With your back to the Thistles Shopping Centre on Murray Street, turn left, then right onto Dumbarton Road. Walk past the statue of Robert Burns then, just before the Albert Halls, turn right and walk back on yourself. Just past the statue of Rob Roy, turn left and take the path along the Back Wall.
Almost immediately turn right up the flight of steps that takes you onto the Upper Back Wall. It's a steady climb now, up past the Church of the Holy Rude, where James VI was crowned in 1567 and on past Ladies' Rock – where ladies of the castle sat to watch tournaments.
Continue following the path uphill to reach Stirling Castle. Cross the car park to take the path running downhill just to the side of the visitor centre, so that the castle is on your left. At the cemetery, turn right along the footpath signposted to Mote Hill. Continue up steps and across the cemetery to the gap in the wall.
Follow the track downhill onto Gowan Hill. There are several branching tracks but you continue on the main path – heading for two cannons on the hill ahead. At a junction turn right down a track signposted to Lower Bridge Street. Turn on to a grassy slope to the right to see the Beheading Stone. Retrace your steps to the wide track and then follow it to reach the road.
Turn right along Lower Bridge Street, then fork right into Upper Bridge Street. Continue ahead, then 50yds (46m) beyond the Settle Inn, turn right up cobbled King's Stables Lane (it looks a bit like the access to a house), follow it uphill, then go left at the top onto Upper Castlehill. Eventually you'll pass the Castle Esplanade, followed by Argyll's Lodging, and will reach a junction.
Turn left, passing Hermann's Restaurant and the Mercat Cross. Turn right at the bottom down Bow Street, then left along Baker Street. When you reach Friars Street (pedestrianised), turn left and walk down to the end.
Turn right now, then first left to reach the station. Turn left, then right over the bridge, then bear left in front of a housing development to reach the riverside. Maintain direction and join Abbey Road. Bear left at the end, go right over the footbridge and continue along South Street, turning right at the end to visit the remains of Cambuskenneth Abbey.
Retrace your steps back to the station. Cross the A9, then turn left, right and left again to return to the Thistles Shopping Centre and the start of this walk.
To many Scots William Wallace is the ultimate hero, a charismatic patriot who died fighting for his country's freedom. To others he is less exalted – an outlaw and murderer. Discovering the truth about the man is not easy, as few contemporary accounts exist, although we can be reasonably assured... that he didn't look like Mel Gibson or paint his face with woad. Wallace's heroic status is immediately obvious on your arrival in Stirling, which is dominated by the enormous monument erected in his memory. He was born at Ellerslie near Kilmarnock early in the 1270s and little is known of his early life. He might have remained unknown were it not for the fact that in 1286 the Scottish king, Alexander III, was found dead on the sands at Kinghorn, in Fife. His only direct heir was Margaret of Norway – and many powerful Scots did not want a woman on the throne. When Margaret died on her way to Scotland, the succession was plunged into further confusion. The only likely contestants were John Balliol and Robert the Bruce. English king Edward I was asked to advise, chose Balliol, and then exerted his authority by demanding revenues from Scotland. Balliol later infuriated Edward by signing a treaty with England's enemy, France, and Edward retaliated by sacking Berwick in 1296, slaughtering thousands. The Scots began to resist, Balliol was deposed as king, and the Wars of Independence began. Wallace wages war Wallace joined the struggle. In 1297 he killed the English Sheriff of Lanark and led a number of attacks on English forces. Later that year he won the battle that was to make his reputation, defeating Edward's army at Stirling Bridge. Wallace's forces killed thousands of English and Welsh troops, driving the wounded into the marshes to drown. Wallace now had considerable power. Faced with the possibility of food shortages in Scotland, he ordered an invasion of northern England to plunder food. Many villagers were murdered, churches were burned and more than 700 villages destroyed. In 1298 Wallace was made Guardian of Scotland, but was defeated by Edward I later that year at the Battle of Falkirk. He resigned the Guardianship and travelled to Rome to enlist support from the Pope for the restoration of Balliol as king. Back in Scotland, Wallace continually refused to accept Edward as King of Scotland and was eventually captured and taken prisoner in 1305 (some say he was betrayed by Scots). Convicted of treason, he was executed by hanging, drawing and quartering at Smithfield in London. His head was spiked on London Bridge, and the four parts of his body were sent to Stirling, Perth, Berwick and Newcastle as a horrid example to other would-be rebels. Wallace did not immediately become the national martyr that he now is, and it wasn’t until 170 years after his death that he was mythologised by ‘Blind Harry’, a minstrel at the court of James IV, in an epic ballad, The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace.
With your back to the Thistles Shopping Centre on Murray Street, turn left, then right onto Dumbarton Road. Walk past the statue of Robert Burns then, just before the Albert Halls, turn right and walk back on yourself. Just past the statue of Rob Roy, turn left and take the path along the Back Wall.
1 of 8
Almost immediately turn right up the flight of steps that takes you onto the Upper Back Wall. It's a steady climb now, up past the Church of the Holy Rude, where James VI was crowned in 1567 and on past Ladies' Rock – where ladies of the castle sat to watch tournaments.
2 of 8
Continue following the path uphill to reach Stirling Castle. Cross the car park to take the path running downhill just to the side of the visitor centre, so that the castle is on your left. At the cemetery, turn right along the footpath signposted to Mote Hill. Continue up steps and across the cemetery to the gap in the wall.
3 of 8
Follow the track downhill onto Gowan Hill. There are several branching tracks but you continue on the main path – heading for two cannons on the hill ahead. At a junction turn right down a track signposted to Lower Bridge Street. Turn on to a grassy slope to the right to see the Beheading Stone. Retrace your steps to the wide track and then follow it to reach the road.
4 of 8
Turn right along Lower Bridge Street, then fork right into Upper Bridge Street. Continue ahead, then 50yds (46m) beyond the Settle Inn, turn right up cobbled King's Stables Lane (it looks a bit like the access to a house), follow it uphill, then go left at the top onto Upper Castlehill. Eventually you'll pass the Castle Esplanade, followed by Argyll's Lodging, and will reach a junction.
5 of 8
Turn left, passing Hermann's Restaurant and the Mercat Cross. Turn right at the bottom down Bow Street, then left along Baker Street. When you reach Friars Street (pedestrianised), turn left and walk down to the end.
6 of 8
Turn right now, then first left to reach the station. Turn left, then right over the bridge, then bear left in front of a housing development to reach the riverside. Maintain direction and join Abbey Road. Bear left at the end, go right over the footbridge and continue along South Street, turning right at the end to visit the remains of Cambuskenneth Abbey.
7 of 8
Retrace your steps back to the station. Cross the A9, then turn left, right and left again to return to the Thistles Shopping Centre and the start of this walk.
To many Scots William Wallace is the ultimate hero, a charismatic patriot who died fighting for his country's freedom. To others he is less exalted – an outlaw and murderer. Discovering the truth about the man is not easy, as few contemporary accounts exist, although we can be reasonably assured... that he didn't look like Mel Gibson or paint his face with woad. Wallace's heroic status is immediately obvious on your arrival in Stirling, which is dominated by the enormous monument erected in his memory. He was born at Ellerslie near Kilmarnock early in the 1270s and little is known of his early life. He might have remained unknown were it not for the fact that in 1286 the Scottish king, Alexander III, was found dead on the sands at Kinghorn, in Fife. His only direct heir was Margaret of Norway – and many powerful Scots did not want a woman on the throne. When Margaret died on her way to Scotland, the succession was plunged into further confusion. The only likely contestants were John Balliol and Robert the Bruce. English king Edward I was asked to advise, chose Balliol, and then exerted his authority by demanding revenues from Scotland. Balliol later infuriated Edward by signing a treaty with England's enemy, France, and Edward retaliated by sacking Berwick in 1296, slaughtering thousands. The Scots began to resist, Balliol was deposed as king, and the Wars of Independence began. Wallace wages war Wallace joined the struggle. In 1297 he killed the English Sheriff of Lanark and led a number of attacks on English forces. Later that year he won the battle that was to make his reputation, defeating Edward's army at Stirling Bridge. Wallace's forces killed thousands of English and Welsh troops, driving the wounded into the marshes to drown. Wallace now had considerable power. Faced with the possibility of food shortages in Scotland, he ordered an invasion of northern England to plunder food. Many villagers were murdered, churches were burned and more than 700 villages destroyed. In 1298 Wallace was made Guardian of Scotland, but was defeated by Edward I later that year at the Battle of Falkirk. He resigned the Guardianship and travelled to Rome to enlist support from the Pope for the restoration of Balliol as king. Back in Scotland, Wallace continually refused to accept Edward as King of Scotland and was eventually captured and taken prisoner in 1305 (some say he was betrayed by Scots). Convicted of treason, he was executed by hanging, drawing and quartering at Smithfield in London. His head was spiked on London Bridge, and the four parts of his body were sent to Stirling, Perth, Berwick and Newcastle as a horrid example to other would-be rebels. Wallace did not immediately become the national martyr that he now is, and it wasn’t until 170 years after his death that he was mythologised by ‘Blind Harry’, a minstrel at the court of James IV, in an epic ballad, The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace.
