The weather forecast was dire, it wasn't a day for country walks or anything in the great outdoors. So we took the easy way out thand went to another castle. That's the great thing about Scotland, there is always another castle to visit. Stirling Castle is one of e samethe best, the seat of the Scottish Royal family for three hundred years. It sits on top of a craggy hill and dominates the small city of of Stirling. It has been besieged many times by the English, and was a military fort until the sixties. 
Some of the principal rooms have been beautifully restored and have had many millions of pounds spent on them, it is the Scottish equivalent to Windsor Castle. The Royal apartments are beautifully colourful, restored to how they looked in the 16th century at the time of James V. There are some amazing tapestries which are copies of originals which are now in a museum in New York. The copies took thirteen years to weave and cost £2,000,000. 
There are some pretty streets in the old town of Stirling, old stone buildings built when the Stuart kings ruled over just Scotland, before they also became Kings of England. But the only rest of Stirling is the same as any other British city, nothing I would want to return to. 
One thing about Scotland that is quite annoying is that most places shut at 5pm, the shops, the cafes, the tourist attractions. I suppose after 5 they all go to the pub or chip shop.
timharnesstravels 