t Highland cattle grazing on pastures overlooked by Stirling Castle

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 15th and 16th centuries. 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.

Experience Central and Northeast Scotland

t Illustration of Stirling Castle detailing the buildings within its fortified walls

Experience Central and Northeast Scotland

STIRLING BATTLES

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 the Stirling Castle; the 67-m (220-ft) Wallace Monument at Abbey Craig recalls William Wallace’s defeat of the English army at Stirling Bridge in 1297, foreshadowing Robert the Bruce’s victory in 1314.