Stirling

Mary Queen of Scots was crowned at Stirling Castle in 1543. She was nine months old. The ceremony happened because the country needed a coronation to establish legitimate succession, and nobody let the age of the monarch interfere with that. The chapel where this occurred is in the castle, still standing.

Stirling Castle

The castle sits on a volcanic crag where the River Forth historically forced a crossing, which is why so many decisive engagements were fought nearby and why whoever held the castle effectively held Scotland. Historic Scotland manages the site; entry around GBP 18.50.

The Great Hall (completed 1503 for James IV) is one of the finest Scottish medieval structures still standing. The Royal Palace was built in the 1540s by James V in a Renaissance style borrowed from France rather than Scotland, which was considered ambitious at the time and still looks distinctive. The Stirling Heads, a series of oak roundel portraits that once lined the ceiling of the Royal Palace, are displayed in a dedicated exhibition inside.

The battlements have views over the Forth valley toward the Wallace Monument that justify the admission independently of everything inside.

The National Wallace Monument

The tower on Abbey Craig hill, 2 kilometres northeast of the castle, was completed in 1869 and contains Scottish historical material including the two-handed Wallace Sword (authenticity disputed by most historians, impressive regardless). 246 steps to the viewing gallery, steep. The view back toward the castle and over the Forth valley is the best elevated perspective in the area. Entry around GBP 12.

The Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre

The National Trust for Scotland opened this centre in 2014 with an interactive exhibition on the 1314 battle. The battlefield itself is undramatic as a physical space; the 3D audiovisual recreation of the engagement is the useful element. Entry around GBP 12. Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce secured Scottish independence from Edward II, is within easy walking distance of the town centre.

Eating and Getting There

The Church of the Holy Rude on Castle Wynd is the only church in Britain other than Westminster Abbey where a reigning monarch has been crowned (James VI, 1567). Small and frequently overlooked.

Settle Inn on St Mary’s Wynd is the oldest pub in Stirling (1733), atmospheric and not tourist-oriented. Direct trains from Edinburgh take about 50 minutes (GBP 12 to 18); from Glasgow Queen Street about 40 minutes.