Why You Need to Visit the Fascinating Stirling Castle

Last updated: 11 July 2023

This week’s post is all about our visit to Stirling Castle during our Scottish Road Trip Weekend

If you follow us on social media then you’re probably aware that we love a good road trip and love exploring history. Well, to be honest, I’m the one who LOVES history while Roma enjoys exploring somewhere new and accepts my love for bygone eras….which is exactly how we ended up in Stirling Castle.

Just a little history (I promise)

The first mention of Stirling Castle, sitting high atop the Castle Hill rock formation, was in the 12th century.  Stirling Castle as we know it today was constructed between the late 15th and 16th century.

Stirling Castle is considered an important part of Scottish history. Not only was it home to various kings and queens throughout history, it was the location where Mary, Queen of Scots spent a considerable amount of her life, including during her coronation in 1542.

Old Mary had quite a life though. She reigned Scotland for 25 years, had three husbands, one of which was her cousin and died in mysterious circumstances, rumours persist about him being knocked off by her third husband James Hepburn.  Life tends to come in waves, good and bad.  However things didn’t get any better for Mary, following an uprising she was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle and forced to abdicate the throne to her 1-year old son.  She fled south to England seeking asylum where she was imprisoned and subsequently executed for the Babington Plot, a plan to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I in 1586!

– And you thought you were having a bad day!

Why Go?

You can’t visit Stirling and not visit the historic Castle, after all it IS the number one thing to do on TripAdvisor. A monument of national significance and one of the best preserved castles in Europe. It is a definite must visit when in Scotland.

Your single entry ticket into Stirling Castle gives you access to not only The Royal Palace but also to The Great Hall and to Argyll’s Lodging which means that there is plenty to explore during your visit.

Here’s what you can expect from your visit:

The Royal Palace

The Royal Palace can be best described as a time machine as it whisks you back to the 16th century and provides an informative experience for visitors to walk through the grand and ornate rooms and experience what life was like for the Kings and Queens of Scotland.

If you like to see your history come alive then you’ll enjoy talking to the costumed characters who are very keen to provide detailed information to the many visitors. It does feel a little odd approaching them but they are than happy to share their keen insider knowledge of The Royal Palace.

The Great Hall

The Great Hall was completed in 1503 for King James IV and was the largest banqueting hall ever created in Scotland which could fit 500 people! From the moment you walk in you can tell it must have been truly breathtaking during its heyday.

At the entrance of the Great Hall is a small information board which tells the story of the incredible feast which took place in the hall in 1594 to celebrate the baptism of King James VI’s son, Prince Henry. A 5 metre long ship with fully rigged brass guns was WHEELED into the hall to serve the fish course! That must have been SPECTACULAR! My imagination is still captured by it.

At the end of the Great Hall was where the King and Queen would have sat overlooking the festivities, all the while being kept warm by five large fireplaces. This was pretty easy to visualise because an interactive display was set up whereby visitors could sit in the throne and have their photo taken.

I guess it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see who leapt at the chance to be Queen for a Day…

You may have noticed that the colour of the outside walls of the Great Hall are a rich orange, this is actually Royal Gold render and is how it would have looked during during the 16th century.

Located under The Great Hall is an accessible tunnel which has a series of information boards detailing the history of the castle. This is definitely worth visiting because there’s plenty of interesting facts to learn however be prepared to stand your ground against the waves of visitors in close quarters.  

The Chapel Royal

Outside the The Great Hall in the courtyard you will notice a relatively non-descript building, this is the Royal Chapel.

It was one of the first Protestant buildings in Scotland, hence its modest appearance, and was constructed in only seven months on the order of King James VI for the sole purpose of having his son, Prince Henry, baptised there.

The Great Kitchens

The Great Kitchens are located outside near The Great Hall and is quite the experience for visitors because the amount of detail used to recreate the bustling and crowded kitchens which can only be described as first-rate.

We walked into the dark subterranean kitchens and were met with large tables full of food (it was either plastic or wax) and models of the kitchen staff busy at work cooking sumptuous meals for the royal court.

One of the most interesting facts that I learned during our visit to the kitchen was that kitchen work was mostly a man’s domain.

The Castle Walls

If your head starts to spin with all the history you can learn during your visit then there’s no better time to head outside to the castle walls and take a short walk and get some fresh air. We enjoyed talking a stroll along the existing castle walls and admired the view. 

Murder Most Foul

You can’t have a grand historic Scottish castle without a grisly murder story and there is none more grisly than the murder of William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas at the hands of King James II on the 22nd February 1452.

William was stabbed 26 times and his body was thrown through a castle window into the garden below.

Argyll’s Lodging

Located outside the castle is Argyll’s Lodging, a 17th century townhouse built for a nobleman who served the royal court, and provides insight into what life was life during that time period. The name, Argyll’s Lodging, is named after one of the largest and most powerful Highland Scottish Clans – the Campbells of Argyll (Clan Campbell).

Russell Recommends…

OK, here’s the thing… Roma and I have spent the last couple of years enjoying travel during the off season which usually means less people, less waiting, and generally a less stressful visit. Our visit to Stirling Castle wasn’t exactly one of those stress-free visits.

Welcome to the world of visiting a popular castle during school holidays. There were people everywhere.

So, my first recommendation is if you do visit during school holidays or during the height of summer then spend a bit of time in your car mentally preparing yourself for the crowds. Prepare for people standing just a tad too close to you, people standing in front of you whilst you’re reading an information board, and some people aimlessly walking through your photos without a care in the world.

Close your eyes. Breathe in, breathe out. Imagine a blue dot. Keep focusing on that blue dot and keep breathing. Ready. Open your eyes.

My second tip is to make sure that you either pay the extra £3 for the audio guide or take part in the free (included in the ticket price) guided tours that run on the hour between 10am and 5pm. Stirling Castle has a rich history to share and without the guided tour/audio guide then you will miss out on some great information.

My third recommendation is really less about the Castle and more about the Scottish weather, we encountered 4 seasons during our 2 hour visit and there wasn’t much cover from the rain so be prepared! As Roma has taught me over the years, it’s all about the layers. It’s your call but I’d recommend either an umbrella, poncho, and rain-proof jacket.  

Getting There

Walking

Stirling Castle, like all good castles, is located on prime real estate high above the city centre which means that if you park in the Old Town then you have a bit of a trek uphill to reach it. What you and I consider a trek may differ but it’s definitely uphill so pack some comfortable walking shoes.

Driving

The good news is that Stirling Castle has private parking located at the entrance at the reasonable price of £4.

When we first arrived in town and started looking for parking, we did notice that there was a Parking Full sign at the car park entrance so we decided to drive around the Old Town trying to find street parking. After circling three times we had enough and took our chances in the Castle car park. Success! It turned out that there was plenty of parking onsite so maybe that sign was put out earlier in the day. Either way, I’d recommend that you head straight to the car park first and save your sanity instead of driving around on cobbled streets trying to find a space.

Ticket Prices

• Adult: £15
• Concession: £12
• Child (5-15): £9
• Member: Free

Note: We used our English Heritage membership for entry which saved us £30!

Operating  Hours

Summer

1st April – 30th September 09:30am – 6pm (last entry 5:15pm)

Winter

1st October – 31st March 09:30am – 5pm (last entry 4:15pm)

Closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. January 1st is open reduced hours from 11am to 5pm with normal hours from January 2nd

Have you been to Stirling Castle?

Do you want to go and explore some Scottish history?

Tell us in the comments below