruce beat the Brits, securing the path for Scottish independence.

We began our visit, much more peacefully, at Stirling Castle. A fortress has been on the high point of craggy rock on which Stirling Castle now stands since pre-historic times. The first “castle” mention was in the 12th century. From its commanding point above the River Forth it was once said that whoever held Stirling, held the key to Scotland, as whoever controlled the castle could control the river crossing between the highlands and the south. Edward I of England took Stirling in 1304 but lost it after the battle of Stirling Bridge. After Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce had most of the castle destroyed so that it would not be useful in the future. As such, most of the current buildings are more modern, dating from the 15th century or later.

Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned Queen of Scotland as an infant here, while she wailed through the ceremony. Her son, King James VI (also James I of England) was baptized here and rebuilt many of the current buildings, which you can tour. We got a 50% discount due to our English Heritage memberships, and joined an excellent free guided tour then doubled back to visit the kitchens and palace. In the palace, there are recreations of the “history of the unicorn” tapestries, the originals of which, once hung in the palace. There’s an exhibit that describes the recreation project, the tapestries and the symbolism within them which is quite good.

From the castle, we set off for the William Wallace monument outside of town which you can walk (or bus) up to from the free parking lot, for a fee (£11) you can climb the tower (for once, I didn’t). We listened to a sword-wielding actor tell the stories of William Wallace and the battles of Stirling Bridge and Falkirk and how the monument came to be some 500 years after Wallace’s death. He was quite good, and I felt a little bad that I didn’t contribute my climbing fee to the portion which pays his salary, but off to Edinburgh we were to take in the August festivals in the Scottish capitol.