Falkirk and Stirling, Scotland, Family fun in 24hrs

On our trip to Scotland we were looking forward to visiting Falkirk and Stirling. Although we were trying to have a slow holiday, we only had time for 1 night in Stirling and only a day trip to Falkirk.

We were reluctant to leave our castle. With last minute photos, we ended up leaving much later than we intended. We stopped off for a quick trip to the Great Polish Map of Scotland. This is a large ( 40m x 50m) concrete map of Scotland, built by Polish Soldiers in the 1970s on the grounds of the Barony Hotel. It was difficult to get the full experience as it wasn’t surrounded by water as it is in most pictures I have seen. The trip wasn’t a waste as there was a lovely walk to get there past a little bridge with a water wheel next to it.

• 

• 

Falkirk

Kelpies

Falkirk seemed like a good place to stop for lunch. The Kelpies are at the “Helix” which is a park around the canals. A Kelpie is a Scottish water horse. A mythical creature that has been known to lure people to their death in Scottish Lochs. Looming along side the highway is two, 30m sculptures of horses by Andy Scott, known as the Kelpies.

I have always loved horses and these sculptures were even more impressive up close. I have seen photos of them illuminated in different colours but even in the drizzling rain they looked beautiful.

There is a tour where you can go inside the horses but it was about an hour to the next tour so after taking tonnes of photos, we stopped for lunch in the souvenir shop/café/visitor centre. The visitor centre has a range of Kelpie inspired artwork including a replica made from Lego bricks. 

• 

• 

 Details

It is free to visit the Helix park and walk around the Kelpies. If you want to do the tour it is 7.50 GBP per adult but 2 children can visit free with each paid adult. Currently, these are on hold but when they restart it will be a great chance to see inside the Kelpies.

Falkirk wheel

The Falkirk Wheel is a circular loch that that joins the Forth & Clyde and Union canals two sections that were closed in the 1960s and roads built over them. You can pay to ride in the Canal boat and complete the circuit.

For those of you not familiar with canal systems and locks. Spending time in Birmingham I was able to learn about canals and Locks. When the water level changes in a canal there is usually a series of gates ( locks) that are opened and closed to change the water level and allow a canal boat to progress through sloped areas of land.

 At Falkirk the canal system was split due to the road being built when use of canals for transport declined. When the canal boats resumed there was a large section to try to link the upper canal to the lower one. Instead of trying to implement many locks the Falkirk wheel was opened in 2001. A Canal boat drives onto the top of the wheel and through displacement of water the wheel slowly turns to deposit the boat at the lower water level.

At the lower level there are also a few standard locks that we were able to observe the boats progressing though. In the past canals were used for transporting goods but they are now mostly for holiday tours.

It was quite interesting to watch and Miss 5 and Miss 7 found a water play area that kept them amused for most of our visit. It was very difficult to drag them away.

 Details

The water play area and watching the boats in the wheel is free. You can pay to take a circuit of the Falkirk wheel. My parents who were travelling with us paid 11 GBP as seniors for the experience.

Stirling Castle

For fans of the national animal of Scotland, The Unicorn, Stirling castle is the place for you. Stirling Castle is huge and a very impressive castle. There is so much to see and do including lots of activities for the kids.

There are huge unicorn tapestries on the walls and being the national animal of Scotland, they feature on the coat of arms all around the castle including over the fireplaces in some rooms.

The vaults

After walking through the entrance we headed for the Vaults as this was where most of the kid activities were. There was the chance to dress up in period costume, learn about court jesters and how they made different paints at the time. Each room had a different theme and there were lots of hands-on activities to explore.

Palace rooms

From the Vaults we walked via the “lady’s view” to the Palace rooms. Here we were able to stroll through very impressive rooms. They had huge fireplaces, tapestries on the walls and decorated ceilings. We toured the King’s chamber and the Queens inner hall where the majority of the Unicorns were.

• 

• 

We had limited time due to our stop off in Falkirk on the way so we toured around the battlements and a few towers but there were still other sections we weren’t able to explore. If we had more time, we could have returned the next day with our Historic Scotland pass to see the rest.

 Details:

We planned to visit quite a few castles and historic sites in Scotland so purchased a yearly membership to Historic Scotland. This gave us more access than the Historic Pass with a visit to  Stirling Castle, Edinburgh castle and one other we were able to recoup the costs. It also included reduced price parking in front of the castle and discounts at the gift shops.

The National Wallace Monument, Stirling

Our Airbnb was chosen so we could see the Wallace monument from the accommodation and it was only a 5-minute drive to get to the entrance. There was also a path you could take through the woods to the monument.

Abbey Craig

The Wallace monument sits at the top of Abbey Craig which is a volcanic rock that has been used for defence of the area around Stirling for centuries, there was known to be a fort on this site in the 7^th century.

There is an option to get a bus to the top of Abbey Craig where the monument is but we took the slower option of the nature trail which although quite steep has lots of sculptures to explore and rest stops along the way.  The walk takes about 15-20 minutes. There are also 2 longer trails you can explore that give views over Stirling in all directions.

At the top of the trail, you come to the monument itself ( all 67m of it). Built between 1861 and 1869, it is one of 20 monuments to William Wallace throughout Scotland. Wallace Monument celebrated its 150 year anniversary in 2019.

Sir William Wallace

 For those of you not familiar with Sir William Wallace a little background. He is known as the guardian of Scotland after leading Scotland to Victory over the English at the battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. Wallace wanted independence from the English and was able to unite the Scottish Clans to fight together. Contributing to his legend was his betrayal to the English and subsequent torturous execution. 

He was known as Braveheart and there is a movie roughly based on his life starring Mel Gibson in the 1990’s. When I visited The Wallace Monument on a previous trip there was a statue that had been donated that looked a lot like Mel Gibson rather than the more imposing traditional images of William Wallace.

The Wallace Monument

Mr OTC and the girls stayed downstairs in the “Keepers Lodge” which is free to visit. I paid to climb the 246 narrow winding stairs to get to the top. If you are not steady on your feet or have children who are not likely to be careful you might be best avoiding them.

The rooms along the way have lots of history about William Wallace and different displays including his sword which is as tall as me. Each level has a different theme. The Hall of Heroes with stone busts of famous Scottish men (and now 2 women recently added), the hall of Arms (where the Wallace sword is). The Royal chamber provides more information about the Battle of Stirling Bridge and finally The Crown

It was a beautiful sunny day- unusual in Scotland so the view from the crown was amazing. You can see back towards the castle and all around the surrounding area. There are engraved information panels that help you to locate the surrounding features.

Then the Souvenir shop at the tower and also at the lower entrance to the trail had all the Scottish and William Wallace themed merchandise you could need. Including Braveheart bear lollipops that were very popular with the girls. Although they did turn their tongues bright blue.

Details

The Wallace monument has reopened to visitors on the 1^st of September. Post-Covid it is now essential to pre-book a timeslot to visit the monument. They are currently booking slots via their website. Reservations are available for up to 6 people every 20 minutes during the day.

Tickets at time of Publication for a family pass of 2 adults and 2 children is 28.25.GBP A single adult ticket is 10.75GBP

Other activities

The Battle of Bannockburn experience

Another activity in Stirling that is highly recommended is the Battle of Bannockburn experience. (A national trust property). We ran out of time to do it. My parents who were also travelling around Scotland said it was an amazing interactive experience. It is a very loud dark and at times violent experience so is probably better for older children.

The Battle of Bannockburn also occurred in Stirling and was very important in Scottish history. The fight for the Scottish was lead by King Robert the Bruce in 1314. This battle was another successful battle against the English.

 Details

Battle of Bannockburn experience has to be booked for set times. A family pass at the time of publication is 20 GBP or free with National Trust membership.

Where to stay

Craigton Farm Airbnb

Stirling was our first Airbnb so we were a bit unsure of what to expect. We stayed in an old farmhouse called Craigton Farm. Although we booked 2 rooms, they were not on the same level. We all ended up sharing the one room which was a bit cosy. We used the other room for our bags.

The breakfast in the morning was amazing. So much to eat and delicious. It was nice to have our own area to hang in the evening and have breakfast in the morning.

 Where to eat

We thought we would be able to find somewhere to eat driving around Stirling. Unfortunately, there were not many restaurants around the Stirling centre. It was also almost impossible to find a park in the town centre. Our Airbnb hosts recommended the Birds and Bees. We would never have found it if they hadn’t suggested it. The restaurant was was on a back street with open fields opposite.

Luckily, we could get in without a reservation. The atmosphere was great with all sorts of interesting things to look at around the walls. We really enjoyed the food. If we were staying longer, we would have probably been like the people behind us, booking a reservation for the next night.

Falkirk and Stirling will be included again on our next trip to Scotland. 24 hours was only long enough to scratch the surface. As with most places we visited in Scotland everywhere you go you find more you want to explore.