On Sunday the 15th of September our sight seeing would end at the Wallace Monument. We could see it in the distance and were hoping for a tourist bus to take us there. We walked down into the center of town and stopped for a coffee and a snack before we found out that the Tourist bus had ceased operation at the end of August.
At the central bus stop in town Josh found out from a bus driver that we could take the #10 bus and it would get us up to the monument. After many stops along the route we were dropped off right at the parking lot for the Monument. We opted to wait for the mini shuttle van to take us from the parking lot up to the Monument.
We ventured inside and bought our tickets for the climb.
Greg and I made it to the Hall of Arms. Josh and Laura made it all the way to the top, 246 steps, in a narrow winding staircase!
The Arms of Great Britain
We all made it to the Hall of Arms and watched the video available.
The Arms of Sir William Wallace.
In the hall of heroes Laura and Josh spotted one of our heroes on this trip, John Knox.
At the Royal Chamber you could design your own coat of arms for your battle shield.
Find out about William Wallace here.
Laura found this little figurine along the way.
It was very windy at the top.
You can read the historical account of this battle and the history of this time here.
We were blessed with spectacular views on this beautiful day.
We took the tram down to the cafe and gift shop and I talked Greg into letting me photo him at the taking of Stirling bridge photo op. Josh and Laura made it down the 246 steps and took one of the last shuttles back down to the parking lot. We had ordered a taxi that arrived soon after. The taxi took us back to our lodging for the night and we finally checked into our rooms. We were surprised that the taxi ride cost us less than the bus. We had a dinner reservation at 6:00 so we freshened up and got ready to walk to the restaurant.
I’ll save our photos into town, dinner, and our Inn for another post.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Look at that setting! Beautiful pictures! I am glad that you got to see it even with tour company not giving any more tours for the time of year you were there. That is a lot of stairs but definitely seems worth it!
Maria, Josh and Laura said it was well worth the climb! I’m glad we could experience it through them and their photos! Have a great weekend!
Beautiful views and tour, your photos are wonderful. It does look windy.
Take care, have a great day and a happy weekend!
Thank you, Eileen!
…quite a bad hair day!
Tom, just for a while at the top of the tower!
Wow how impressive is that. Wished we had paid a visit whilst we were there. Mind you we wouldn’t have had such amazing views. A brilliant place 🙂 B x
Barbara, there is always a chance that you and hubby might make it back there on a clear day!
Glad you were able to catch that bus. I am so impressed. Your photos are wonderful. Thank you for sharing. Hope you have a nice weekend.
Thank you, Debby.
The little surprises (no tourist bus) and adventures of travel! That is such a wonderful view from the tower. Seems it was a fun adventure, and even better shared with family.
Sara, sharing our love for the United Kingdom with our kids has been rewarding.
Wonderful pics. And, taxi costs less than the bus? Another wonder!
Arti, we were surprised but I think the fact that it was one fare for 4 of us instead of 4 single fares that made the difference.
So many wonderful photo from your holiday.
It sure WAS windy!!! Great photo!!
Laura documented the wind well with her selfie!
Good for you and Greg for making it as far as you did! I guess all of the daily steps walking as part of your daily routine prior to the trip really did make a difference!
I enjoyed all of the pictures and am glad that you found John Knox!
Dianna, I love that Knox is acknowledged as a hero of Scotland!
You had beautiful weather for such a beautiful and significant place.
I am loving all the pictures and all the information. Willow
Willow, there is soooo much history from these islands!!
This is such a beautiful memorial to William Wallace, aka Braveheart! Good for you to be able to walk up to the Hall of Arms. What a beautiful vista from the top!
Oh my. Such beautiful photos and such stunning views! I am impressed that you were able to walk up to the Hall of Arms. (I don’t think I’d have made it that far.) It must have been so wonderful to be able to share this experience with Josh and Laura. I’ll bet you all were ready for dinner after all of that walking and climbing! I also love that your hubby posed in the Stirling Bridge photo-op! Fun!