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Wallace Monument

Stirling Scotland

Also known as the National Wallace Monument

This is a 19th century hilltop tower, that is both a topic for photography and a high vantage point to take photographs from.

The 220 foot sandstone Victorian gothic tower stands on the summit of Abbey Craig, a hilltop near Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates William Wallace, the 13th century Scottish hero and freedom fighter, (1267-1305). It was erected after a public collection although a lot of the funds for it come from overseas sources. It opened in 1869.

It is open to the general public. Visitors climb the 246 step spiral staircase to the viewing gallery inside the monument's crown, which provides expansive views of the Ochil Hills and the Forth Valley. On the way up there are three chambers to explore as well as recover ready for the next flight of stairs.


  See here for Picture Details

From the base of the monument some panoramic views are available, but you need to make the climb to the top to get the full effect.

The third floor contains a 360° diorama showing the history of the surrounding landscape. On the viewing platform above you get to see some of the finest views in Scotland, over the town of Stirling and the Forth Valley, as far as the Forth bridges in the East and Ben Lomond in the West.

A number of artefacts said to have belonged to Wallace are on display inside the monument, including the Wallace Sword, a 5foot 4inch long claymore.

So who was Wallace

In 1296, Edward I of England invaded Scotland and the Scottish Wars of Independence began. William Wallace began a guerrilla campaign against the English and became known as the hammer and scourge of the English. On 11th September, 1297, the Scots defeated the English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

After defeat at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, Wallace was betrayed and captured. He was hanged, drawn and quartered in London in 1305, and has since become a symbol for Scotland and Freedom.

The controversial statue

In 1997 a statue was placed in the Wallace memorial car park. However rather then representing Wallace in the same way as other images, it was made to look like Mel Gibson who played him in the film Braveheart. There was a campaign to have it removed due to its lack of authenticity, it has a since had several attacks of vandalism and become damaged. It has since been advertised for sale at one point for £350,000 but no one was interested. The statue has the word Freedom across its base, but some say it is now encased in a cage for protection.


Planning Grid

Location:

Wallace Monument,  Stirling Scotland

Grid Reference

NS808957

Map Link:

Multimap

Getting there:

Located just outside Stirling - and is signposted from the City Centre and from the A91.

Access:

There is a shuttle bus which runs from the visitor centre car park beside the Sword Hotel, to the top of the Abbey Craig.

Parking:

Free car parking

Facilities:

Coffee shop, Picnic area, Souvenir gift shop, audio tour

Things To Do, See and Photograph:

Monument, views

What to take:

Whatever you take, remember you have 246 steps on a spiral staircase to climb, so extra weight from kit and cumbersome bags may be a struggle.

Nature highlights:

 

Best Times to Visit:

Clear day

Address:

The National Wallace Monument
Abbey Craig
Hillfoots Road
Causewayhead
Stirling

Postcode:

FK9 5LF

Telephone:

Tel: 01786 472140

Stirling tourism Tel: (01786) 450069

E-mail:

info@nationalwallacemonument.com

Website:

http://www.nationalwallacemonument.com/

Opening times:

Open all year except 25th, 26th December and 1st January, two days in January for repairs and when experiencing very bad weather.

January - February 10.30am-4pm

March - May 10.00am-5pm

June 10.00am-6pm

July - August 9am-6pm

September 9.30am-5.30pm

October 10.00am-5pm

November - December 10am-4pm

Closed 25th, 26th December and 1st January

Charges:

Adults £6.50, Child £4.00 OAP £4.90, Student £4.90

Family £17.00 (2 adults and 2 children)

VISA and MasterCard taken

Photo Restrictions:

None specified, may be restricted inside tower rooms.
Other Restrictions: Nothing specified
Special Needs Access: Disabled access to the grounds and the visitor pavilion. Limited disabled access to The Monument. Each level of the monument is accessed by a spiral staircase, with 246 steps to the top of the tower.
Special Needs Facilities: Not known
Children Facilities: large climb and spiral staircase to deal with
Dogs Allowed: not specified, but I don't expect so.

Other useful websites:

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/stirling/wallace/

http://www.instirling.com/sight/wallace.htm

Follies

Page Ref:

wallace_monument

Date Updated: 03/08

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