24 hours in Stirling

Charles Douglas takes us round the essentials of this medieval city.

Clustered around its medieval old town and castle, today's Stirling has a great deal to offer, not only for shoppers, providing such diversions as the colourful Stirling Arcade, but for holidaymakers and visitors intent on exploring the city's pivotal role in the great sweep of Scotland's narrative.

However, I can remember a time, not so very long ago, when Stirling could barely boast a restaurant or hotel of note. All that has changed now with a veritable cornucopia of choice, remarkable for a citywhich, although officially designated a city, is smaller than many of Scotland's larger towns.

Within the centre of Stirling today there are now the classy Stirling Highland, Stirling Golden Lyon and Stirling Terraces hotels, and in suburbs such as Bannockburn, and further afield at Bridge of Allan, there is a superlative range of hostelries, guest houses and bed and breakfasts to choose from, not to mention the elegant Cromlix House at Kinbuck.

Moreover, Stirling restaurants now range from the traditional to the full quota of ethnic cuisines.

Being essentially a market town and therefore catering for all of the surrounding countryside, there is additionally a wide range of retail activity on offer, such as is to be found within the Stirling Arcade. Designed and built by a china merchant and Town Councillor between 1881 and 1882, it cost him the princely sum of £20,000 Stretching from Murray Place, a few steps from the railway station, to King Street at the foot of Castle Rock...

To read the rest of this article you can do any of the following.

• By : Charles Douglas
• In : Scotland Escapes
• Issue : 51
• Page : 46
• Words : 1,571