A fitting monument to a Scottish legend. (National Wallace Monument)

Name: machar

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Product:	National Wallace Monument
Date:	04/06/01 (134 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fantastic view, lots to see and do, the history

Disadvantages: all those steps

Wallace monument is situated at the foot of the Ochil hills near Stirling. From here it looks out over the Forth valley and gives a commanding viewpoint of the surrounding land.

So why was the monument built? Well I'm sure that thanks to "Braveheart" and Mel Gibson, there are very few people who haven't heard of William Wallace. Just incase you are not quite sure of the story, here is a brief outline of the man.

Wallace lived in the late 13th century when Edward I of England was trying to turn Scotland into an English region. Wallace wasn't too happy about this and refused to swear allegiance to the English throne. He managed to gather an army of like-minded individuals and fought many battles against the English. His most successful battle was at Stirling bridge in 1296 when the massive English army was defeated by Wallaces much smaller collection of soldiers. Eventually though, Wallace was captured and taken to London. Here he was hung, drawn and quartered and his head impaled on London Bridge. His crime was apparently treason although as he had never sworn allegiance to England, this was impossible.

During the 1830's there was a resurgence in Scottish nationalism and a renewed interest in Scottish history. This led to the formation of a National Monument Committee that was to build monuments to commemorate Scottish history.

The foundation stone of the monument was laid in 1863 but it was not completed until 1869. The tower is in the design of a Scottish Medieval tower surrounded by a courtyard, topped with a design based on the Crown Royal of Scotland. Very patriotic! It is 220 feet high, which allows for the fantastic views over the Forth valley. To reach the top you have to climb 246 steps to the stop. This can be a bit of an experience as the steps wind their way round the north west corner of the tower. The steps are worn from over a century of use and can be very uneven. It's
quite easy to lose you footing. The stairway is also very narrow so if you are an adult it can be very interesting meeting someone coming the other way. You have to suck your tummy in and squeeze past!

The tower contains four rooms that all have displays and exhibitions so you can have a bit of a breather on the way up! The ground floor has the inevitable souvenir shop and yes you can buy Braveheart videos here!

The first floor has an AV presentation on William Wallace and his life. The one thing that really sticks in my mind from here is the 700 year old sword that once belonged to William Wallace. This thing is huge!! It is a traditional two-handed broad-sword, it measures 71.5 inches in length and weighs six pounds. How Wallace managed to swing this sword I have no idea! I would have run away very quickly if I had seen him coming!

Further up is the "Hall of Heroes" which consists of busts of 16 well known Scots. Remember that the candidates were selected in the 19th century so people's views may have changed since then! Those present include Robert the Bruce, John Knox, David Livingstone, Sir Walter Scott and James Watt. A varied bunch you must agree!

After climbing the 200+ stairs and over 200 feet you reach the top. I'll warn you now that the top is open and it can be very windy up here! The views are magnificent and more than make up for all the climbing. You get a wonderful view of Stirling and the castle as well as the windings of the river Forth through the farmland of the Forth valley. If you are lucky and it's a clear day, you may see the road and rail bridges up at Queensferry that cross the Forth estuary and lead into Edinburgh.

The descent is a lot more perilous than the ascent and you can get quite dizzy so stop every so often and regain your balance! The tearoom in the former caretakers' house is well worth a stop for a well deserved cup of tea. The prices aren&
#39;t too bad and if it was a bit windy at the top you'll need warmed up again!

If you are ever near Stirling, don't miss the chance to climb the monument as it really has something for everyone.

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