Scotland - Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle is an impressive structure seated on a high hill overlooking a beautiful verdant valley below.













We happened to be visiting it when it was raining, and that made the castle all the more interesting.











It is the castle that Robert the Bruce of Braveheart fame captured as part of the war of Scottish independence.












Not too far away is the massive William Wallace Monument, but we didn't have time to visit it on this trip. 




Celeste had picked out this castle as one of her must-see destinations, and it was a good stop on our way from Edinburgh to Inverness.  And how could I say no after dragging everyone to see the techno-geek oriented, Falkirk Wheel.

It is a beautiful structure that has endured many sieges and is an enduring symbol of the Scottish monarchy.  Bonnie Prince Charles unsuccessfully tried to take this castle back from the English when he made his bid for the crown.  It was even used as a fort at one point, and one can see cannon placements from the 1800s.

It also contains an unusual Great Hall, which was limewashed to give it a golden color.













The building interiors have been done up in an attempt to create the feeling of the castle in its earlier days. 












My only complaint about this, is that it occassionally creates makes me feel like I am in a Disneyland style set, rather than a real castle.










Before heading off to Inverness, we had to try some Scottish Ice Cream being served from a truck outside the castle gate.  Yummy.

 It was a long drive from Stirling to Inverness, and sadly, there was nowhere to eat along the way.  Thankfully, there was that classic Scottish restaurant, McDonalds, waiting for us when we got there.   The signs are in both English and Gaelic.

 I kept joking that I hoped they would have a McHaggis sandwich, but sadly, just a Big Mac.












When we arrived at our hotel, we settled in and had a dram of Scottish Whiskey - a pleasant reward after the long drive.