Stirling is the beating heart of Scottish nationalism, a symbolic rock on which this northern nation’s opposition to the English Crown has been continually tested and tempered. It was here in the 13th and 14th centuries that William Wallace and the highland nobles first asserted Scottish independence, and the place the Jacobites bunkered down and launched their skirmishes against the powers to the south.
Today, the Stirling castle that once housed their guns and men still looms large, commanding the Stirling plain. It’s the kingpin of what locals call ‘the top of the town’; a charming conglomeration of rough stone streets and earthy Scottish homes that have lingered on this crag for centuries, and best explored by visitors along the scenic Back Walk. Be sure to ask your Stirling tourist guide about the town’s other main sights; from Argyll's Lodging to the notorious Stirling Bridge under the shadow of the Wallace monument.
But Stirling is not all for history buffs either, as one discovers at the arts and performance hub of Tolbooth. Further, this town on the cusp of the highlands offers outdoor enthusiasts fantastic access to the serene Trossachs National Park and Loch Lomond, where loch lakes rub shoulders with sheltered forests, and sylvan valleys linger in the mist beneath snow-tipped peaks.