Stirling Castle is one of Scotland’s most impressive castles due to its imposing position and impressive architecture. From Stirling Castle , visitors can take in views of the Forth Valley and two of Scotland’s most important battle sites – Stirling Bridge (1297) and Bannockburn (1314). Throughout the Wars of Independence with England (1296–1356), Stirling was hotly fought over and changed hands frequently. Stirling Castle is not only one of Scotland’s grandest and most imposing castles, it was also a real favourite with Scotland’s Stewart kings and queens. James IV created the Great Hall, the largest medieval banqueting hall ever built in Scotland, and James V’s Royal Palace, with its lavishly decorated Renaissance façades, was a masterpiece of the period. Mary Queen of Scots lived in the castle as a child . The refurbishment of the Great Hall was completed ten years ago . A unique feature is stained glass windows featuring clan crests .

Bannockburn is the scene of one of the greatest battles in the Wars of Independence. Robert the Bruce defeated a much larger English army and took a decisive step towards victory in the Wars of Independence . Robert the Bruce completed the mission that William Wallace had started - to achieve the independence of Scotland. After Robert Bruce killed Sir Henry de Bohun on the first day of the battle, the English withdrew for the day. Sir Alexander Seton, a Scottish noble serving in Edward's army, defected to the Scottish side and informed King Robert of the English camp's low morale, telling him they could win. Robert Bruce decided to launch a full-scale attack on the English forces the next day and to use his schiltrons as offensive units, as he had trained them. This was a strategy his predecessor William Wallace had not employed. The English army was defeated in a pitched battle which resulted in the deaths of commanders, including the Earl of Gloucester and Sir Robert Clifford

The Wallace Monument is Scotland’s national monument to the memory of William Wallace . The monument is a tower with panoramic views of Stirling and the Forth Valley . The top of the tower can be reached by a spiral staircase .

Old Stirling Bridge is the scene of William Wallace's greatest victory over the English army in the Wars of Independence. William Wallace in May 1297, when he killed Sir William Haselrig, the English sheriff of Lanark September 1297, Scottish forces, under the joint command of Andrew Moray and Wallace, met the Earl of Surrey's army, at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The Scottish army deployed to the north-east of the bridge, and let Surrey's army cross the bridge before attacking. The English cavalry proved ineffective on the boggy ground around the bridge, and many of them were killed.