Between the Ochil Hills and the Campsie Fells, the city of Stirling grew up around its castle, historically one of the Scotland’s most important fortresses. Below the castle the Old Town is still protected by the original walls, built in the 16^th century to keep Mary, Queen of Scots safe from Henry VIII. The medieval church of the Holy Rude, on Castle Wynd, where the infant James VI was crowned in 1567, has one of Scotland’s few surviving hammerbeam oak roofs.

Overlooking the plains where some of Scotland’s most decisive battles took place, Stirling Castle was one of the nation’s greatest strongholds. Legend says that King Arthur wrested the original castle from the Saxons; however, the first written evidence of a castle is from 1100. The present building dates from the 15^th and 16^thcenturies.

Standing at the highest navigable point of the Forth and holding the pass to the Highlands, Stirling occupied a key position in Scotland’s many struggles for independence. Seven battlefields can be seen from Stirling Castle. From 1881 to 1964 it was used as a depot for recruits into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Today you can explore the palace vaults, try your hand at some medieval crafts and rub shoulders with costumed characters as they bring the castle’s fascinating history to life.

Stirling Castle’s Highlights:

• The sumptuous interiors of the Royal Palace apartments have been restored to their original mid-16^th-century appearance.
• The King’s Old Building houses the Regimental Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
• Seventeenth-century frescoes by Valentine Jenkins adorn the Chapel Royal, which was built in 1594.
• The Great Hall, built in 1500, has a roof similar to that of Edinburgh Castle.