Oor national beast!

Don't you just love the fact that Scotland's national beast is a mythical unicorn? It tickles me every time. This one is on top of the Great Hall of Stirling Castle.
We woke up to haar this morning, and yes my washing was still wet! Having looked at the forecast we decided to bring in the washing at lunchtime and head west. Stirling was forecast to have bright sunshine and clear skies so that is where we went.
I'm ashamed to say that I have never before been to Stirling Castle. The sun was shining, I braved the Stirling's lovely old roads and road closures and was delighted to wend my way up through the town to the car park at the castle. I was even more delighted to find that my Historic Scotland membership meant parking was only £2 and of course the entry was free, including a comprehensive audio guide.
I loved the castle - the displays; the history; the stories and the views. The long distance view from the castle in the collage goes straight to the Wallace Monument on the right of the dark hill in the distance. The domestic scene is in the Great Kitchens which have displayd in reduced lighting of a working kitchen (the lighting there could have been slightly better, but that's a small criticism). There were staff members in period costumes in various parts of the castle who worked very hard at engaging visitors - one little girl was very excited to be asked to use an old broom to sweep under the Queen's bed!
There are lovely gardens in the castle, great views including the old burial grounds outside. There were plenty of picnic benches in various places to sit and relax. One of the other advantages of membership is the 20% discount on the shops and cafe.
The extra is of a notice set in the gunpowder stores outside the main castle area. The instructions to be read then read aloud to the soldiers made me smile.
If you haven't been, go -it was a lovely day out and much less formal than Edinburgh Castle was last time I went. It was very friendly and welcoming, staff all greeted us as we passed and said goodbye as we left . The sun shone for most of the day too!