George: Stirling is the stuff of legend. King Arthur is said to have taken control of the castle on this site from the Saxons but—
Male: King Arthur’s round table and the castle and Camelot and everything have been linked to Stirling but yes there’s no real evidence that Arthur was even a real figure.
George: On a clear day, the view from the outside is spectacular. On a drizzly day, the view of a rainbow is every bit as dramatic. Stirling Castle towers over some of the most important battlefields in Scottish history. During my visit, Stirling indeed all of Scotland was celebrating one of Scotland’s heroes. William Wallace, Braveheart died 700 years ago. There’s a monument to the military tactician near Stirling Castle. He looms large here, almost bigger than life. Wallace achieved his greatest military triumph in the center of Stirling on one of Scotland’s most famous bridges.
It was in early September of the year 1297. English troops were advancing northward. Their goal was to put down Scottish resistance to English rule. On that particular day, the troops got to Stirling bridge. Half of the troops crossed the bridge and then they were met by the Scottish resistance forces led by William Wallace, the famous Scottish revolutionary. The Scottish defeated the English that day. It was one of the most important battles in Scottish history. Braveheart was eventually captured by the English and taken to London. He was executed there in 1305. Scotland will never forget him. On most days, hundreds of people come to the castle to learn more about the past and I chanced to meet a couple from Colorado who’d come to Scotland to study their own family history.
Female: It was excellent, wonderfully restored. We had a great time going through the great hall and the chapel and we’re very impressed.
Male: Very nicely done, you can see the construction over the centuries. There’ve been other castles we visited that I think are just as well engineered so I would encourage people to look at a lot of different ones.
George: Parts of the city of Stirling look just as old as the castle keep. There are several distinguished structures along the sloping streets from the castle up on the high ground down to the town center.
Female: [highly accented English dialect]
Male: [highly accented English dialect]
George: Scotland is of course part of the United Kingdom and English speaking nation but the dialect in parts of Scotland is so broad, you may think you’re listening so some Slavic language so is this couple talking about a) where to have dinner tonight, b) an upcoming camping trip or c) meeting friends for a party.
I think I got about 1/10 of that so what exactly did you—what were you saying?
Female: We were saying that we’re going down another town to go and buy a new tent to go camping with. We’re going to the Isle of Skye so we’re going to be driving up plus we also need to go and get my mom’s medication from the pharmacy.