stirling castle

The trip Amy and I took a couple weekends ago continued with seeing Stirling Castle located  8 miles from the town of Doune where we had lunch. I had read a lot about this castle before heading out on the trip and was so excited to finally see it. The castle's strategic position, perched high and proud on its towering cliffs, commanding the narrow waist of land between the Forth estuary and the marshlands of the west, has given it a prominent role in Scottish history. 

Stirling Castle

The castle once served as a royal palace and has been remodelled many times. Mary, Queen of Scots, spent her childhood here and was crowned in the Chapel Royal in 1543. The current castle dates mainly from the 16th century (although parts of it date to the 11th century) and is dominated by the Great Hall. Once used as a royal court, with fine Renaissance work, the castle was sadly misused after Scotland's James VI deserted it to become King of England.

Although the castle itself was fantastic its main feature is the spectacular view from the esplanade, which extends to the Campsie Fells in the west and the start of the Highlands to the north. We walked around the back of the castle to enjoy a full panorama of the surrounding countryside. This was definitely my favourite part while being in Stirling. 

Highlights from Stirling Castle included a crazy tour guide that we ended up hiding from, a  recreation of the basement kitchen with modelled people that terrified Amy, the panoramic views of the countryside, and seeing the castle perched up in the cliff when passing by.

Amy and I

One final post on the last sight of our tour coming up soon. We are all heading out to celebrate a friends 22nd birthday tonight. I am looking forward to delicious food and a night out with all of the lovelies. xo