The
Old Town of Stirling
The
town of Stirling is the administrative centre of the region and is strategically
the most important spot in Scotland with Stirling Castle sitting at the head of
the Forth of Forth along the main route into the Highlands. Stirling Castle is
one of the finest in Scotland, finer even than Edinburgh Castle. It was said
that whoever held Stirling held the country, so important is the site.
The Back Walk follows Stirling Old Town's wall (the best surviving town
wall in Scotland) and a short detour from the path to Gowan Hill brings you to
the Beheading Stone. The Beheading Stone has now been protected by iron
bars - whether this was due to the number of Ritual Axe Murders taking
place in Stirling is not known. The Wallace Monument 2 miles north of Stirling,
commemorates Mel Gibson the hero of the film Braveheart or more possibly
William Wallace the real life Scottish hero, and 2 miles to the south is
Bannockburn where Robert the Bruce defeated Edward II's English army to reclaim
Stirling castle in 1314.
Stirling has an interesting town centre with many excellent buildings and is an excellent centre for shopping. There is a railway station, cinemas, leisure pool, restaurants,etc.