As I mentioned in my previous post we had to rough it on our own today without a chaperone to show us around since Julia needed time to study and spend a little time with Conor after being gone for the past few days. We considered heading into Glasgow or Edinburgh to explore, but ultimately decided to do something slightly more to our personal preferences.
We decided to explore the town of Stirling. This town was once the capital and often called the "Gateway to the Highlands" As such, it was considered strategically important and many kings of Scotland sat on the throne here.
I really had no idea what to expect of Stirling, but I found it very charming with an medieval feel to it. David was in charge of getting us to Stirling, so in brilliant fashion he arranged for our express taxi driver to drop us off right at the gates of Stirling Castle. That might not sound very amazing to you, but if you saw the placement of the castle compared to the rest of the town you would understand why this was so significant. After walking an average of 7 miles a day for the past 4 days, it was such a blessing to not have to hike a mile straight uphill to the castle. To say it was pure bliss isn't an exaggeration. After all, it is little things in a marriage that makes such a difference. 🥰
Robert the Bruce statue
There is evidence of castles existing on this location going back to the 12th century. However, the majority of what we see today at the castle is from the 15th and 16th centuries. Many kings and queens ruled Scotland from this castle including, Mary, Queen of the Scots.
The next few pictures are from the throne room, and yes, Jenny and I accepted the crown.
Next up was the personal quarters for the royal family.
After a tour of the inside part of the castle we took a walk around the walls and gardens. It is hard to say which is more beautiful. Everything seemed elegant and well maintained, but the views are something else!
As we started to head down the hill to go into the town we made one more stop at the cemetery. This special place is known as the Old Town Cemetary. The cemetery dates back to the 16th century and has a mix of noble persons and commoners alike. The cemetery is well maintained and I would highly recommend a visit.
After spending all morning exploring the Stirling castle and grounds we were starving and decided to walk (downhill) to Sterling City Center. David came through yet again and found a delightful restaurant right in the heart of the downtown area: Cronies Bar & Restaurant. This reataurant dates back to the late 1700’s. This was casual fine dining the way it should be. Three course lunch menus, wine and excellent service. Though David was astounded to see the size of his chicken sandwich, we enjoyed lunch and had wonderful conversation. It was the perfect place to recover from our morning activities.
After lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the downtown area. It is not every day you get to walk around in a city that was created back in 1130. It was a really interesting little town and the shops were fun to browse. In all honesty, we really could have spent another day in Stirling to explore it in more detail. In fact, since we did not even make it to the Wallace Monument we will have to visit Stirling again when we come back to Scotland!
We eventually took another taxi and made our way back to the Westerwood Spa and Golf Resort. It was nice to stay in a more luxurious resort for a few days. We had all the food and drinks we needed, but every room came with a gorgeous bathtub. After so many days of hiking and walking this girl was ready for a bubble bath (Which is exactly what I did for the rest of the night!) 🫧
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