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Christmas Eve we took a train out to Stirling. We got a bit of a late start; it got light so late in Edinburgh that we ended up sleeping later than we should. At 8am it was still pretty dark; by 9am it was mostly light but still not completely. Living there would drive me nuts in the winter, I think.

Last time we were in Stirling we saw the castle, but we didn't have time to get out to the Wallace Monument. So this time we arrived around 11:30 and walked to the monument. Sort of. We weren't sure exactly how to get there, and we didn't exactly take the direct route. We did get there eventually, after seeing a bit more of the countryside than was strictly necessary.

Here are some shots of the monument as we tried to get near it:

The monument had a good exhibit about William Wallace; I think I've finally got him and Robert the Bruce sorted. We climbed the 246 steps of the spiral staircase to the top and looked around for a bit, but it was *really* cold up there. Great view, though; I can see why Wallace chose that spot from which to launch his attack on the English when they crossed Stirling Bridge.

Some details of the monument.

Here's Stirling Castle seen from the top of the monument.

And some more views:

This is the bridge where Wallace defeated the English.

...and me standing by the bridge:

We had a quick lunch at the monument, then walked back into town--it turned out to be not far at all, once we knew where we were going--and caught the 3:06 back to Edinburgh; Marks & Spencer's food hall was closing at 5:00, and we needed to do some shopping.

Matt was amused to find a store named after him:

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