Stirling, the key to Scotland

Stirling is the city that holds the heart of Scottish history. It lies in the middle of Scotland, where the southern lowlands meet the first mountains of the Highlands, on an ancient crossing of the River Forth, and is crowned by one of the finest and most important castles in the country. For centuries whoever held Stirling held the passage between north and south, so much so that the town was called "the key to Scotland". The battles of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn were fought here, Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI were crowned here, and here stands the monument to William Wallace. With just under 40,000 inhabitants, it was granted city status in 2002 and is a lively university city.

Stirling is less than an hour from both Edinburgh and Glasgow, with frequent trains. The nearest airports are Edinburgh and Glasgow, both about 45 minutes by car.

The key to Scotland

The volcanic crag on which the castle stands was fortified in very early times, and in the 12th century David I made Stirling a royal burgh. During the Wars of Independence against England the town was at the centre of the fighting. On 11 September 1297 William Wallace and Andrew Moray defeated a much larger English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, attacking it as it crossed the narrow wooden bridge over the Forth. In 1304 King Edward I of England besieged the castle with huge siege engines, and ten years later, in June 1314, Robert the Bruce won the Battle of Bannockburn, at the gates of the town, the most famous Scottish victory of all.

In the following centuries the castle became one of the favourite residences of the Stewarts. James IV built the Great Hall, James V one of the most refined Renaissance palaces in Europe, and the royal princes grew up here. In 1543 the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, only nine months old, was crowned in the castle chapel, and in 1567 her son James VI, still a baby, was crowned in the Church of the Holy Rude. When James also became king of England in 1603 and the court moved to London, Stirling lost its royal role, and the castle was turned into a barracks, which it remained until 1964.

Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle is the main reason to visit the city and deserves at least half a day. You enter through the outer defences and reach the heart of the complex, the Inner Close, surrounded by the royal buildings.

The Great Hall

The Great Hall, completed by James IV at the beginning of the 16th century, was the largest banqueting hall ever built in Scotland. After centuries as a barracks it was restored and, as originally, covered again in golden ochre limewash, which makes it visible for miles around. Inside, the oak hammerbeam roof, shaped like an upturned ship's hull, was rebuilt using traditional techniques.

The Royal Palace

James V's Royal Palace, built around 1540, is one of the earliest Renaissance buildings in Britain, its façade decorated with statues of gods, soldiers and the king himself. The king's and queen's apartments have been returned to their 16th-century appearance, with bright colours, furniture, costumed interpreters and copies of the Stirling Heads, large carved oak medallions with portraits of kings, queens and classical figures that decorated the ceiling. The surviving originals are displayed in a gallery upstairs. In the queen's chamber hang seven Unicorn Tapestries, hand-woven in recent years on the model of a famous medieval series.

The Chapel Royal and the kitchens

The Chapel Royal was rebuilt in a few months in 1594 by James VI for the baptism of his son Henry. In the Great Kitchens the 16th-century kitchens are recreated with life-size figures, bread, game and pies, to show the work needed to feed the court. From the ramparts the view sweeps over the Forth, the battlefields, the Wallace Monument and the mountains of the Highlands.

What to see in Stirling

The old town

Below the castle lies the old town, with its cobbled streets and stone houses. On the way down you pass Argyll's Lodging, the finest 17th-century townhouse in Scotland, and the ruined façade of Mar's Wark, a Renaissance mansion that was never completed. The 15th-century Church of the Holy Rude has a splendid oak timber roof and, apart from Westminster Abbey, is one of very few churches still in use in the UK to have hosted a coronation. Next to it, the old cemetery offers a magnificent view. The Old Town Jail, a Victorian prison, can be visited with costumed guides who tell of the prisoners' lives.

The Wallace Monument

On the hill of Abbey Craig, north-east of the city, rises the National Wallace Monument, a 67-metre Gothic Revival tower inaugurated in 1869. Climbing the 246 steps of a narrow spiral staircase, you pass through halls devoted to Wallace's life and to Scottish heroes, and see the great two-handed sword attributed to Wallace. At the top, the terrace offers the widest panorama in the area, from the castle and the Forth to the Highlands.

The bridge and Bannockburn

Stirling Old Bridge, a stone bridge from the 15th century, stands just upstream of the site of the 1297 battle, which was fought on a wooden bridge that has since disappeared. For centuries it was the only crossing of the Forth along this stretch. South of the city, the Bannockburn visitor centre, run by the National Trust for Scotland, tells the story of the 1314 battle with immersive projections and a great equestrian statue of Robert the Bruce.

The Smith Museum

The Smith Art Gallery and Museum tells the story of the city and holds a unique curiosity: the oldest football in the world, made of leather and a pig's bladder, dating from the 16th century and found behind the panelling of a room in the castle.

A day in Stirling

A possible itinerary: arrive at the castle when it opens, to see the Great Hall, the Royal Palace and the kitchens before the crowds. At midday walk down through the old town, stopping at the Church of the Holy Rude, the cemetery and Argyll's Lodging, and have lunch in one of the cafés nearby. Spend the afternoon at the Wallace Monument, reached by bus or car, with the climb up the tower. If there is still time, stop at the old bridge or pop over to Bannockburn before dinner.

Nearby

Stirling is an excellent base for central Scotland. A few kilometres away stands Doune Castle, a medieval fortress much loved by film and television. To the west begin the Trossachs, the national park of lochs and hills made famous by Walter Scott with the poem The Lady of the Lake, which ends at the court of Stirling, and Loch Lomond. To the south-east, near Falkirk, you can visit The Kelpies, the giant steel horse heads, and the Falkirk Wheel, the only rotating boat lift in the world.

Food and drink

The old town and the centre offer historic pubs, cafés and restaurants serving Scottish produce: Highland lamb and beef, salmon, haggis with neeps and tatties, and desserts such as shortbread and cranachan, with raspberries, oats and cream. The area also has plenty of craft breweries, and Deanston distillery, near Doune, is housed in an old cotton mill on the River Teith. For other specialities see the page on British food.

Living in Stirling

Stirling is a compact, green city, with an excellent position between Glasgow and Edinburgh that makes it convenient for commuters. The University of Stirling, founded in 1967, has one of the most beautiful campuses in the UK, around a loch and Airthrey Castle, and is known for sport. The economy is based on education, services, public administration and tourism, and the quality of life is high, with the hills minutes away.

Famous people

Stirling is linked above all to William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, heroes of the Wars of Independence remembered by the city's two great monuments. The castle was the childhood home of Mary, Queen of Scots and of James VI, who received a rigorous education here from the great humanist George Buchanan. For more see the page on the history of Scotland.

Getting there

• By train: about 50 minutes from Edinburgh and 30 to 45 minutes from Glasgow, with frequent departures; the station is on the line to Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.
• By air: Edinburgh and Glasgow airports are about 45 minutes by car.
• By car: the city is linked to the M9 towards Edinburgh and the M80 towards Glasgow.

For getting around the rest of the country see trains and transport, for the region the page on Scotland and for other cities British cities.

Tips for your visit

• How long: a full day for the castle, the old town and the Wallace Monument; two days to add Bannockburn, Doune or the Trossachs.
• When to go: all year round; in summer the castle hosts re-enactments and shows, in winter there are fewer crowds.
• A tip: from the Holy Rude cemetery at sunset you can see the castle lit up with the mountains behind: it is the best view of the city, and it is free.

Stirling on the map

Nearby