Fun stop between Glasgow & Edinburgh

Whether you are road tripping around Scotland with a rental car or booking a day trip with tour operator, Stirling is a fun area to explore. We visited Stirling on our last day in Scotland after circling the country starting in Edinburgh and ending back there coming from Glasgow. Stirling is a very important city especially during the various wars Scotland has endured in the past due to its location which is a point between Ko Highlands and Lowlands. If you’re a history buff or you have watched historical based movies like “Braveheart” or “The Outlaw King” then you will absolutely love this area.

Things to do and see in Stirling:

Stirling Castle

Castle Admission: £17.50 online and £19.50 walk up. Buy online and save a couple of pounds!

I usually didn’t spend money to get inside but it was our last day and we thought why not! Plus, Stirling is a very important castle historically. The castle revolves around all notable Scottish history that includes William Wallace, Robert The Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, and Bonnie Prince Charlie. Mary Queen of Scots was brought to safety here when she was an infant and was crowned immediately. This was where she grew up before she went to France. Outside, the statue of Robert the Bruce is standing tall. Many Scottish Kings and Queens were born and died here. Check out some of the inside pictures including the throne and bed. I thought they look very modest considering who have sat and slept there.

Stirling the town

I didn’t take too many pictures because it was raining on and off. One tip about visiting Scotland – bring a good rain jacket! The weather is very fickle. The town is charming and we were able to squeeze in lunch at the Hermann’s Restaurant and got our last bowl of Cullen Skink on this trip. Cullen Skink is a soup similar to New England Clam Chowder; however, it used smoked haddock. It’s so delicious! I highly recommend you to try it though the name may sound awful. Trust me, there is no actual skink or lizard in it!

Falkirk Wheel

Admission: Free but if you want to do a boat tour and get the full experience, the ticket is £17.50 for adult. Go here to book tickets Booking Website (ecr-aws.co.uk)

Falkirk is not far from Stirling and worth a stop. This is the only rotating boat lift in the world that transports boats onto different levels and it links three different Scottish canals. It was pretty neat to see! I posted a time lapse on my instagram account if you would like to see it.

The Kelpies

Admission: Free

I think for many people, the Kelpies are a must see when visiting Scotland. We made sure we stopped by to see this monument. Kelpie is supposedly a shape-shifting creature that resides in lochs of Scotland and usually they take this horse like form but they can also shift into human form. It was cool to see them just to check the box to say we have seen the Kelpies. Funny, when we went, it smelled like cow dung or horse poop around there. It really put things in perspective like we were really seeing a real horse.

The National Wallace Monument

Admission: £11.30 for adult. Click here for full info and to book Book Tickets – National Wallace Monument

This is also not too far and again, if you thought “Braveheart” was a great movie, learn about the real history. We actually did not have a chance to stop by here as we ran out of time; however, you may have the time. We are going back to Scotland this year and we hope to finally make it to this monument.

From my research, this monument also provides an amazing view of the area.

To see some pictures of Stirling and the surrounding attractions, including a time lapse of Falkirk wheel, please click here Lu & Mike (@daubtrotters) • Instagram photos and videos

Let us know what you think! I hope that this guide helps you with your Scotland travel and if you were on the fence about visiting Stirling!