The castle is perched on a rocky crag, elevated above the surrounding countryside and is one of Scotland's grandest. Stirling itself nestles in lowland rolling hills and has a lovely `Old Town' with striking architecture and cobbled streets which wind upwards to the castle. The Old Town Jail is now a fascinating attraction depicting the horrors of life in a 19th century jail, also of interest is the medieval Church of the Holy Rude, where James VI was crowned and John Knox preached.
Stirling is an ideal base from which to explore nearby Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The surrounding countryside is lush and fertile with peaceful slopes, rolling countryside and a scattering of town and villages such as the former spa town of Allan Water, with riverside walks and olde worlde charm and Doune with its imposing 14th century castle and award-winning nature reserve.
Perthshire is most definitely the Adventure Capital of Scotland. Here you'll find world class fishing, high level mountain trekking and lower level waymarked forest trails, great on road and off road cycling and superb golf courses. Or maybe try your hand at canyoning, microlight flights or cliff jumping!
Discover a rich diversity of landscapes and habitats that support a range of plants, animals and birds; exceptional woodlands, mighty rivers and high mountains all make this an area a haven for naturists. The River Tay runs through Perthshire to the sea and has internationally important populations of salmon and otters. Many of Perthshire lochs attract breeding pairs of osprey and Loch Leven National Nature Reserve is a magnet for wildfowl. Up in the hills red deer can be heard roaring during the autumn rut.
The small provincial city of Perth is situated on the banks of Tay and has an influential history stretching back over 8,000 years; close by Scone Palace is where many Scottish kings were crowned on the Stone of Destiny. There are many places of interest such as the pretty town of Pitlochry on the river Tummel overlooked by Ben Vrackie; here there are wonderful riverside and woodland walks, also the beautiful Loch Tay near Aberfeldy and Glen Lyon which stretches some 34 miles and has some of Perthshire's finest scenery.