Wallace Monument and Queen Elizabeth Forest Park

During my International Orientation, the University set up a long list of day trips we could take out to the surrounding area for only £10. This included coach buses out to our locations, commentary from our driver during the trip, and tours once we got to our locations. By the time I registered for my orientation there were only a few spots left, but luckily I got tickets to go the Wallace Monument and Queen Elizabeth Forest. The monument I knew about, my mom visited when she was younger, but I had no idea what the Forest park was until I got there. In retrospect I probably should have done a little bit of research, especially since I ended up wearing Sperry's during a hike. My feet have now recovered and I ended up having a great time even with my inappropriate footwear.

I should probably start at the beginning of the day, all of the buses left from one of the main buildings on campus, the Boyd Orr. It was a little bit hectic as everyone was kind of wandering around the sidewalk trying to figure out which bus to get on, but we loaded up and we're off just a little bit behind schedule.

Stop 1: The Wallace Monument

It took us about 45 minutes to an hour to get out to Stirling and the Monument site. On we got there the bus unloaded and the entire group headed out on foot for a 15 minute walk to the monument tower. It was kind of rough walk, the rain earlier in the day made the pathway a little slippery, but once I got to the top of the trail I was rewarded with this view of Stirling...

Stirling

Before we started making our way to the top of the tower one of the locals, a Scottish history buff, gathered us around for a 15 minute story about Sir William Wallace and the Battle of Stirling Bridge. He was a true example of how much pride the Scottish people take in their history and culture. After the performance outside the tour group made it's way inside and up the tower, a total of 246 steps to the top. Some of you probably know that I'm afraid of heights, but I'm proud to say that I made it all the way to the top without freaking out too much. The hardest part about the climb was the the staircases were very narrow and spiraled up to the top. Thankfully the tower has four floors above the ground level so I was able to stop on the way up. Whatever trouble I had making it up didn't matter once I saw the panoramic views from the top.

It was a little windy on the top!

After a quick lunch it was a off to the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park! Half the fun of going there is enjoying the ride on the way. The views from the park and surrounding area were fantastic. We drove by a few Lochs, Venachar and Achray, and made a pit stop to see Hamish, a Scottish Highland bull, who is apparently quite famous in Scotland! Here he is up close and personal:

Hello Hamish.

From Aberfoyle, Hamish's home, we made our way to the David Marshall Lodge inside the forest park. It was nice to get outside and explore the wilderness area, but as I said before I wasn't very prepared for hiking. After walking for a couple hours on the trails, our group came back inside for snacks and then made our way back to campus. All in all it was great day and I loved being able to escape the city for a little bit. Plus it made me even more excited for my trip to the Highlands in November with all of the students from BC!

- Sarah