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Stirling is one of the nicest places to visit in Scotland.
It is the sight of the brilliant victory over the English
at Stirling Bridge in the 13th century, Stirling
Castle which is the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots
and also the Wallace
Monument, a tribute to the national hero of Scotland,
William Wallace. Stirling is a beautiful place, small yet
modern and with a sizeable student population.
Size wise Stirling is really just a fairly big town rather
than a city but it was granted city status in 2002 as part
of the Queens Golden Jubilee celebrations. This was mainly
because of the towns importance in history as well as to the
present day tourism industry.
The City stands in a strategically important position, at
the lowest ancient crossing point of the River Forth. There
is evidence of a fortress at Stirling as far back as prehistoric
times, guarding the passage between the lowlands and highlands.
Whoever controlled the fortress effectively controlled Scotland.
Because of this, much of Scotland's history has been played
out in Stirling. During the 1200s and 1300s control was wrested
from the English, then lost: before being regained at the
Battle of Bannockburn
in 1314. It was at Stirling
Castle, between the 1400s and 1600s that the Stuarts chose
to make their home and where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned
in 1543. In the 1700s Stirling once more became strategically
important during the Jacobite rebellions.
Most people start with a visit to the historic castle, where
you can learn much of Scotland's history. The visitor centre
on the castle esplanade is a good place to start , where a
film is shown, giving a brief history of the castle. The architectural
splendour of the castle is unique, and can be seen in the
Upper Square, Great Hall, the Palace and Chapel Royal. The
castle is home to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and
houses a museum of their memorabilia.
The old town, which runs down from the castle is a fascinating
place to visit, with its ancient streets, narrow wynds and
wealth of historic buildings. Among those you should see are
Argyll's
Lodging, the Church
of the Holy Rude, Mar's Wark, John Cowane's Hospital,
the Old Town Jail and Darnley's House. Take time to explore
and you will find many more interesting and historic. Further
down the hill, in the more modern lower town is the lively
shopping area, the art gallery and a choice of restaurants
and pubs.
Close to the town visitors can see the Wallace
Monument, a magnificent memorial to one of Scotland's
heroes. The Battlefield of Bannockburn is within easy reach
of the town also the remains of Cambuskenneth
Abbey.
Stirling Train Station is set right in the middle of town,
where all of the town's major sights are only a few minutes
walk away. Sign posts on most streets will tell you how to
get to each sight. As Edinburgh
is close by, less than 30 miles south, there are frequent
and very inexpensive trains that arrive and depart for the
city. There are also express trains to Glasgow, which is further
away. Stirling is also one of the gateways to the Highlands,
where there are frequent trains to Aberdeen,
Inverness, Dundee
and Perth.
Tourist Information:
41 Dumbarton Road
Stirling
Tel:+44 (0) 1786 475 019
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