Stirling, Scotland (Day 3)

First thing in the morning, we took the bus from our hotel to the car rental place. Both of us were a bit nervous about the driving, but we did it. We got the car and drove about an hour out of Edinburgh to Stirling.

Doesn't driving on the wrong side and being on the opposite side of the car look fun?

Our first stop was the William Wallace Monument.

(You can see the monument right behind me.)

We parked at the base of the monument and had some coffee before we walked up. The walk was really easy, but getting to the top of the monument was crazy! It had a spiral staircase with about 150 (VERY SMALL) steps. There were three different levels inside with lots of information on William Wallace. 

This was the view from the very top:

It was gorgeous up there. Both of us would have loved to sit up there for awhile, but the wind seriously knocked you over.

We both really loved the monument. Both the inside and the outside were just great. 

We grabbed lunch before we headed to Stirling Castle. We were a bit confused with the GPS on getting to Stirling Castle, but we finally got there. 

 (Luke wanted a picture of the car.)

Stirling Castle is up to the left of where the car is parked and our little Bed and Breakfast is down the road behind the car about a mile. 

The tree picture is shot from the castle grounds overlooking the area. 

I can't remember who, but one King had a ship brought in this room for his guests to dine off of. The room looks small in the picture, but is was pretty large. 

This picture was taken from a guard viewpoint. It overlooks the cemetery and Stirling town.

Overall, we enjoyed Stirling Castle but it wasn't our favorite. It was definitely more commercialized. Different rooms had different set-ups with stuffed people portraying life at the castle. After seeing a few castles, Luke and I realized that we definitely like the castles that are remote and just wild. 

After the castle, we went to Castlecroft (our Bed and Breakfast). We didn't know what to expect, but it was great. We were quickly checked in and offered refreshments. We sat in a nice living room and relaxed drinking french press coffee and eating these AMAZING caramel shortbread cookie things.

After that, we headed to the River House for dinner. It was supposed to be a nicer restaurant (recommended in Frommer's and by the Bed and Breakfast) and it was very nice. We enjoyed ourselves. 

(The restaurant overlooked this small lake/pond.)

We crashed when we got back to Castlecroft.