Stirling is located on the doorstep of the Scottish Highlands to the East of The Trossachs, with its castle strategically placed to protect the Highlands beyond. The Old Town is very charming and even allows the oppurtunity to visit the old jail. It is advisable to allow at least an hour to visit the castle located at the top of the Old Town. From its walls we could see the battlefield, where, in 1314 Robert the Bruce defeated the English, ( the Battle of Bannockburn ).

Near Stirling there is the Wallace monument, built in 1863, dedicated to the national hero William Wallace. From the top of the tower we looked over the surrounding barren lands and the grounds where a bloody battle was fought in 1297. The old wooden bridge, where Wallace stopped the English while the Scottish army destroyed the vanguard, was replaced by the Old Stirling Bridge (XV Century) visible to this day.