July 13, 2025
A Day in Stirling
We are spending two days in Stirling because it has some famous sights including (1) the Wallace Monument, and; (2)Stirling Castle.
We saw (1) the Wallace Monument from afar while coming into town. William Wallace was an early Scottish hero who fought and defeated the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. (Remember Braveheart?) According to lore, the Monument was built on the spot where Wallace surveyed the field before the battle. Wallace’s troops were routed a year later and he went on the lam. He was eventually captured and suffered a grisly death at the hands of the English. This made him a martyr and the Wallace Monument was built in the 1860’s during a resurgence of Scottish pride and interest in Scottish culture, which had been suppressed by English laws after the years of the Jacobite Rebellion.
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(2) We saw Stirling Castle in the morning. We had a fun ride by bicycle up a very steep, gravel alley which we later found out was the King’s Stables Alley. We were glad we were on bikes as the traffic up at the Castle was bad and it was much more fun to scoot around all the coach and car traffic.
Stirling Castle was originally built in the Twelfth Century by King David I. It has a location of obvious strategic importance, perched on a hilltop looking out over the River Forth and the entire valley is in full view. It has been a critical passage between Lowland and Highland Scotland.
“He who holds Stirling, holds Scotland,” is a favorite saying but I was unable to attribute it to anyone.
The glory days of Stirling Castle and the Stuart Dynasty were in the Sixteenth Century when James V in 1540 started construction of a Royal Palace to rival those of the European Courts. The Palace was furnished to reflect that time period as was the history which was well presented in the audio guide. James V married Mary of Guise, a Frenchwoman, and was determined to make the Castle a show piece. Mary and James V gave birth to Mary, ultimately the blighted Mary, Queen of Scots, famously beheaded by Queen Elizabeth I. When Mary’s son, King James VI ultimately became King of England he moved the Royal Court to England and Stirling Court lost prominence. During the Jacobite Rebellion the British occupied the Castle and it has been in English hands ever since.
After exhausting our brain with Scottish and European intrigue we rode down into the town and had a fancy lunch - in lieu of dinner - at Brea’s, one of the nicer restaurants in Stirling.
Because the Wimbledon Men’s Final was Sunday afternoon we decided to stay at the hotel to watch it in the bar and forgo dinner in town. And the match turned out to be very worthy. Yay, Sinner!
Today's ride: 8 km (5 miles)
Total: 2,675 km (1,661 miles)
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