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Stirlingshire.

Stirling Castle · Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire

Stirling Castle.

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The Falkirk Wheel, Stirlingshire  9° · Cloudy
Stirlingshire

Where to go, eat and stay in Stirlingshire.

High on its crag above the flat green fields of the Forth, Stirling Castle is quite a first sight. This is where the Lowlands meet the Highlands, and for centuries any army heading north had to pass this way.

A royal castle, battlefields and the KelpiesPlaces to visitGorges, waterfalls and the Ochil HillsWalks and the outdoorsOld inns, cafés and coffee in the old townFood and drinkShops, studios and makersShops and makersCountry house hotels and old innsPlaces to stayDays we have driven, stop by stopDays out
The guide

Our guide to Stirlingshire.

All of Stirlingshire, part by part: what is where, how to get round, and where to eat and stay. Photographed by us.

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NewNew yesterday

An Afternoon with Bamford

Cromlix holds an afternoon with Bamford in its Glasshouse on Thursday 26 November, a talk on nature and on carrying some calm into the festive season.

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From our guideStirlingStirling CastleStirlingWallace MonumentNear StirlingBannockburnStirlingCambuskenneth AbbeyAlloaAlloa TowerClackmannanClackmannan Tower

The history of Stirlingshire.

People have farmed and fought along the Forth here for thousands of years, but the first great mark on the landscape came from Rome.

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Days outA morningA walk from the Falkirk Wheel to Rough Castle Roman FortBy carA morningThe Back Walk and a drink at the PortcullisNo car neededA morningA walk up the Abbey Craig by the Wallace WayBy carA morningA walk in Carron GlenBy carA morningThe Loch Shore Trail at Carron Valley, on foot or by bikeBy carA morningThe Borestone Heritage Trail walk from BannockburnBy car

New days out in Stirlingshire.

Ready-made days, the newest first, each with its drive times, its stops and somewhere to eat.

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Did you know7 minutes ago

The Chapel Royal at Stirling was thrown up in a hurry for one christening.

James VI commissioned it in 1594 for the baptism of his first son, Prince Henry, and it was built in haste to be ready. Three days of celebration followed. Henry never inherited anything: he died before his father did, and the crown went past him. The chapel he was christened in is still standing, and it is the room in this film.

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In Issue 13The magazine

Roasted Grapes, Burrata and Smoked Venison Crostini

Few people think to roast grapes. Twenty minutes in a hot oven and the sugars concentrate, the skins split, and you get sweet juice running out over whatever sits underneath. Here that's burrata and a slice of smoked venison. Sweet against salt, with crisp bread to hold the lot together.

Read it in Issue 13
From our guide21 minutes ago

The Japanese Garden at Cowden.

In a sheltered hollow under the Ochils near Dollar, the Japanese Garden at Cowden is a stroll garden around a still loch, with thatched pavilions, stone lanterns and bridges. The traveller Ella Christie made it in 1908 after a journey to Japan, and she asked Taki Handa to design it. Ella called it Sha Raku En, the place of pleasure and delight. Vandals wrecked it in 1963, and it has since been brought back to life under the Japanese designer Professor Masao Fukuhara. Cross the zigzag bridge, watch the koi in the water, then finish with lunch or home baking in the tearoom. Book tickets online before you go.

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Did you know36 minutes ago

James IV added the Great Hall at Stirling Castle around 1503, partly to impress his queen.

James IV spent heavily to make Stirling Castle fit for a European monarch, partly to impress his queen, Margaret Tudor, the daughter of Henry VII of England. The Great Hall was added around 1503.

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Tales51 minutes agoFolkloreHow Loch Katrine Got Its NameFolkloreThe Wolf’s Warning12971297Battle of Stirling BridgeHistoryKing of Kippen

Stories from Stirlingshire.

The folklore and the history of the place.

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From our guide1 hour ago

Stirling Castle.

Stirling Castle sits high on its volcanic crag, and once you are up on the ramparts it is easy to see why kings fought over it for centuries. It guarded the lowest crossing of the Forth, and until 1603 it was a favourite home of Scotland's kings and queens. Most of what stands today went up in the 1500s. Step into the Great Hall of James IV, its walls washed gold, then the Royal Palace of James V, where the rooms glow again in their Renaissance colours. Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned in the castle in 1543, at nine months old. Give yourself at least half a day.

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Did you know1 hour ago

Until the crowns of Scotland and England joined, almost every Scottish monarch had lived at Stirling Castle, been crowned there, or died there.

It is first mentioned around 1110, and it was the preferred residence of most of Scotland's later medieval kings, nearly all of whom added something to it: the King's Old Building for James IV in 1496, the Great Hall around 1503, the Royal Palace for James V around 1540. The greatest celebration of all came in 1566, when Mary, Queen of Scots had her son, the future James VI, baptised here. The fireworks that ended it are the first recorded anywhere in Scotland.

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In Stirlingshire1 hour ago

Deanston Distillery, near Doune in Stirlingshire, is 60 this year, and anyone else turning 60 in 2026 can bring a guest for a free tour or tasting.

The distillery sits on the River Teith in a cotton mill designed by Sir Richard Arkwright, which spun cotton for 180 years before it was turned over to whisky in 1966. The offer runs until 21 March 2027, and the distillery has bottled a Virgin Oak Cask Strength at 60.7 per cent, the first in a collection made for the anniversary.

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From our guide1 hour ago

Unorthodox Roaster.

Unorthodox Roasters roast their own beans in Kinross, and this is their café on Friars Street, in the older streets at the foot of the castle hill. Behind the white shopfront it is bright and easy-going, with tiled walls, plants on every shelf, long wooden tables and window seats. The baristas take their coffee seriously, with pour-over filters and carefully made flat whites, and the cakes are excellent. If you would rather not have coffee, there are loose-leaf teas and coffee-free lattes. The shelves hold the company's own beans, chocolate and brewing kit to take home.

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