STIRLING CASTLE

Few buildings are as central to Scottish history as this one. The earliest written records date back to the ^12th century, when King Alexander ^I had a chapel built here. It would appear that he made it the seat of his power, as it was here that he died before his successor, David ^I, consecrated the town as a royal burgh . By the time Alexander III died in 1286, it was a major administrative and strategic center. When Edward ^I of England invaded the country in 1296, he found the fortress abandoned and placed a garrison there, which was dislodged the following year by Andrew Moray and William Wallace. The following summer, the English victory at Falkirk forced the Independents to abandon the city, before taking it back in 1299. However, they lost it again in 1304, when the English deployed 17 siege engines. Their new monarch, Edward II, was unable to protect Stirling, which came under the authority of Robert, since crowned King of Scots, after the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. The city was English from 1236 to 1242, before falling into the hands of the future Robert II, guaranteeing its Scottish future. The country being finally pacified, the Stuarts built a real palace there and multiplied the works during the Renaissance. Mary Queen of Scots was crowned queen there before her departure for the French court. She made a habit of visiting it regularly and had her newborn son, James, the future sovereign of Scotland and England, baptized there and spent his childhood there. Following the Union of the two crowns in 1603, Stirling's role declined sharply and the castle became primarily a defensive place during the religious troubles. Today, a visit to the castle takes you back to this rich and eventful past.

To see: We discover the historic chapel, the impressive Great Hall, but also the royal palace. The apartments of the queen and the king are of great beauty. Do not miss the kitchens, the tapestry exhibition and the Regimental Museum of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. All brought to life by a costumed staff, as well as free guided tours every hour between 10am and 5pm.

Will you see the ghosts of the castle? It is said that ghosts would live here... One would be dressed as a Highlander, in a kilt, and that he could approach visitors to talk to them and would disappear immediately. In other versions, visitors would think of a guide, would approach him and he would vanish into thin air. One also speaks about a green lady..