Stirling Castle

Today we rented a car at the airport in Edinburgh and took off to explore the Scottish country. We did not have a firm plan for where to go first, so we just went where the road took us. It's really a challenge driving in Scotland....on the left side of the road, shifting gears with your left hand, and trying to figure out how to interpret the road signs and navigate the many roundabouts they have here. So this first day we travelled approximately 50 miles altogether, and we ended up in Stirling, where there is another castle!


There is an open (no hand rail) stair case that leads to a catwalk near the top of the wall. There is no guardrail on the catwalk, either. And that is why I am hugging the wall in this photo:

Robert the Bruce once defended this castle against the English king, but when he realized he was outnumbered and the cause was futile, he began to systematically dismantle the castle so that the English could not use it. Strategically Stirling was important for the English who needed it to access their lands in the north. This is the most narrow place in the country, and there are two navigable rivers.
While the castle was occupied by Scottish royalty, they entertained many guests, and prepared a lot of food. They had at least five buildings dedicated to the "grand kitchens." Here are two of them that remain:


They've just hired some new help. He seems to be more animated than the other two guys, so maybe the royal guests won't have to wait too long for their steak pie, haggis and sticky toffee pudding!

When we walked to dinner, we passed right by Wallace's Monument. It is a tower that stands atop a hill overlooking Stirling Bridge. It was here that William Wallace stood in 1297 and directed his men in their successful attack of King Edward's army. Wallace waited until the English were half way across the narrow Stirling Bridge, then ordered his men to attack. After dinner we walked over to the bridge and this is what it looks like today:

Edinburgh Day Five

We saved the best for last. Today we got up early and had a nourishing breakfast of porridge and toast before heading for Edinburgh Castle. We caught the city bus to downtown, then hopped onto the tour bus - the ticket we bought yesterday was good for 24 hours, which means we can ride it until 11:15 today! This bus got us within walking distance of the castle entrance. Here's Garold entering the castle gates.


The castle itself is huge, but the audio guide we rented was the best I've ever seen. It gave a brief overview of each numbered exhibit, plus an option to hear more if you were interested. One of the more interesting exhibits to me was the tiny little room where Mary gave birth to James. Reportedly when her husband Lord Darnley came to see the child she told him, "He is so much your son that I fear it will be worse for him." Lord Darnley would be dead within a year, and Mary would be suspected of complicity. She would be forced to abdicate her throne to her infant son and would flee to England seeking protection from her cousin Elizabeth. But Elizabeth kept her imprisoned for 19 years before finally signing her death warrant. James would be schooled at Edinburgh Castle, and eventually, after Elizabeth died, be crowned James I King of England.
Another interesting part of the castle were the life sized statues of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. They both believed in independence for Scotland and fought against English rule. Here's a photo of the statue of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland:

The King's Room was a large hall that would have been used by the king for entertaining important people. Now it houses a display of suits of armour and a variety of different weapons from the time of Edward I, Bruce, Wallace and James I.


The castle sits atop volcanic rock that is 350 million years old. It appears to have been simply carved out of the rock, but on closer inspection, you can see how the masons simply used the rock that was there and added on to create the walls of the castle.



It creates quite and impressive and intimidating view from the city below:



This is our last day in Edinburgh. Tomorrow we will rent a car and explore the Highlands, the moors and the lochs.