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Of all the towns in the all the world, I had to walk into yours...
Of all the towns in the all the world, I had to walk into yours...
Ok, now if we are being serious, which I always am when visiting Scotland, this town is spectacular for many reasons. Yes, it has a wee bit of Scotland's scandalous history. Still, it culminates some of the most significant parts, all packed into one with history, art, theatrics, food, and the landscapes that will never leave your mind after they've stolen your heart and breath away. And since this place is famous for its haunts, once you've died, you can join the many members of Stirling everlasting.
Come fly with me, come fly, let's fly away
Come fly with me, come fly, let's fly away
Welcome to Put a Pin in it, where I strive to take you on my adventures and invite some guests to share in their travels. Stirling was our first stop on our eleven-day trek around Scotland, and we shall trek there. After a five-hour red-eye flight from Boston to Iceland, we had an hour layover with the saddest excuse for a breakfast one can obtain, and we were back on the plane another two hours before reaching our destination in Glasgow, Scotland. This was our first time flying into Glasgow. Our last trip to Scotland in 2018 was to Edinburgh. While I love Edinburgh, it would have put us farther away from our 1st stop in Stirling. Unlike most of our trips to the UK, we were saddened to realize that our trip did not accompany a meal like we were used to. This was our first time using Icelandair. Our previous three trips had been through Aer Lingus, Norwegian Air), which was the best, left out of Providence and was a direct flight to Scotland. The seats weren't terribly comfortable but cheap, fast, and convenient. Norwegion, please return to T.F. Green!) Then we went to England and discovered that American planes did not offer comfort or delicious food. So, hands down, the best flight we took was through Aerlingus. While we had to stop in Dublin at 2 a.m. for an hour, it was worth it for the food, the price, and the comfortable seats. Granted, flights will jump in price, so please don't hold it against me if Aerlingus is no longer cost-effective. All I know is that the seats were great, and I loved the butter chicken and salad I got for dinner and the other three meals we received on that six-hour flight. The flights are one thing that I always try to advise against stressing over. I will watch them for months. They go super low, and sometimes I miss sit, or my budget doesn't fit to book that early; they go back up, look at that, and come back down. You are safe generally purchasing flights three to six months before your itinerary begins. I always looked at prices on Tuesday. If you look at other days, it will mess with the algorithm that they use for your searches. I'm looking forward to setting you up with the cheapest prices available. I don't know why; it's just the way it is. Tuesday at Target is also the day they mark down their prices. Coincidence, I think not.
Marstons's Inn, The Highland Gate Hotel
Marstons's Inn, The Highland Gate Hotel
This adorable Inn with its accompanying restaurant is beautiful from the outside, with the pergola welcoming guests, a small playground for children to play, and manicured gardens. The inside is a family restaurant. Cheap kid's meals and stains on the chairs show its age, and while the refinery isn't a three-star restaurant, the food was excellent, and I would return there in a second, aside from the family reunion at the table behind us. A group of nine from Minnesota shared everything about themselves with the entire restaurant. Yes, I am saying that they were loud, me, that says something.
The restaurant, while convenient to the location, is not attached. We parked behind the restaurant, assuming that, like most inns, the sleeping quarters would be connected to the dining. Unfortunately, after we ate, we had to lug our bags across the parking lots to stay in what looked like cheap apartments; the inside was no better. While clean and affordable, it looked more like a college dormitory than a hotel. I would return to show my family Scotland or anywhere for the first time.
The room was cozy and, I mean, tight. This space had two twin beds and a full-size bed with a single bureau. Luckily, we were not in the room for more than sleeping. The shower was enjoyable; yes, we will use that word. The tub to get into the shower was raised so far up that to get out of the shower, you had to fall out essentially!
Long story short, it's a nice little lunch spot, but in this spectacular town, there must be better options for lodging.
Stirling Eat Your Heart Out, or I will!
Fish n' Chips and mushy peas, get me some malt vinegar now!
Fish n' Chips and mushy peas, get me some malt vinegar now!
£15.50
Sweet-cure Gammon
Two 5oz sweet-cure gammon steaks, fried free-range egg, grilled pineapple, garden peas
£13.79
Hendrick's Gin Blush
Hendrick's gin, Chambord Raspberry Liqueur, Fever-Tree Ginger Ale, lemon slice
£8.75
A hunting we will go.
A hunting we will go.
Ghost hunting, that is. My favorite part of visiting new places is finding the best ghost tour. Ladies and gentlemen, I have done ghost tours in six states and four countries, and I love it every time. Ok, I didn't love Louisville, but in all fairness, he wasn't allowed to talk about Ghsot for fear of being sued by the original ghost tour director—a story for another day.
David Kinnaird, a man I have spoken with on several occasions after this trip, is a great tour guide. He is not only a historian but has a flare for the dramatics that only he could. From the moment you meet him, you are pulled into his mystic ways. He appears dressed in 19th-century attire, covered in white talc as if he is a dead spirit, or at least his alter ego is. He will tell the story of his untimely death and will regale accounts of the many ghosts that have been said to haunt Stirling and the brutal, violent attacks that led to such apparitions in the first place. So, stories, theatrics, and what am I forgetting? Ah yes, thebest views in town. For a fair warning, this will require climbing up hills. But if you have booked a trip to Scotland, you should have known that all they have in Scotland is hills. Or, as the Scots call them, bens, mealls, creag, stob, maol, brae. The list keeps going on. After all, there are many types of hills and different ways to describe them; back to the hunt.
We came upon a large stone building. A man came out while David spoke in a cloak and asked him a question. He nodded in an providing fashion, and within minutes, he passed out meat pies with a backward four written in the pastry strips. They hold monthly meetings for the city, just as they have for hundreds of years, and they make pies to hand out. I love this idea. Mainly because the food is fantastic, but also because it's kind and welcoming to strangers visiting your town. Unfortunately, for guests such as the woman standing next to our ghostly host and me, people with celiac would not be able to join the festivities. But boy did I!
David had the group follow him up the narrow streets in the famous cemetery perched on the hill with views of Stirling Castle, the famous fields of Bannockburn. These are fields that I will tell you about next week in part two of Stirling. The tour was impressive and quite entertaining. My daughter had the unfortunate pleasure of being his staff holder. While he moved, he would use his walking stick. But upon stopping, he would request Bernard to hold his stick while he spoke with free hands. Evelyn loved that he called her Bernard. This tour may have been her favorite part of the trip and one of mine. Highly recommend.
Click the Link to book your next ghost tour with David down the haunted streets of Stirling, Scotland.
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