The last leg of our Scotland trip saw us heading down to Stirling to visit Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. Of course, the drive was a lot of fun. We passed a tank range, and I just had to stop and take a picture of the tank crossing.

We also randomly stopped off and checked out a meadow. I love the way that the countryside is dotted with hand built, stone walls that are hundreds of years old. In one area in Scotland we drove over this incredibly hilly area and there were hand built stone fences all over which must have taken decades upon decades to build. Unfortunately, it was raining too hard to get a picture. This fence is just as cool …

A random building beside the road ….

We started the tourist day at the National Wallace Monument:

The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a tower standing on the summit of Abbey Craig, a hilltop near Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates William Wallace, the 13th century Scottish hero. ^[1]

The tower was constructed following a fundraising campaign which accompanied a resurgence of Scottish national identity in the 19th century. In addition to public subscription, it was partially funded by contributions from a number of foreign donors, including Italian national leader Giuseppe Garibaldi. Completed in 1869 to the designs of architect John Thomas Rochead, the monument is a 220 foot sandstone tower, built in the Victorian Gothic style. It stands on the Abbey Craig, a volcanic crag above Cambuskenneth Abbey, from which Wallace was said to have watched the gathering of the army of English king Edward I, just before the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

A performer did a bit on the Battle of Stirling Bridge and provided a very fierce, nationalistic Scottish point of view (go Braveheart!). We then climbed the monument, all 246 steps to the top. Like many places in Europe, climbing to the top of these towers involves squishing past people who are coming down, and the stairs are VERY steep (and small).

A view of the monument from Stirling Castle.

The countryside from the top.

We then hopped over to Stirling Castle (which we could see from the tower)

Stirling Castle itself was a lot of fun, we love castles where you get to climb on things and run around. The castle itself is quite large and if you look at the above picture (on the right), you see huge areas inside the walls where you can run, and there is nothing like a good run along a castle wall. A little brief:

Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The Castle sits atop the Castle Hill, a volcanic crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding the crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification from the earliest times. The Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and is managed by Historic Scotland.

The story of the War Wolf, the largest trebuchet every built is an interesting one.

Many UK castles have a regiment affiliated with them and a museum inside. I love going in these regimental museums, filled with their uniforms, field medals and mementos from wars past. Stirling Castle served as a barracks for the British army until 1964 and there is a museum to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders inside.

Eye witness accounts of what these men went through are everywhere and fascinating. Below is an eye witness event that reads as follows (Korea, 1950):

We captured the hill whilst advancing to the sound of Major Wilson’s Hunting Horn … I was on my back when the soldier stuck his bayonet into my upper chest, I instinctively raised my rifle and shot him and as he fell he withdrew his bayonet from my chest … At that point I passed out.

Amazing place Scotland. We loved it.