Perched high on the Abbey Craig above the floodplain of the River Forth and overlooking the city of Stirling, this beautiful gothic monument commemorates William Wallace the hero of the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the bid for Scottish independence in 1297. Most recently however, Wallace’s name was again made famous by Mel Gibson who depicted him in the movie Braveheart…one of my favs. Once you arrive at the monument you can either take a shuttle bus to the top or hike the somewhat steep path. We chose to hike up and, while it was a bit strenuous, were rewarded with a spectacular view and some great photo ops. We then opted for the shuttle bus back down.  It was a great stop on the tour and one I probably wouldn’t have made on my own but was glad to have seen it.