Starting at Stirling Castle
Many of our private tours begin, or end, at the amazing medieval Stirling Castle. Only one hour from our capital city of Edinburgh, it is an ideal visit to begin a tour to the west coast of Scotland or as a final farewell after many magnificent days touring in the north Highlands.
Some of our guests might also visit Stirling Castle on their own, the day before their tour begins in Stirling. This is exactly what one of our guests, Steve and Laurel did and that allowed Steve to take his time and enjoy exploring this extremely photogenic Scottish castle.
Enjoying the Queen Anne gardens
The best place to begin a visit to Stirling Castle is the Queen Anne gardens. Although they are always spectacular in the summer, they are beautiful any time of year. This is one of the best places to view the sculptures which decorate the Royal Palace which was built by King James V, as a wedding present for his wife, Marie de Guise.
Within the gardens is the excellent exhibition which explains the timeline and rich history of the Castle for visitors to understand how important this place was over many centuries.
Enjoy exploring the Royal Palace where Mary Queen of Scots lived as a young child, and from where her mother Mary de Guise, would have ruled Scotland as Regent, in her absence in the late 1560's. The Royal apartments have been richly restored so that we can see how they would have been in those days as a favourite royal residence.
The historic characters who roamed the castle are always delighted with the questions visitors like to ask them and particularly enjoy explaining their own role in the life of a busy castle.
Chapel Royal
This Chapel Royal was built in 1594 for the baptism of Prince Henry, the son and heir of James VI. It was the last Royal building at the Castle. James VI left Scotland in 1603 when he also became King of England, and he was eventually succeeded by his younger son, Charles I.
The frieze you see today was revealed again when the Chapel was restored in the 1990's. It was painted in 1628 in the hope of a visit to Scotland of King James VI and I. Today the Chapel Royal is a peaceful place within the Castle and stunning weddings and other special events are often held there.
Stirling Castle has been voted the favourite place to visit in the UK and many of our private tour guests completely agree with that! Thank you Steve Manke for sharing your tour photos with us!
Church of the Holy Rude
It is hard to imagine there may be a hidden gem tucked away beside the magnificent Stirling Castle BUT the stunning Church of the Holy Rude is just that. Although many 100,000 tourists walk past within two minutes of this special place, most are unaware of the story within.
Medieval worship
This amazing church which is the size of a small cathedral has witnessed much of the important milestones in Scottish history. The story is well told in this new exhibition and also by the guides within the church. Mary Queen of Scots worshipped here in her own small chapel. Her son, James VI, was baptosed here and then a few short months later was crowned King of Scotland when his mother abdicated.
The church has a special air of peace which was not the case during the 1600's un until 1932 when the stone wall which had divided the church for 300 years was finally torn down and the congregations were united.
Today the church is open all summer for visitors, events are held throughout the year, and the Cowanes Hospital across the courtyard offers a welcome coffee and refreshment, either inside, or out on the terrace. The church holds regular services of worship and is still an active place of worship in Stirling https://www.churchoftheholyrude.co.uk/
