Tourists in Stirling.

---

Spoiler alert. I'm not dead or dying.

Some how my 'life saving' medication ran out this morning and whereas I though I had another box I didn't. The box was simply aspirin and not the real thing. So here I am in a strange city (well Stirling isn't that strange really) without my medication. Pleading my innocent tourist story failed miserably at 2 pharmacies and I thought I would need to make an appointment with a GP (is my life worth that much?) or go spend the next eternity at the local A and E hospital. Neither option appealed. I ended up at a clinic in the city and the receptio and doctor treated me as an emergency case, prescribed medication as required and did not charge anything. Moreover even the script is free in Scotland so what seemed to be a bit of an intractable problem turned out to be a little adventure into the NHS and one with a happy ending.

Then it's off to Stirling Castle. A fortress for over 500 years and a history and story as good as any. Stirling was super important as a route, and almost the only route, between southern and northern Scotland. Once upon a time rivers were major impediments to travel and as such the bridge here was strategically important for centuries. I think the castle changed hands between English and Scottish rulers 8 times in less than 10 years. Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots.... and heaps of big names are associated with the castle. The Battle of Bannockburn was really about control of Stirling Castle. The castle looks terrific but would look even more impressive if Robert the Bruce hadn't knocked half it down after (yes after) he had recaptured it. He knocked down 2 of the 4 entrance towers and continued to knock half off the top of the 2 that remained. It's said that he had ruined more Scot castles than the English. It was part of his scorched earth policy. So that the castles etc. could never be used against them again. Strange policy! Inside the castle much restoration has been undertaken and the ceilings and tapest are magnificent. The colours are vibrant and rich because the work was only completed in 2014 so they are unlike the usual old, pale and weathered examples we are accustomed viewing. The kitchens similarly were recreated and looked really good. We both thought this one of the best castles we had seen and we were impressed.

I went off to Bannockburn to view the Battle of Bannockburn site. Bannockburn and Stirling have urbanised enough today to be a continuous suburb but in 1314 it was the scene of a bloody battle where no quarter was asked or given. It was reported that the Bannock Burn (stream/river) was so littered with dead bodies that fleeing troops could cross by walking on those bodies so their feet would not even get wet! The centre there has an excellent 3D movie and then it has some interactive images which enable you to gain insights into the weapon are, armour, tactics etc of both armies. After becoming an instant expert in combat you are placed around an interactive battlefield and placed in charge of several divisions of archers, cavalry or infantrymen. This time the English were victorious,a very different result from 1314. It sort of shows though how much the tactics of the commander, the terrain, the weather and the idiosyncrasies of some of the rulers, knights etc influence the battle. The battle lasted 2 days which is most uncommon for those times where battles were often over in 2 hours. The loss of life was horrendous but it was a major turning point for Scottish independence. Robert the Bruce came out of it pretty well although he was by no means an angel having murdered his direct competitor for the throne after agreeing to meet under terms of a truce. He did fare better than William Wallace though. Below is a Wikipedia account of his demise. Have a read, it is illuminating. ...then stripped naked and dragged through the city at the heels of a horse to the Elms at Smithfield. He was hanged, drawn and quartered — strangled by hanging, but released while he was still alive, emasculated, eviscerated and his bowels burned before him, beheaded, then cut into four parts. His preserved head (dipped in tar) was placed on a pike atop London Bridge. It was later joined by the heads of the brothers, John and Simon Fraser. His limbs were displayed, separately, in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling, and Perth.

I went to visit the moment to William Wallace, who around here is very big. There's Wallace this and that everywhere and his monument does dominate the skyline wherever you are in the city. It's best viewed anywhere but right at the monument! It's too tall to really get a photo of it and really it's best to view it from a few miles away. There's some interesting stone work (the rope knot) on the monument and if you get there early enough after walking up the hill you could walk the 246 steps to the top. I wasn early enough!

Good Indian food tonight but not cheap (that's Stirling, I think. Good but not cheap).

Tomorrow it's the Falkirk Wheel. What's the Falkirk Wheel, I hear you say? Stay tuned.

---