We have been charmed by Stirling, in particular the cohesion and integrity of its old town. Not just the castle which is what everyone heads for, but the nooks and crannies, the town walls, the stone and slate buildings, the up and down-ness, the glimpses of distant hills, the sense of national pride reflected in signs, monuments and conversations with locals.
Here are some relatively random shots of our doings in the town…
According to legend, in the 9th century a howling wolf saved Stirling by alerting the townspeople to a midnight Viking raid. Ever since the wolf has been incorporated into the city’s coat of arms and displayed across the city. I liked this rather neglected wooden sculpture at the base of the city wall.One side of the castle – it drops away precipitously on the left-hand sideLooking down from the city wallsStained glass detail in the Cathedral of the Holy Rude
The Tollbooth (music and arts complex), centre-right, where we went to hear……Uilleann piper Calum Stewart with Ronan Pellen on cittern and Yann Le Bozec on double bass, touring their new album ‘Tales from the North’‘decayed tradesmen’Stirling Bridge. Andrew Mornay and William Wallace defeated the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge on the River Forth, 1297. The wooden bridge was replaced by this stone bridge in the 1400s – the oldest medieval bridge still standing in Scotland
Where we had a welcome lunch after a two-hour walk
JaneRussell journeys 