Stirling Castle
One of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, perched on a volcanic crag with sheer cliffs on three sides. The restored Renaissance royal palace inside is the highlight.
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Hidden gems in Stirling & Central
The old gateway between Highlands and Lowlands
For centuries, whoever held Stirling held Scotland — it sits at the lowest bridging point of the Forth, the pinch between the Highlands and the Lowlands. Two of the country's decisive battles were fought within sight of the castle. Today it's a compact, walkable region that most visitors drive straight through on the way north.
Slow down. Here's what's here, and who's trading in it.
Local businesses
Independent businesses in Stirling & Central
This region is just getting started.
We're still building out this region.
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Map
Map of Stirling & Central
The towns and landmarks of this region. Business pins appear here as listings are added.
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Towns & villages
Where to look in Stirling & Central
Places worth slowing down for in this region. We don't have listings in any of them yet — if you trade in one, you can be the first.
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Stirling Old Town
The steep street running up to the castle, lined with historic buildings and independent shops.
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Bridge of Allan
A Victorian spa town with a genuinely good independent high street.
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Dunblane
A small cathedral city on the Allan Water.
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Doune
A village with a famously photogenic medieval castle and a river walk.
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Falkirk
Home to the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel — big-ticket engineering in an unassuming town.
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Landmarks
The famous bits
Worth seeing in their own right, and a good way to get your bearings in the region.
The National Wallace Monument
A Victorian Gothic tower on Abbey Craig, built to commemorate William Wallace and holding what is said to be his sword. 246 steps up a spiral stair to a view over the Forth valley and the Ochils.
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The Kelpies
Two 30-metre steel horse heads standing at the eastern end of the Forth and Clyde Canal in Falkirk — Andy Scott's tribute to the working horses that once hauled barges. Free to visit and lit at night.
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The Falkirk Wheel
The world's only rotating boat lift, opened in 2002 to reconnect the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. You can ride it, and the engineering is far stranger in person than in photographs.
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Doune Castle
A remarkably complete 14th-century courtyard castle above the River Teith, familiar to viewers of Monty Python and Outlander. The great hall and its timber roof are the highlight.
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Bannockburn
The site of Robert the Bruce's decisive 1314 victory over Edward II, a couple of miles south of Stirling. The visitor centre uses a 3D re-creation of the battle rather than a field of interpretation boards.
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