The real Brave Heart: William Wallace in Stirling, Scotland

Taking a trip to Scotland must be very interesting. There is a specific city that you can travel to that you will surely not regret, I mean the city of Stirling, which is located less than 1 hour by train from Edinburgh.

Stirling It is a beautiful Scottish city, which immediately takes you back to the time of fighting between Scots with their "kilts" (skirts) and the English.

The highlight to visit is the castle, the old prison and of course the imposing monument built in memory of the Scottish Liberator William Wallace; whom we all know by Brave Heart movie, with Mel Gibson of protagonist. If you have seen this movie you will know how impressive it is and you will love being able to relive it and even feel that you are inside the movie.

National Wallace Monument

El National Wallace Monument, inaugurated in 1869, it is a great tower 67 meters high, in which through its different floors, they explain the life and battles of Wallace for the independence of Scotland. Can you imagine how impressive it must be? Ideally, it is not that you imagine it, it is that you visit it and see it with your own eyes!

The tower is located on a hill, which you can access with a free minibus, which takes people up in groups of about 20 people. It is very fast, since it is a journey of just 5 minutes. While you wait you can enjoy the small souvenir shop and of course, do not forget to take the typical photo with the statue of Mel Gibson, characterized as Wallace in Brave Heart.

On the different floors of the tower

At first floor you will find Wallace's sword, which by the way, is huge, since they say that Wallace was a very tall guy. Through panels and a video with real characters, they tell you the story of Wallace's successor, Robert de Bruce. In the battle of stirling, Wallace, in command of 16.000 men defeated an army of 50.000 men of King Edward I. This great victory for Wallace made him a hero and served to win the support of the nobles and to be appointed guardian of Scotland. Of course, and as we already know, Wallace was betrayed and killed in a way that it is better not to remember, you see the movie.

At second floor, is located the so-called room of Scottish heroes, about people famous for their battles or for their inventions or discoveries.

At third floor, the story of the monument's construction is told, which was quite controversial, since they did not agree on where to build it.

And in the end, you get to the roof, where you can enjoy spectacular views from the picturesque town of Stirling, its castle and the River Forth framing it. Key point for good photos.

Ah, an important fact, the monument to Wallace is the most expensive, about 8 euros; so it is convenient that you start the visit in the castle, since with the entrance to the castle they give you a 20% discount for entry to the Wallace Monument. So you save a little money to buy a souvenir.

William Wallace, reality or myth?

There are people who think that William Wallace was just a myth because not many records have been found to support his entire story. It is certainly not known whether he was of noble or royal origin.

There is a lot of guesswork as to when and where you were born, who your parents were, or whether you were married or single. His date of birth is taken as 1.272 but there is no firm evidence to support this date.. In fact there is a date range between 1.260 and 1.278. It is said that his father was Sir Malcolm Wallace of Elderslie in Paisley and that he was a descendant of Richard Wallace or "le Waleis" the Welshman. But it is not known for sure who his father really was. There are doubts between the man mentioned and Alan Wallace.

It is said that they came to Scotland to serve in the house of King David I in the early part of the 1297th century. What is known is that he had two brothers: Malcolm and John, and it is not known if he was married or not or if he had children. The murder of the Sheriff of Lanark in XNUMX is thought to have been in revenge for the murder of his possible wife, Marion Braidfute.

Wallace was said to be strong-willed, who was an extraordinary person, scared and able to adapt and learn quickly.

They describe him as a tall man with a great body and cheerful appearance with pleasant features, broad shoulders and large bones. With a wild look, wide hips and arms with strong and firm legs. Although these are only assumptions because it is not known exactly what he looked like although there are several portraits throughout the history of his person. But the depictions that do exist show a determined man wearing a dragon helmet, which is thought to refer to the origins of the Wallace family in Wales.

Although the Braveheart film is based on the known history of William Wallace and it is true that there are many historical inaccuracies in the film, it would not have been possible to make a film based entirely on the truth because there is no agreement on the whole truth. , just a few details. What is certain is that his legacy survives and that his story is present in the lives of many people. and for that reason, to this day many tourists continue to visit William Wallace in Stirling.

So if you want to know more about this character and see the tower, the landscapes and everything that has to do with this character, then you cannot miss the opportunity to organize your next trip to Scotland, because surely you will not regret it. Did you like the movie played by Mel Gibson Brave Heart? Well, even more you will like to discover the whole truth!