Stirling

by Julie Kimelman

Today we met at Waverley Station at 10am for an hour-long train ride to Stirling Castle.  I still can’t believe how nice these trains are compared to Amtrak! When we finally arrived, we took a taxi to the top Castle Rock and then climbed another staircase to the castle entrance.  Aside from the breathtaking view, the first thing that stood out to me was the outer defense. In addition to the ditch and drawbridge surrounding the castle, we learned that the outer defense consists of low, thick walls designed to resist attack, along with Guardroom Square, which consists of higher walls.

Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland because of its prime location on top of Castle Hill.  We began our journey in the Unicorn Cafe where Bill gave us a historical overview while we ate lunch. Once we all had a general understanding, we took some time to explore the main courtyard while waiting for our tour to begin. The inside of the Palace has two separate spaces, one for the king and one for the queen. It was really cool to be able to walk through each of the rooms and speak to the actors representing the different people who would have been in each of the chambers.  On the tour we learned that when Prince Henry was born, James VI did not think that the chapel that Queen Mary was crowned in was royal enough for Prince Henry’s christening so he rebuilt it in 1594.  In the early 1600s, Stirling became more of a military center rather than royal residence.

After the formal tour, we went to explore the back of the castle and the tapestry exhibition.  We met a very nice man in the exhibition who explained that Historic Scotland has commissioned seven hand-made tapestries to be hung in the Queen’s Inner Hall. Part of the exhibition room was set up as a studio for the weavers, and the other part explained the story of the Unicorn.

We concluded our day by walking through Stirling, admiring the beautiful town and eating together at Nicky-Tams.