Stirlingshire 3 Stirling - Cowanes Hospital/The Church of the Holy Rood/The Park and Ride

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Gabby the Motorhome was just arriving at the Park and Ride in Stirling. We had left the overnight stop at The Wheel and had to make the decision where to go next . It was not far to Stirling and it seemed to offer just what we were looking for . We had researched the Park and Ride and it seemed to be perfect . We could park Gabby up and get into the city easily . There was plenty of room and we had been able to source tickets on the internet for the castle . Another free entry as it was Historic Scotland which we could visit courtesy of our Cadw card. The sun was shining and there seemed a great deal to see and do.

The car park did not have barriers and was virtually empty. We could count the cars on one hand . A large number of the parking spots were covered with shades which in turn were covered with solar panels . Many of the car park spaces were served with electrical charge points for cars. We commented to each other just how good the car park was . Shame it did not allow overnight stops . We walked over to the manned office . We had thought it would cost us £1.30 each way to travel to Stirling but it was free. Another win for us . There was nothing to complain about at all. The bus turned up and we popped our masks on and climbed on board . We asked the driver to tell us the best stop for the castle . He drove through the housing estates , up into the new town and then up the cobbled streets of the Old Town . The sound of the cobbles reminded me of Belgium . De Dum De Dum De Dum . He pulled up and shouted "This is your stop".

We climbed down the steps , thanked him and he drove off . The old town was empty . We had the streets to ourselves . The buildings were blackened with age . All had stepped roofs and some round towers . The hotels were housed in old schools . Education had been a big thing in Scotland . Its universities rivalled anything abroad . Young boys could study the classics and languages . The Church of the Holy Rood was ancient . Sadly it did not open until 11 am . The church was built in 1129 by David I but the present church had been remodelled in the 15th Century. James VI had been crowned King of Scotland here . Mary Queen of Scots had worshipped in the church and John Knox had preached the sermon at the coronation of James . The graveyard behind stretched across the hill . It was an historic graveyard with many large monuments . One under glass looked different to the rest . A white angel dominated it and two children were under the angels wings . The gravestones dated back to the 1600's. The Star Pyramid dominated the corner . I walked around the cemetery and then back down to the old street below .

We sat on a bench in front of the The Boys Club built in 1929 . Down a side road was Cowanes Hospital . It was undergoing repairs and closed . The honey coloured building looked strangely out of place amongst the blackened stone of everything else around it . The building was home to Scotlands second oldest functioning charity . It provides help and support to those elderly , having ill health , disability , financial hardship or any other disadvantage through the provision of housing and special needs . John Cowane was also known as Auld Staney Breeks was a wealthy Stirling merchant and Dean of the Merchant Guild . He left funds for the almshouses and the maintenance of 13 elderly members . The building had been used a s Guildhall for the members to meet and dine . The towns affairs were dominated from this building . The building had also been a schoolhouse , a hospital , a concert hall and meeting place. John Cowane is remembered through the statue placed on the front of the building .

Next door was Scotlands oldest bowling green. We walked from the hospital up to the castle . It was not yet opened . The young man on the gate welcomed us and said that he thought it opened at either 9,30 or 10 and that he would check . He chased after us , caught us up and explained it would be open by 9.45 and we should get a coffee.

There was plenty to see outside the castle . A monument to Robert the Bruce , wonderful views across the city towards the Wallace Monument on the hill in the distance . It was time for coffee . Hand washing first , shown to a table , instructions to leave our cups on the table after we finished . It felt safe ,. Masks on whilst we ordered our coffee. We fell into conversation with the lady serving us . She liked the fact that we were Welsh . She asked if we were supporting England or Scotland in the Euro match . She smiled when we said Scotland of course until such time as Scotland played Wales when we could not possibly support anyone else but Wales . She laughed and left us to drink our coffee and continue with her work . Once finished it was time to see the castle and what it had to offer .

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