Stunning Stirling - Home of the Howling Wolf.

Community Highlights Europe Stunning Stirling - Home of the Howling Wolf.

Highland cattle. - Stirling

"Stunning Stirling."

I have been visiting Stirling now and then since I was a child and have visited frequently as an adult since some of my closest friends live there. On a typical visit we would meet up with our friends, eat out and chat about our lives. We would not usually do a great deal of touristy stuff, but this summer we stayed there for several days and visited or revisited many of the tourist sights, so I now feel prepared for doing a touristy page on it.

At the heart of Stirling stands its magnificent castle, proudly perched on Castle Hill. The old town of Stirling with its many interesting historical buildings surrounds this. The River Forth runs through the centre of Stirling. The historical symbol of Stirling is the wolf. This is due to a legend that when Stirling was under attack from Viking invaders long ago, a wolf howled, alerting the townspeople in time to save the town. Stirling was made a Royal burgh by King David I in 1130. Several very famous and important battles took place here during the Wars of Scottish Independence, such as: The Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 and The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Stirling is located in Central Scotland at the foot of the Ochil Hills. It is sometimes considered as the Gateway to the Highlands. Historically it was the site of the nearest crossing of the Forth to its river mouth. Stirling is home to Stirling University.

Below are some of Stirling's main sights:

Stirling Castle.

Stirling Castle sits at the top of Castle Hill and dominates the town of Stirling. I have visited the interior of the castle long ago but not recently. Stirling Castle is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs so it has a strong defensive position. The first record of Stirling Castle dates from about 1110, when King Alexander I dedicated a chapel here. His successor David I, went on to make Stirling a royal burgh. Most of the castle's important buildings, such as the palace and great hall, date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Several Scottish Kings and Queens have been crowned at Stirling, including Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1542. Her son, King James, was crowned in the nearby Church of the Holy Rude, and grew up within the castle walls. The castle has been controlled by the English and the Scots and has withstood at least eight sieges. The last being in 1746, when Bonnie Prince Charlie unsuccessfully tried to capture it. Stirling Castle was used as a prison during the seventeenth century. From 1800 until 1964, the Castle was owned by the War Office and run as a barracks and recruiting depot for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. As with any castle worth its salt, Stirling Castle is haunted. The Green Lady, the ghost of one of Mary Queen of Scots' servants wanders the castle grounds at night.

Stirling Castle perched on its hill. - Stirling

Stirling Castle. - Stirling

Robert the Bruce statue outside the castle. - Stirling

Stirling Castle. - Stirling

View towards Wallace Monument from castle. - Stirling

The Wallace Monument viewed from the castle. - Stirling

Valley Cemetery.

I know it sounds a bit morbid, but Valley Cemetery situated between the castle and the Church of the Holy Rude is one of my favourite places in Stirling. It is a beautiful historic cemetery filled with interesting gravestones and monuments to various historical figures. By the 1850s, the Holy Rude Kirkyard had become too overcrowded and a new burial ground was necessary. The Valley Cemetery was opened in 1857 to meet the burial needs of the growing town. It was set out like a garden with walkways and statues of Presbyterian heroes and heroines to add an improving, educational dimension. The cemetery even has a tomb shaped like a pyramid. This Star Pyramid was dedicated in 1863. Its inscriptions refer to key aspects of the development of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland. The pyramid was financed by William Drummond who also paid for the Presbyterian statues in the cemetery. He is interred next to the pyramid. The rugged rock to the south of the cemetery is The Ladies' Rock. This was a vantage point for the ladies of the court to watch Royal Tournaments. There are great views from here.

The Martyrs' Monument.

The Martyrs' Monument is located in the Valley Cemetery. I photographed it when we visited, but knew nothing about it. Now I have located its history. This monument was paid for by William Drummond, a rich and zealous Presbyterian. He was responsible for many monuments in the Valley Cemetery which commemorate the Presbyterian cause.

When Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 his government took actions against the more extreme Presbyterians. By 1680 these Presbyterians considered themselves so persecuted they made a Declaration at Sanquhar that accused Charles II of being the anti Christ. In Wigtown in 1685, two young sisters, Margaret and Agnes Wilson and their friend Margaret McLaughlin were suspected of being Presbyterian extremists and were ordered to take an oath of allegiance to Charles II in front of the local Procurator. They refused and were sentenced to death by drowning. Agnes, who was aged only 15, had her sentence commuted but the two Margarets were tied to stakes in the Solway Firth and drowned by the incoming tide.

Star Pyramid, Valley Cemetery. - Stirling

Presbyterian statues - Stirling

Valley Cemetery. - Stirling

View from Ladies' Rock. - Stirling

The Martyrs'Monument. - Stirling

Looking towards Ladies' Rock. - Stirling

The Church of the Holy Rude.

Stirling Castle is the oldest bulding in Stirling and The Church of the Holy Rude is the second oldest. It was founded in 1129 during the reign of David I and was initially known as the parish church of Stirling. It later changed its name when Robert II founded an altar to the Holy Rude here. Holy Rude means Holy Cross. The church was largely destroyed by a terrible fire in March 1405 and a new church was built on the site. This was completed around 1414. In 1567 the infant King James VI was crowned here.

The Church of the Holy Rude. - Stirling

Cowane's Hospital.

Cowane's Hospital is opposite the Church of the Holy Rude. It is a seventeenth century almshouse created to care for the elderly. It was established in 1637 with a bequest of 40,000 merks from the estate of the merchant John Cowane. Cowane was descended from a family of Stirling merchants who exported fish, coal and wool to the Dutch. A statue of Cowane on the front of the building known as Auld Staneybreeks, which means old stone trousers, is supposed to come alive at the bells on Hogmany and dance in front of the hospital building. Around 1720 the hospital was converted into a Guildhall. Then in 1832 it became an isolation hospital during a cholera epidemic. About a third of Stirling's population died during this awful time. The hospital building is now used as an arts venue.

Cowane's Hospital. - Stirling

Mar's Wark.

Mar's Wark, also known as Mar's Lodging, is a ruined building at the top of St John's Street. It backs onto the Valley Cemetery. It was built between 1570 and 1572 by John Erskine, Regent of Scotland and Earl of Mar as a residence for his family. Legend claims that Erskine stole stones from Cambuskenneth Abbey to build his house and was thus cursed by its bishop. Part of the curse states: ' thy Wark shall be the emblem of thy house, and shall teach mankind that he who cruelly and haughtily raiseth himself upon the ruins of the Holy cannot prosper. Thy Wark shall be cursed and shall never be finished...'

Mar's Wark viewed from the cemetery. - Stirling

Mar's Wark. - Stirling

Old Town Jail.

This is located on St John's Street. I have not gone in to do the tour, just viewed it from the outside. The Old Town Jail was built in 1847 when the old Tolbooth Jail became too overcrowded. Conditions inside the jail were extremely harsh. The building was used as a military prison until 1935.

Stirling Jail. - Stirling

Rob Roy Statue.

Walking down from the old town, we passed several statues, one of them was a statue of Rob Roy MacGregor. My mother had MacGregor blood and always claimed to be descended from him. Who knows???

Robert Roy MacGregor was a very famous Scottish outlaw, who later became a folk hero, a sort of Scottish Robin Hood. Rob Roy was born around 1671 at Glengyle on Loch Katrine. He married Mary Helen MacGregor of Comar and they had four sons: James, Ranald, Coll and Robert. At the age of eighteen Rob Roy and his father joined the Jacobite rising led by Viscount Dundee, also known as Bonnie Dundee. When the rising failed, Rob Roy's father was imprisoned and the family fell apart. In July 1717 all those who took part in the Jacobite Rising were pardoned, except the Clan Gregor. Rob Roy became a cattleman and borrowed a large sum to increase his herd. He was cheated out of this money by his chief herder and defaulted on his loan. This led to him being branded an outlaw. His family were evicted from their home. James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose seized Rob Roy's lands, and Rob Roy waged a private blood feud against the him until 1722 when he was imprisoned. He was later pardoned and died in his house at Inverlochlarig Beg, Balquhidder, on the 28th of December 1734. The publication of a novel about his life by Sir Walter Scott in 1817 brought him posthumous fame.

Rob Roy Statue. - Stirling

Robert Burns Statue.

Robert Burns is Scotland's most celebrated poet and there are statues of him in many parts of Scotland and in fact many parts of the world. There is one of him near the Rob Roy statue in Stirling. Burns wrote some unfavourable lines about Stirling when he visited and found several of its historical buildings run down.

'Here Stuarts once in glory reign'd,
And laws for Scotland's weal ordain'd;
But now unroof'd their palace stands,
Their sceptre's sway'd by other hands;
The injured Stuart line is gone,
A race outlandish fills their throne;
An idiot race, to honour lost;
Who know them best despise them most.'

He also wrote Scots Wha Hae in which he imagines Robert the Bruce's address to his soldiers just before the Battle of Bannockburn.

'Scots, wha hae wi Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome tae yer gory bed,
Or tae victorie.

'Now's the day, an now's the hour:
See the front o battle lour,
See approach proud Edward's power
Chains and Slaverie.

'Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha will fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn an flee.

'Wha, for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Freeman stand, or Freeman fa,
Let him on wi me.

'By Oppression's woes and pains,
By your sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free.

'Lay the proud usurpers low,
Tyrants fall in every foe,
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us do or dee.'

Robert Burns statue. - Stirling

Burns poetry on the path. - Stirling

The Smith Museum and Art Gallery.

We took the hop on hop off bus from the Wallace Monument to Bannockburn. On the way we passed the Smith Museum and Art Gallery which is one of the stops on route. It was not that I was interested in the museum itself. I just noticed it was very close to a great viewing point for the castle, so I walked back to it later that day. I didn't go into the Smith Museum and Art Gallery but noted that it was housed in an attractive building with exhibits in its gardens. The Smith Art Gallery and Museum was originally called the Smith Institute. It was founded as a gallery of contemporary art, museum and library. Today, it has a permenant exhibition on The Stirling Story and temporary exhibitions of art.

King's Park and King's Knot.

I wanted to go to King's Park because it was a good viewing point from which to photograph Stirling Castle. In addition to this there were highland cattle here and I wanted to photograph them, too. In the middle of King's Park stands the King's Knot, a former ornamental garden laid out in 1630. Historically King's Park was used as the hunting ground for the Royal Court at Stirling.

The King's Knot. - Stirling

The castle from King's Park. - Stirling

Stirling Old Bridge.

Stirling is famous for the Battle of Stirling Bridge in which the heavily outnumbered Scottish forces led by William Wallace defeated the English army sent by Edward I. The bridge in the battle was wooden and no longer exists, it was a little upriver from the site of this lovely old stone bridge. The current stone bridge was built in the sixteenth century and even if it is not the real bridge from the battle, it is still lovely.

Stirling Old Bridge - Stirling

The Bridge Clock.

Near Stirling's bridges stands an old clock tower. This was gifted to the people of Stirling in 1910 by David Bayne, who was then provost of Stirling. The clock originally stood at the corner of Wallace Street and Union Street but was moved to its present location due to road development.

The Bridge Clock Tower. - Stirling

The Toll Booth and Mercat Cross.

The Tolbooth and the Mercat Cross are located on Broad Street on the way up to the castle. The area around the Mercat Cross was the site of the town's marketplace. The unicorn figure on top of the cross is known as the puggy. The first Tolbooth was built around 1550. It was the court house, council meeting place, armoury and prison. The present Tollbooth was built around 1703 by Sir William Bruce to replace the old one which had fallen in to disrepair. This area was quiet this visit, but I remember visiting when it was the site of the mediaeval market long ago. I am not sure if this still takes place.

The tollbooth tower. - Stirling

The Tollbooth and Mercat Cross. - Stirling

The marketplace. - Stirling

Stirling

Argyll's Lodging.

I have never been in here, but have passed it frequently. Argyll's Lodging is a seventeenth century town house situated below Stirling Castle. It was once a residence of the Earl of Stirling and later the Earls of Argyll. It is assumed that the original house was built by the wealthy merchant John Traill who sold it to Adam Erskine, the Commendator of Cambuskenneth Abbey. In 1629, Sir William Alexander, bought the house from the Erskines. He is chiefly remembered for his settlement of the colony of Nova Scotia. In 1630 he became 1st Earl of Stirling and Viscount Canada. In the 1660's the house was sold to Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll. In 1746, during the Jacobite rebellion, the Duke of Cumberland resided in the house. Around 1800 the Army bought the house for use as a military hospital.

Argyll Lodgings - Stirling

The Atheneum

The Atheneum is a very distinctive looking building that you will pass on the walk up to the castle. It has a clock tower and a statue of Scottish patriot, William Wallace. The Athenaeum, was designed by the architect William Stirling of Dunblane, in 1817. It was originally a library and meeting house.

The Atheneum. - Stirling

Cambuskenneth Abbey.

The first day we stayed with our friends in Stirling we took a walk to Cambuskenneth Abbey. This was my second visit. I first visited many years ago as a teenager. Cambuskenneth Abbey is situated in the village of Cambuskenneth about a mile from the centre of Stirling. This abbey was founded around 1140 by King David I. It was the scene of Robert the Bruce’s parliaments in 1314 and 1326. It is the final resting place of King James III of Scotland and his wife, Queen Margaret of Norway, also known as Queen Margaret of Denmark. They were buried here in the 1480s. King James III was an unpopular king and is believed to have been murdered. Today the abbey's bell tower, parts of its walls and its graveyard still remain.

Cambuskenneth Abbey. - Stirling

The grounds of Cambuskenneth Abbey. - Stirling

The grave of James III. - Stirling

The Wallace Monument.

The Wallace Monument stands on top of Abbey Craig in the Causewayhead area of Stirling. This monument commemorates the life of Scottish hero and patriot Sir William Wallace. William Wallace was born around 1270, either at Elderslie near Paisley or Ellerslie in Ayrshire. Wallace rose up against the oppression of his countrymen by the English during the reign of Edward I, also known as the Hammer of the Scots. Edward I sent John de Warenne, the Earl of Surrey, to quell Wallace's rebellion in September 1297. Warenne had a huge army and expected an easy victory. Wallace encamped with his army at Abbey Craig. He attacked the English at their most vulnerable point when they were crossing Stirling Bridge which was only wide enough for two horsemen to pass side by side. Wallace waited until more than half the English had made the crossing then attacked the divided army. More than 100 men at arms and 5,000 Welsh infantry were caught and slaughtered by the Scottish forces. Sadly William Wallace was later betrayed and captured. He was taken to London, where he was tried. He was found guilty, hanged, disemboweled, beheaded, and quartered on 23rd August 1305. The Monument tells the story of Wallace's eventful life. I have been in it earlier, but this time just climbed up to it and enjoyed its views. There is a free shuttle from the Wallace Monument shop and ticket office up to the monument itself. The Wallace Monument is a stop on Stirling's hop on hop off bus.

William Wallace. - Stirling

View from the monument. - Stirling

The Wallace Monument - Stirling

View on the climb up from Causewayhead. - Stirling

Stirling

Branwell Monument.

Near the roundabout at Causewayhead stands a little known monument. It consists of a silver sculpture with a 3 ft wingspan on top of a stone cairn. It commemorates the first flight to be made in Scotland. The flight was made by Harold Barnwell, an aviation pioneer. He was born in Lewisham in south east London, but brought up at Elcho House in Balfron, Stirlingshire. He had a younger brother, Frank. Together Frank and Harold Barnwell built a glider in 1905. They went on to build three powered aircraft. The second of these, a canard biplane was successfully flown from a field in Causewayhead under the Wallace Monument on the 28th of July 1909. Piloted by Harold, it only flew 75 m before it crashed, but it was still Scotland's first flight. The Branwell brothers opened the Grampian Engineering and Motor Company in 1906 at Causewayhead in Stirling

The Branwell monument. - Stirling

The Legend of the Howling Wolf.

When I was looking at the statue of Rob Roy in Stirling, I noticed a statue of a sword and what I thought was a howling dog behind it. I could find out nothing about it. Starting to do this page, I've realised the statue is of a howling wolf, not a dog and is there because of an old legend. Over a thousand years ago, Viking warriors decided to attack the small community of Cumbrian Celts who had settled near the River Forth on the site of present day Stirling. In the middle of the night, the Norsemen crept up on the sleeping Celts, but one accidentally trod on the paw of a sleeping wolf cub. The cub howled in pain and the whole wolf pack joined in. The noise woke the Celts who grabbed their swords to fight the wolves, then discovered that the wolves had alerted them to the Viking invaders. They added a wolf to their flags and banners and the wolf has been Stirling’s Protector ever since.

The howling wolf. - Stirling

Stirling Whisky Shop.

Stirling Whisky Shop is located within the Stirling Highland Hotel on Spittal Street. If you are a fan of whisky, you may want to check it out. It advertises daily in store whisky tastings. If, like me you are not a fan of whisky don't worry, it also sells gins, vodka, liquors, cognac and beers. Open Daily: Mon -Sat 10am - 6pm; Sun 11am - 4pm. Address: 29 Spittal Street, Stirling

Stirling Whisky Shop. - Stirling

Pubs and Food.

The Golden Lion Hotel: The Golden Lion Hotel.

The Golden Lion Hotel is located on King's Street in the centre of Stirling. It's a historic hotel and one of our favourite places in Stirling to grab a drink. The food looks nice here, too, though I have never actually eaten here. The Golden Lion was built around 1786, as a coaching inn. One of its most notable guests was Robert Burns who inscribed a poem on one of its panes of glass.

The Golden Lion Hotel. - Stirling

William Wallace Pub.

The William Wallace pub is located near the roundabout in Causewayhead. It is very close to our friends' house, so we made it our local when we stayed with them for a few days in the summer. It's a friendly pub with a good selection of drinks. Happy to return there on our next visit.

The William Wallace Pub. - Stirling

Number 2 Baker Street.

We love this pub because on an earlier attempt to wander Stirling and take photos for a V.T. page, we made it as far as this pub in the torrential rain and spent our time drinking and using their free wifi rather than wandering around getting soaked. This is a friendly pub with good beer. It also serves a wide range of pub food. Menu looks interesting, but we have not eaten here yet.

Corrieries.

Our friends live near an Italian restaurant called Corrieries in Causewayhead. They do pizzas, pastas, British food like fish and chips and they make their own ice-cream.

A night out in Corrieri's. - Stirling

Transport in Stirling.

The hop on hop off bus.

We spent a few days living in Causewayhead this summer and decided to make use of the hop on hop off bus on one of these days as we were near the Wallace monument and it stops there. A day ticket cost four pounds fifty and we bought it from the driver. A child's ticket is two pounds fifty. As well as going to the Wallace Monument the bus goes to Bannockburn, Stirling Castle, the Smith Art Gallery and Museum, the thistle shopping centre and Stirling Station. The bus number is 1314 date of the Battle of Bannockburn. The great thing about this service is that your ticket for it is valid on any first bus service, so we used it to return to Causewayhead on a local bus after the hop on hop off bus had finished for the day.

Stirling Train Station.

Stirling can be reached easily by train from either Glasgow or Edinburgh. Fastest journey times from Glasgow are around half an hour. Fastest journey times from Edinburgh are around fifty minutes. The train station is near the bus station, the Thistles Shopping Centre and not far from the old town.

Stirling train station. - Stirling

There are also many interesting places to visit nearby Stirling.

The University of Stirling.

Our friends live near the University of Stirling and we sometimes go there to play putting or swim in their swimming pool which is open to the general public. The University of Stirling is situated on the grounds of the lovely Airthrey Estate. Airthrey Casle is now one of the university buildings.

The University of Stirling

The University of Stirling.

Bridge of Allan.

Bridge of Allan is very close to Stirling. It lies at the foot of the Ochil Hills on the Allan Water, a tributary to the River Forth. The campus of Stirling University is located on Airthrey Estate near here. Authors Robert Louis Stevenson and Charles Dickens were regular visitors here in the past. Our main reason to visit is the wonderful Allanwater Brewhouse which brews a fine beer.

The Allan Water - Stirling

Is it an egret or a cormorant? - Stirling

The Allan Water - Stirling

The Bridge of Allan brewery - Stirling

I know that barman!!! - Stirling

Dumyat.

Stirling nestles at the foot of the Ochil Hills. The tallest of these is Dumyat and a walk up to its summit can be very enjoyable on a dry day. Dumyat's name means Dun hill fort, as the fort of the Maeatae was once located here. Dumyat is 418 metres high. It has two summits: Castle Law with the fort remains on the west, and Dumyat proper on the east. There are good views from the top.

Dumyat

Callander.

Callander is a pretty little town in Central Scotland. Our friends took us here by car, but you can also come by bus. Callander has a church, a war memorial, lots of teahouses and craft shops. We stopped off here for lunch then went for a stroll along the beautiful banks of the River Teith. Callander is where the TV series Doctor Findlay's Casebook was filmed.

Church in the centre of Callander - Callander.

The River Teith. - Callander.

On the River Teith. - Callander.

The minions are here. - Callander.

The Bracklinn Falls.

The Bracklinn Falls are not in Stirling itself. They are near the town of Callander. Our friends took us here by car. If you don't have a car, you can get to Callander by bus and the falls are about a 1km walk from there. The Bracklinn Falls are pretty waterfalls on the River Keltie. They were visited and admired by Queen Victoria. They are best viewed from the bridge that crosses the River Keltie.

The Bracklinn Falls.

The River Keltie.

A visit with friends.

The bridge by the falls.

The River Keltie.

A pleasant spot for lunch.

Bannockburn.

We took the hop on hop off bus to Bannockburn. We have been before and paid to go into the Bannockburn Experience which is worth doing. This visit we just visited the gift shop, looked at paintings of the battle and tried on medieval clothes in the dressing up room. We also walked out to the battlefield site which has an equestrian statue of King Robert the Bruce. The Battle of Bannockburn was fought on the 24th of June 1314. In this battle Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, defeated the English forces of King Edward II, despite being outnumbered two to one. Robert the Bruce used several cunning battle strategies. He ordered hundreds of holes to be dug at a crucial point where the English army was advancing. These small holes were capable of snapping horse's legs. They were so dangerous, the cavalry had to stick to a narrow Roman road which left them defensively vulnerable to an attack. Robert the Bruce also ordered his troops to make a schiltron a body of troops wielding long pikes on three levels. This was virtually impregnable to a heavy horse charge. Although he defeated the English at Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce had to wait another 14 years for the king's son, Edward III, to recognise him as the rightful king of an independent Scotland. Bruce died just one year later, in 1329. The Bannockburn Experience: adult £11.50, Child/concession £8.50 . Opening times: Site: all year, daily until dusk.

The dress up room. - Stirling