Home » United Kingdom » Scotland 2005 - part XI

Saturday 14 May, to Glasgow and Stirling

Scotland 2005 - part XI

Elisabeth & Teije
2006-08-27 10:26:47

Displayed times (last time: )

museums in Glasgow we would like to see one day (especially the Burrell collection) but for today we have had enough of this town. For us it is just another city, like so many more in Europe but undoubtedly there are many people who feel something special for this city, so we hope not to have offended anyone by this statement (as we seem to do sometimes when we express our personal taste...).

It isn't very late when we leave Glasgow and the sun is not setting before 10, so we have plenty of time left to do something else. We decide to go to Stirling, s place where we have been to, but never to the city center or the castle.

And the moment we enter Stirling, we already like it better than Glasgow. It is a vivid town with an attractive atmosphere which we enjoy much better. And we start in a pub, off course! It is quite nice so we sit outside.

Stirling is situated very strategically in the heart of Scotland, so it is no surprise that a large castle has been built on the top of the hill. For a long time in history the only place to cross the river Forth was near Stirling, the only bridge between the south and the north of the country. It is therefore not a surprise that quite a few famous battles took place right here, like during the war of independance in the 14th century when Robert de Bruce opposed the English.

From the castle we can see the Wallace monument in the distance, raised in Victorian times to remember William Wallace, the freedom fighter from the 14th century. Most people will know him from the movie Braveheart. The pillar has been build on Abbey Craig, a litlle northeast of Stirling, dominating the landscape. It is possible to climb to the top, but we haven't done that yet, although we have been to the monument. But is was very cold and rainy that day, quite different from the nice weather we are having today.

Stirling looks a bit like Edinburgh, but a bit more modest and smaller. Nevertheless, it attracts us much more than Glasgow. We look for a hotel for a short time, since our plans have changed now we don't have to return to Glasgow tomorrow, and are not bound to a place in the neighbourhood.
But this time we have no luck, so we return to Denny where we can stay in the pub that we visited yesterday, the Donner Inn. The room costs only 35 pounds (without breakfast), the same as we had to pay for the Railway Hotel, yesterday, but this room is a bit better. So, now we only have to think about what we are going to do tomorrow. We have no idea yet, and although we are glad we have seen Glasgow, we are even more glad that we don't have to go there another day.