I honestly think this is one of the best palaces/ castles to visit. It sits on a hill overlooking…read morethe loch. The interior is well preserved and astonishing. The birth place of Mary Queen of Scots, makes you feel like you're instantly in that world. There is also an incredible church/chapel on the grounds that is stunning (make sure you check the opening times).

It's just one of many royal palaces in Scotland, only this one was used as a nursery. It just…read morehappens to be where Mary, Queen of Scots was born on 8 Dec 1542. There's a statue of her in the park in front of the palace. It's a very peaceful place to be near a loch of the same name. Linlithgow is said to translate to "lake in the damp (or moist) hallow." Well, it totally makes sense due to the rainy climate. There was a public warning notice about high concentrations of blue-green algae in the lake. So, don't let your pets swim in it. Otherwise, it's nice to get a view of it when walking along the trails. We were there early in the morning for a little walk around the outside of the palace. The entrance gate in particular was in a prison scene from the Outlander TV Series. The castle looks whole from the outside, but in actuality it's missing a roof. There is an £11 admission fee to go inside as of Nov 2025. There's also a free audio guide that you can download from their website. It's very well-done in the way of showing and describing what it once looked like back in the 16th century while giving its history. Another thing to note is that it's free to visit St. Michael's Parish Church where Mary, Queen of Scots was baptized. One could easily spend an hour or so here just wandering around Linlithgow Peel. It was too short of a visit for us, but well worth a stop just to see the exterior and learn about the history here.

Located out in Stirling The National Wallace Monument is a worthy destination for those who enjoy…read morehistory. Best accessed by car, followed by a scenic up-hill walk, this is an activity best suited for able-bodied persons ready to climb a spiral staircase to the top. Divided into several levels the Victorian monument includes films, relics and stories including many expanding on the myths of Braveheart. Highlights include Wallace's enormous sword and panoramic views at the apex.

The monument was another one of our stops during our drive through Stirling…read more The parking lot was quite large and quite busy for an April morning. The ticket counter was inside a small building with the cafe, gift shop and bathrooms. Getting to the monument was via a gravel path or a free van ride. I went up via the van and wandered down in my own afterwards. The van saved my calves for the stair climb to the top of the monument. At the base of the monument I had to check in and show my ticket. I had to wait before a staff member gave the clear to start the climb up. The rest of the way was on our own with most of us giving way to the people coming down. There were three levels inside. The highlights were the details about the battle of Stirling Bridge, William Wallace and seeing his original sword. At the top I took advantage of the clear and sunny day to take my panorama photos. Beautiful. I also saw the battle site and understood how easily the British were defeated. The walk down the monument was easy and so was the walk down to the parking lot. For fans and non-fans of Braveheart this was a great stop to see in Scotland.

I'd normally start by telling you a little about the history. There's just way too much to…read moresummarize here. Just know that the castle was once in ruin like the others in the area. We can thank George Stuart (14th Earl of Moray) for repairing it by adding a new roof in the 1880s. That makes it very worth the £10 admission fee for an inside tour of the castle. It's worth a stop even if you don't plan on taking the tour. Have you ever seen the British comedy, Monty Python and the Holy Grail? It's the castle that you see in the funniest part of the movie when the French soldier is taunting King Arthur. There were other movie scenes filmed in and around the castle as well. What's cool is that there's a free transcript of the audio guide on their website that tells you where all the scenes took place. It was fun just to retrace the steps of the Trojan Rabbit on the pathway in front of the entrance. So funny! It's definitely a dry & satirical form of humor that I didn't quite understand the first time I saw it, but now I do. Duone Castle was also seen in Game of Thrones (the pilot episode) and Outlander. It's just a great filming location since it's out of the way, and along the River Teith. There are walking trails that will take you to the site of where a Roman fort used to be. The village is also nearby if you want to get a bite to eat. It was a nice stop on our way to Glencoe.

We were staying in the area for a few days. Didn't have much time though, got lots of plans. But…read morestill made some time to check out the famous Doune Castle. And since we are members of Historic Environment Scotland the entrance was free of charge. The carpark was full though - so we parked on the public lot behind the Co-op in town. An easy 10 minute walk away. The Castle is famous - many will know it from Game of Thrones or Outlander. But for me - and many many others - it will always be connected to Monty Python and the Holy Grail! The Audio-guide is even narrated by Terry Jones! The way the castle looks today is largely down to 'Scotland's uncrowned king'. Doune was the seat of Robert Stewart, the 1st Duke of Albany and Governor of Scotland. He acquired the castle in 1361. What we see today is probably only half a castle. Whether Doune was completed, and what might have been lost, is unclear. But even what remains today is very impressive and in great shape. If you do not feel like paying the entrance, you still can enjoy the outside views and even walk around it or enjoy the grounds outside. But going in (we took turns - since we were travelling with our Bulldog) is well worth the price and time. Monty Python used the exterior for shots as well as the interior. The courtyard inside is where the wedding party was taking place with John Cleese (as Lancelot) going berserk. But there's a lot more to see inside. Besides all the big halls inside, there are lots of small corners and hideaways to be discovered. As well as a lot of history to read (or listen to). A really good visit and not to be missed for fans or history buffs! Staff was wonderful, really friendly and welcoming. Surely a highlight on this years Road Trip through the UK. Highly recommended.

For historians, even those whose knowledge of Scottish "history" (used loosely) stems from multiple…read moreviewings of Braveheart (yeah, you know who you are!), there are several sites in Stirling that are must visits. The Old Stirling Bridge is one of them; the Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle being at least two others. Fortunately, Stirling isn't all that big, and you can easily walk between the three without too much effort, and you'll be rewarded with gorgeous river views, and a bit of actual historical education along the way, for your trouble. Just make sure you end up on the Old Stirling Bridge, and not the adjacent A9 overpass. It may look similar, but you wouldn't want to get run over by a lorry while daydreaming about Mel Gibson in a kilt and wielding a claymore. That would just be weird.

I thought I would have been able to walk to this while at Stirling castle but it looked quite a…read morewalk away so I optedW to snatch some quick photos while driving past on the coach which was just as thrilling for me as actually being on it and it is a stunning bridge as bridges go due to its history. Hopefully one day I might get the chance to actually stand on it, touch it, feel it but for now I'm happy to have this stunning photo.

I wasn't much impressed with this attraction, got a couple of funny photos booking into jail which…read morewas the highlight of the visit, the rest was pretty boring and for the price you don't get much for your money. I expected more.

What a place! We went two days in a row. Day one to do an excellent Escape Room, day two for a tour…read moreof the jail itself. The highlight of the latter was the actor leading you through the history of the jail. Educational, enjoyable and exciting. A great place to visit in Stirling.

Nice place for a short walk. Will be honest, haven't been inside the Palace but landscape is…read morebeautiful enough. Short woodland path leads us on the top of small local hill, where you are finding small observation tower. Despite the fact that tower's door are locked, we can not enter to inside, it's worth to go, place is peaceful and quiet and view is amazing.

I visited the House of the Binns 18/9/19;with a group of people from RNIB Scotland. I found it…read morevery fascinating to knew about the House of the Bins and the family that have stayed there. It was nice to learn more and to learn something new about it

The Battle of Bannockburn is important to Scotland's history. This battle was fought on 23-24 June…read more1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. Robert Bruce was victorious and this formed a major turning point in the war, which ended 14 years later restoring the Scottish independence.

A good value for 5, especially if you are a history buff. The centre doesn't contain a museum per…read morese, because there are no artifacts. Yet they have a substantial exhibit explaining the battle and its political backstory and aftermath. There is also a twelve-minute film relating the exciting story through narration, music, and handsome drawings, plus a "living history" presentation. The visitor centre looks out upon a portion of the battlefield, and it is thrilling to stand there imagining the history that was made there nearly 700 years ago.

For the most part, I love this library. Whilst it's not particularly special or unique in decor,…read moreit's served me well in my four years of study. And the moving bookshelves are pretty awesome, (yet dangerous!) it has to be said. I never had a problem with the library of any sort until recently. This is what happened. I had to take medication and there's water bottle dispensers in the library. Unfortunately, there's a no hot foods policy in the library so the lady on the desk stopped me. The following ensued: Lady: You can't take your soup into the library. Me: I'm sorry, I have to fill up my water bottle to take medication. Could I leave the soup with you for a second whilst I go in for a second? Lady: No, you cannot. - A very kind stranger watches my soup for me outside the library - But the farce continues. Lady: You BETTER not have your soup! She says this whilst leaping out of her seat. Ouch. I had spoken to another library attendant afterwards who said he would have happily watched my soup. Other than that, directions to the nearest water dispenser would have been really helpful. As a fourth year, I was embarrassed that this might have happened to a first year and discouraged them from visiting the library again. As I said, this is my only negative experience in four years. All I could do was laugh about it with friends afterwards because it was so untoward and we all agreed that it definitely didn't reflect the library and its staff. I took it upon myself to email the library and let them know what happened. I promise I'm not a grump and I definitely didn't want to get anyone in trouble! - It was just to make them aware how things like that might across to new students. Seriously, the staff at the internal help desk couldn't be more warm and helpful, and if you need to scan something they'll let you pop behind their desk to do so. For the most part, the library is great and the staff are lovely; they're definitely my favourite part about studying here! It's also reassuring to know that if I'm having tech problems, there'll be someone happy to help. I think it's safe to say that I was no more than the subject of someone else's bad day.

I feel so bad to rate this not so well, but this is the worst university library I've ever used…read more I know that University of Stirling is a new university, and that it's primarily a teaching university rather than research, but it's lacking in features that I had in even community college. Firstly, half of the books are one week loans. I can renew them up to 99 times, but it's really inconvenient. I get an email notification each week and then need to renew them the next day. (If I do it that day, I end up reducing my loan period by one day, which shortens the already sad amount of time renewals.) Fourteen of the twenty-four items I have out are weekly renewals, despite them not being high demand items. But maybe other people need those books? No. None of them have been recalled at any point and I've never been prevented from renewing due to any of the books being in demand. I'd complain about the small book selection but it honestly doesn't bother me that much. What does bother me is that interlibrary loans ('document delivery service') is a disaster. Every other library I've used had a clear request process for books from other libraries, including allowing you to search multiple library systems. The library here instead guilts you for wanting to use the service (they quote the prices the library has to pay to request items and suggests talking with your supervisor about reading abstracts first) and doesn't always get the right books in. You read that right. The first time I requested a book, I entered in every bit of information they wanted on the form. I even put in the ISBN for the specific book. What happened was that while a book arrived, it wasn't the right book but was instead a book that contained a review of the book I needed. When I pointed out that this wasn't the book I requested, I was told I made the mistake and that they'd reluctantly make another request but that I should be more careful. None of the information I got on this book matched the one I requested. The only thing that stops this from being a one star review is that the individual people working there try so hard to make it a good experience. They show how many computers are available for use on each floor and have a decent amount of printers. They do also have a place to put suggestions but I'm honestly concerned they mostly deal with minor issues. The best I could suggest to other students who don't actually live in Stirling is that they may be allowed to use other libraries if you can get to them and qualify. I like the way the library is designed and I like that they show how many computers are available on each floor, but that's all that stops the library from being rated one star. I know that when you go to university anywhere, you'll always be fond of the library you have access to. I just honestly pity those who have only used this one because it's the worst one I've ever used and students deserve better.