Rob-n-Hild Take the High Road!

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Stirling

We started the day later than usual because we needed extra sleep from yesterday's long hike. Since our office is now set up inside the tent (see photo below), we decided to perch on Percy's back bumper - rather than our usual chairs.

Today we went to visit Stirling Castle. It sits prominently on top of a mountain above the city of Stirling. It was too hard to take a photo of it from a distance, so here is the best we could do.

We battled some very bumpy cobblestone roads up the hill to the castle, and ended up arriving at the car park just as it opened. They advised us to buy our tickets online to save a couple of pounds. So we did, and we also bought an audio guide which we enjoyed alot. It helps to listen to descriptions at your own pace rather than with a real guide.

It is of historic importance in Scotland. The castle was first mentioned in 1110 and many royal dramas unfolded there. The buildings we saw were (see royal family tree below):
* King’s Old Building – built for James IV in 1496
* Great Hall – added by James IV around 1503
* Royal Palace – built for James V around 1540
* Chapel Royal – commissioned by James VI in 1594

From the castle walls we got nice views over the town of Stirling and the old garden with a grassy feature called the King's Knot. Several battles had been fought on these plains, including Battle of Bannockburn Centre and Battle of Sauchieburn.

In the king and queen's reception rooms and private chambers there were many beautiful tapestries and wall coverings. Hunting and unicorns seem to have been the vogue.

There were many grand fireplaces in their reception rooms.

The ceilings were also decorated. In the King's Inner Hall the ceiling had hand-carved and painted portraits to proclaim King James V's royal blood line. We could study them by looking in a mirror on a desk. Saved you getting a crick in the neck.

We spotted King Henry VIII from the dreaded Tudor Line and uncle of the King of Scots James V. It was a day of listening to stories about how horrible England and the Tudor line was and how wonderful the Scots were with their link to France.

In the great hall they have restored the intricate oak ceiling to how they think it was way back when. It was grand-looking, and there were many fireplaces all along the wall. This was because the King wanted to show his generosity by provding heat to all his guests, not just the ones at the head-table.

The William Wallace (Braveheart) Monument on top of Abbey Craig was easy to spot from the castle - and from just about everywhere else. They love the guy who beat down the English. Him and his team hid out on Abbey Craig until it was time to attack in 1297.

We walked along the outer wall while listening to our audio guide. A beautiful day to explore Stirling Castle.

We toured the kitchen where real-life-looking replicas of people and food gave us an idea of what was involved when Mary of Guise was throwing a party. A lot, is the answer...

It was a shortish day of history lessons and we headed back to the tent. Some more work to do, then dinner, then bed. Packing up the tent tomorrow and heading to Aberdeen and our flight to Norway. Woohoo!

Percy is looking forward to a 10-day break at the airport car park.

Coming up: Loch Lomond to Aberdeen to Norway

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