Regardless of whether you are new to Scotland or have lived here all your life, there is so much to see around Stirling.
In a short distance, there are countless places where you can escape the city for a day and see something that interests you, whether it be history, nature, or films, the local area has something of interest.
Below are a few of my favourite Scottish day-trips or afternoons out, all around an hour’s travel or less on public transport to Stirling town center.
Culross & Dunfirmline
Over in Fife, Culross sits on the Firth of the Forth river. The wee village is a fantastic example of what a 16th to 18th century borough would have been like and is labeled one of Scotland’s most picturesque towns. When you’re there, you can visit the very yellow palace, a 17th-century merchant’s house with a phenomenal garden, or the Abbey, which housed monks from the 11th century until the Reformation. To get there take the 51 to Alloa and then grab the 8a heading to Dunfirmline.
While heading in that direction, you may as well pop back on the 8a towards Dunfermline, and keep trundling over to Dunfermline and visit their abbey, which has had its fine masonry in many parts of Scottish history. Founded by Margeret I at the place of her marriage in 1070, Robert I financed new buildings being added in 1303 as a show of Scottish wealth and power, and it is where Ana of Denmark had her and James VI’s child Charles I in 1600, who is the last British monarch to have been born in Scotland and who was executed by the Cromwells at the end of the English Civil war.
Doune and Callander
A Castle well worth the visit is Doune Castle. The home of the First Duke of Albany, who is known as Scotland’s uncrowned king, and his son, who was executed by James I in Stirling for treason. This unfinished castle in more recent history served as the setting for much of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. To get the most out of your visit, listen to the Terry Jones Audio Guide, as he will explain the history of the castle and the clever ways in which it was utilized during the filming of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. You can get to this castle via the 59 bus to Callender.
If you don’t quite feel like your adventure is complete, you can keep going towards Callander on the 59, entering the Trossachs National Park. From here, you can walk over to Bracken Falls or to the Trossachs Woolen Mill to see some highland cows and keep your eyes peeled for some red squirrels.
Dunkeld and the Hermitage.
More stunning scenery can be found if you head about an hour north on the train departing from Dunkeld and Birnam. In Dunkeld, you can visit the Cathedral, walk over to the Loch of the Lowes, or up Birnam Hill. A wee bit further from the village, however, is the Hermitage, which has fantastic forest paths, waterfalls, scenic bridges, and Pine Cone Point, where you can look out at the view from inside a pinecone! To get to Dunkeld just head on the train to Inverness and depart at Dunkeld and Birnum.
Featured image credit: Spencer Haynes
Spencer is a 3rd Year History and English student interested in library science, baking, and storytelling.
