By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
We left the magnificent town of Edinburgh after two days of strenuous uphill climbs to visit the Edinburgh Castle and to conduct epic sightseeing walks along the Royal Mile and further south onto the upper terraces of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Slipping into narrow, stone passageways, we discovered ancient, soot-covered buildings towering high above us filled with bell towers and intricately carved, solid oaks doors rising ten feet tall and higher. These resplendent buildings, courtyards, and gardens were filled with history and intrigue, taking us back into another place in time.
When I think about the history of places we visit and envision the people who kept them alive via hard work, an abundance of stamina, and pure survival instincts, I think of a line by English writer and researcher, Luke Kemp, when he said, “We will only march into collapse if we advance blindly. We are only doomed if we are unwilling to listen to the past.”
Sitting in our rental car, loaded with luggage and pure anticipation of what awaited us around the next bend in the road, we could see the silhouette of Edinburgh Castle growing smaller in the distance behind us.
Soon we would discover our new home for four days on a working sheep farm just south of Glasgow near the village of Uplawmoor. From ‘home base,’ we would conduct day trips to Wigtown, ‘Scotland’s National Book Town’ to the south, hiking trails near Loch Lomond in the Highlands to our north, and over to the hilltop town of Stirling located northeast of Glasgow and noted for its own ‘castle on the hill.’
Wondering if day-tripping to Stirling was a sound idea given that we’d recently discovered Edinburgh with its mighty castle in the sky, would seeing something so similar be worth the precious amount of time we had in Scotland? After some debate, the four of us piled into the car on our way to Stirling for the day.
Let’s just say....we were not disappointed with our decision.
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| OLD TOWN STIRLING |
We parked at the lower level of Old Town Stirling and meandered our way up the narrow, cobblestoned street of St. John leading up to Stirling Castle that loomed high above us but still out-of-sight. The walk was breathtakingly steep as we passed iconic buildings such as The Stirling Highland Hotel that was once a school and still boasts having a working observatory. The Stirling Old Town Jail sits just above the hotel and dates back to 1847 and features daily tours with enactments by local actors depicting the conditions there so many years ago.
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| STIRLING HIGHLAND HOTEL |
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| NAVIGATING SMALL, BRICK PATHS |
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| A FRIENDLY (?) FACE! |
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| ANCIENT PAVERS BENEATH OUR FEET |
As we circled in front of the jail, we came up to an ancient brick and mortar entrance (replete with black-painted gargoyles) that would usher us into one of the most amazing cemeteries that harbored many unique surprises. Old Town Cemetery rests just below Stirling Castle and features tombstones dating back into the late sixteen hundreds! Our vantage point from here was panoramic with Stirling city resting far below, Ben Vorlich rising high above Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park to the northwest, and Stirling Castle still out of sight but just around yet another cobblestoned bend in the road.
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| STIRLING CITY RESTING FAR BELOW |
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| STONE AND BRICK ENTRANCE TO CEMETERY |
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| GARGOYLES KEEPING WATCH |
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| LOOKING THROUGH THE GATE |
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| INTRICATE PATTERNS |
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| DOOR TO ANOTHER WORLD |
If you know me by now, you would understand how intrigued I can be by an amazing cemetery. Old Town Cemetery offered so many exceptional photo ops complete with ravens adorned in luscious purple/black feathers with their beady eyes guaranteed to stare right through you.
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| ROWS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT |
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"AND THE RAVEN, NEVER FLITTING,
STILL IS SITTING, STILL IS SITTING......." |
Apparently, Stirling Castle came in at a close second for all of us after experiencing the phenomenal views, cemetery delights, and magnificent old structures standing majestically on the hill dressed in their finest sooty attire and surrounded by colorful late September flowers and drifting autumn leaves.
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| LOOKING OFF TO THE NORTHWEST |
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| THE SUN CREATES PINK SKIES |
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| STIRLING CASTLE UP ON THE HILL |
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| A VORTEX WITHIN THE CEMETERY? |
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| THE SUN UPON MY SHOULDER |
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| LOOKING OUT AT BEN VORLICH |
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| CHAPEL WITHIN THE CEMETERY |
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LOOKING OUT TO THE SOUTHEAST
TOWARDS EDINBURGH |
We had worked up a healthy appetite by now given the trek up to the castle and the sharp wind that gave noses and cheeks a healthy rosy glow. We’d spied a charming whitewashed eatery catercorner from the main entrance to the cemetery called Hermanns and located on Broad Street. For twenty-six pounds sterling per couple, we feasted like kings and queens and, if truth be told, enjoyed one of the most delicious meals of our entire Scottish visit. I would return to Stirling again if only to enjoy the culinary delights offered by Hermanns.
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DELICIOUS FOOD SERVED WITH
ELEGANCE IN MIND |
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DESSERT WORTH WALKING
UPHILL FOR |
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| 'HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY HOME' |
After lunch, we launched our descent down Broad Street in search of our car.
With a bit of sadness in our hearts, we bid a cheery adieu to Stirling that crisp, sunny day in September, vowing to return one day, soon. For now, we were happy to know that someone was wishing us a safe journey home!
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COLORFUL FLOWERS
LINED OUR WAY |
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BORDER FLOWERS BRIGHTENED
A LATE SEPTEMBER DAY! |
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| A WELCOMING DOOR! |
Copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
Photo Copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
