Stirling Castle

We have finally made it around Scotland to our final stop, Stirling Castle. This last of the many castles we visited gets its own post because of how central it was to Scottish history due to its strategic position between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and where the Highlands meet the Lowlands.

Basically, every famous Scottish ruler passed through here, and from the castle, you can see the sites of three major battles: the Battle of Stirling Bridge (1297) where William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson in Braveheart, although the "history" in the movie is completely wrong) surprisingly defeated the British army; the Battle of Falkirk (1298) where England got its revenge defeating Wallace, and the Battle of Bannockburn (1314) where Robert the Bruce (statue in the photo on the bottom left) finally kicked the English out of Scotland (at least for a few centuries). As you can see, the castle had a high defensive vantage point that offers spectacular views.

In addition, unlike so many of the other castles we visited, Stirling is in very good shape, and it is very large due mostly to the fact that it was the primary residence of the Stuart monarchs during the 16th century.

Two of the more impressive places you can visit in the castle are the Great Hall, which is the largest banquet space ever built in Scotland, and would host giant parties attended by monarchs from all over Europe, but was also where the Stuart Kings would hold court. Shana even got to experience what that might have been like.

The guy in the funny costume in the photo on the right was one of a number of actors in the Royal Apartments who were telling stories about what life in the castle might have been like in the mid-16th century when King James V and Queen Mary of Guise lived here. Another room has recreations of the Stirling Heads (some of the originals are on display elsewhere in the museum): portrait medallions of James V's relatives tracing his royal lineage and connecting it to Ancient Rome. These portraits, which covered the ceiling of one of the King's audience chambers, were thought to be designed to demonstrate James V's power and right to rule. Many other decorative elements also spoke to power and standing.

Although we visited Stirling Castle at the end of our trip, it would be a good place to start as it contains an extensive exhibit on Scottish history including its rulers, which we had to cobble together over time. It might have been nice to have the whole story up front.

In any event, we very much enjoyed Scotland, and would recommend it, especially for those who are into whiskey or golf. Despite the fact that neither are high are our list, the beauty of Scotland and its friendly people more than justified the trip.

We're back to our routine here in San Sebastian, where we'll be all summer. Unlike last summer, we are not expecting any visitors until September. We're looking forward to the city's Jazzfest (Jazzaldia),  Bilbao's Blues Festival, and lots of stand-up paddleboarding in the meantime.

Hasta pronto,

Jeff and Shana