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| Stirling is about halfway between Edinburgh and Glasgow in central Scotland. Everything in the town -- streets, pubs, fish and chip shops -- is named after William Wallace, who defeated the English here at the battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. The battle features prominently in the film Braveheart, though Mel Gibson somehow managed to leave out the bridge. You can just see the bridge at the lower left of the photo, with the Wallace Monument on the hilltop behind. Beyond that is a mountain called Dumyat, where I will be spending my afternoon |
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| I start my visit with a quick jaunt up the hill to see the castle. Pretty imposing from down here. |
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| Stirling Castle. The statue at right is Robert the Bruce, who is right up there with Wallace and Robert Burns among Scottish folk heroes. |
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| The Wallace Monument overlooking Stirling Bridge |
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| After lunch I headed over to Dumyat to do some hillwalking. I decided against the path, and took it straight-up. The wind was intense. |
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| It was also steep. |
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| This sheep is suspicious of my presence. |
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| The summit. It was even windier up there, so my stop was brief. |
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| Looking back towards Stirling |
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| "The Gateway to the Highlands" |
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| A view south over the countryside on the descent. You can see the River Forth zigzagging eastwards towards the North Sea, just before it widens as it approaches Edinburgh. |
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| You could see the remnants of an ancient hill fort on one of the minor summits. |
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| I descended by a different route -- there wasn't much of a path, just more sheep poop and great views. |
