Stirling guards the gateway to the Scottish Highlands — its volcanic castle rock a natural fortress at the narrowing of the Forth Valley, with the Ochil Hills rising sharply to the north-east and the Campsie Fells to the south-west. The Wallace Monument and the battlefields of Bannockburn and Sheriffmuir make this some of the most historically charged walking country in Scotland.

A magnificent city with world-class heritage, excellent restaurants and direct rail connections to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Stirling makes a superb central Scotland walking base with the Trossachs, Ochils and Loch Lomond all within easy reach.