June 2018 - Stirling
There were a few things we wanted to see in the area around Stirling. We started with Stirling castle, of course, and then went over to Falkirk to see the Falkirk wheel for transporting boats up the canal. A must-stop place for us was the remnants of the Antonine wall, the northern-most border of the Roman empire. Another must-stop was Doune castle, which was used in filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail. At Doune, we were able to visit: the French castle, Swamp Castle, the castle from the opening scene, and Castle Anthrax.
There were a few things we wanted to see in the area around Stirling. We started with Stirling castle, of course, and then went over to Falkirk to see the Falkirk wheel for transporting boats up the canal. A must-stop place for us was the remnants of the Antonine wall, the northern-most border of the Roman empire. Another must-stop was Doune castle, which was used in filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail. At Doune, we were able to visit: the French castle, Swamp Castle, the castle from the opening scene, and Castle Anthrax.
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| The Stirling castle | The main building inside the castle | |
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| A great line of cannons | Looking across Stirling towards the Wallace monument | |
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| Lovely windows in the chapel | The Queen's throne room, with some great tapestries | |
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| The castle garden | ||
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| The Falkirk wheel, mid transfer | A pair of swan babies in the water at the wheel | |
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| The kelpies alongside the freeway | Driving stick on the wrong side of the road | |
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| The Antonine Wall, making its mark on the Scottish countryside for 2,000 years. | Defense pits (Lilia) | Looking beyond the wall to barbarian lands |
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| History aside, a really peaceful, lovely place | Doune Castle | Great castle walls |
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| Inside the courtyard | ||
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| Pretty cool miniature gargoyles | The great hall | |
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| The dining room, featuring a jack-and-jill fireplace | The French castle | |
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| The French castle | Lancelot at Swamp Castle | The castle from the opening scene (it's actually a different side of the castle in the movie, but that side was covered in scaffolding and this one looks the same except the windows). |
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| Castle Anthrax (actually looking through the other direction, but the right windows) |