The Abbey Craig – Woodcarvings, a Hillfort and the Forth Below
The Abbey Craig is the wooded crag the Wallace Monument stands on, just north of Stirling, and it needs no ticket to walk.
The Wallace Way climbs from the car park to the foot of the tower in 15 to 20 minutes, past a trail of woodcarvings that tell Stirling's story. From the top, two more trails go on through the woods, one of them to a viewpoint over the city and its castle.
- Time
- About an hour: 15 to 20 minutes up the Wallace Way, then about 35 minutes for the Stirling Trail or 45 for the Abbey Trail.
- The path
- A wide path of loose stone, steep and uneven in places. The smaller woodland paths can be narrow, steep and muddy. A free shuttle bus runs from the car park to the tower.
- Where to start
- The National Wallace Monument's car park, Hillfoots Road, Causewayhead, FK9 5LF: free.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. The woods need no ticket. The tower has its own hours, shorter from November to February, and can shut in bad winter weather.
- Dogs
- Welcome on the Craig. Take care on the access road, where the shuttle bus runs. Only assistance dogs go on the bus or into the tower.
- Children
- A trail of woodcarvings on the way up, and free nature activity sheets from the desk inside the Monument. The climb is steep in places.
- Toilets
- At the entrance level of the Monument, where no ticket is needed, when the Monument is open.
- Before you set out
- The woods are open all year. The tower is open 9.30am to 5pm in September and October and 10am to 4pm from November to February, with last entry an hour before closing. It is shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, and in winter it can shut at short notice in bad weather.
The walk
Park at the National Wallace Monument's car park on Hillfoots Road at Causewayhead, FK9 5LF. It's free. The Wallace Way starts here and climbs through the woods to the entrance of the Monument in 15 to 20 minutes, on a wide, stony path that is steep and uneven in places. Along it stand woodcarvings designed by Iain Chalmers, most of them in cedar, which tell the story of Stirling from the Ice Age to the building of the tower. The Craig is a volcanic outcrop that once stood out into a sea loch. A hillfort on it was destroyed in the 7th century in a fire hot enough to melt the stone, and its inner rampart can still be seen behind the Monument.
From the tower two trails carry on. The Stirling Trail, red on the Monument's map, goes to a viewpoint over the city and Stirling Castle and takes about 35 minutes. The Abbey Trail, the blue one, goes round the woods of the Craig and back to the car park in about 45. The smaller paths can be narrow, steep and muddy, so wear boots. Dogs are welcome on the Craig. Take care with them on the access road, where a shuttle bus runs.
The woods are open all year. The tower is a separate visit with its own ticket, £12.20 for an adult, and 246 spiral steps to the top. It's open from 9.30am to 5pm in September and October and from 10am to 4pm from November to February, with last entry an hour before closing. There are toilets at the entrance level of the Monument, where no ticket is needed, and Legends, the coffee house, is down at the car park.
If it rains
The stony path is steep and the smaller paths turn to mud, so after heavy rain keep to the Wallace Way. The tower's galleries are under cover, with a ticket.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Cromlix, 7 miles away.
For further reading, before you go.