Stirling Inverness Train

The Scottish city of Stirling is the largest city on central Scotland and is build around the fortress of Stirling Castle. The castle sits on top of Castle Hill and is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs. Several Scottish monarchs have been crowned at Stirling Castle including Mary Queen of Scots in 1542. The castle is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is now a popular visitor attraction which is managed by Historic Scotland.

The Top of the Town is made up of Broad Street, Castle Wynd, Ballengeich Pass, Lower Castle Hill Road, Baker Street and St Mary's Wynd which all lead up to the castle. This area is popular with visitors who also visit the Old Town Jail, Mar's Wark (a ruined building dating back to the 16th century), Argyll's Loding and the castle itself. Ballengeich Pass leads to the graveyard at Ballengeich and the Castle Wynd winds past the old graveyard. Craft shops and tourist-focused shops are evident on the way up and once at the top, panoramic views are available across Stirling and beyond.

Stirling is a major centre of sports training and education in Scotland. The headquarters of the Scottish Institute of Sport is a purpose-built facility on the campus of Stirling University, which opened in 2002. Also at the university is the Scottish National Swimming Academy, as well as the Gannochy National Tennis centre, which is seen as a tennis centre of excellence.

The city of Inverness is Located in the Scottish Highlands and boasts many historic buildings, especially in the Old Town, which can be taken in whilst browsing in the city's shops from the Victorian Market to the new Eastgate Centre. The city is ideal to explore whilst walking. Take a stroll to Inverness Castle, which is currently being used as a courthouse, and to St Andrew's Cathedral which dominate the beautiful riverside setting along the River Ness. Alternatively take the circular walk along the river and through Ness Islands where you can observe anglers casting lines in their attempt to catch leaping Atlantic salmon. Day tickets can be purchased to try this for yourself. Above the city lies Craig Phadrig, once the stronghold of Pictish Kings, which offers interesting forest walks and magnificent views of the Moray Firth, home to a diverse range of wildlife including bottlenose dolphins which can even be seen from the city. To the south west, and just 15 minutes from the city centre lies Loch Ness, where it's compulsory to keep an eye out for our most famous resident – Nessie – but of course there’s much more to see and do than monster spotting.