A walk from the university to The Wallace Monument and Abbey Craig

The Wallace Monument was opened in 1869 following a public fundraising campaign during the 19th century resurgence in Scottish National identity.

The monument is a 220 ft (67m) high tower that stands on the volcanic crag of Abbey Craig where William Wallace is said to have watched the English Army of Edward I just before the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.  Abbey Craig is a typical 'crag and tail' geographical feature where the passing glaciers of the ice age eroded the surrounding ground but the hard rock of the crag (a volcanic plug) was able to resist this erosion and so remains.  The crag formed a shelter for the softer material in the wake of the glacier and this forms a fan or the 'tail' of the crag - a tapering ramp on the south end of the crag.  This form is well seen from Stirling Castle.

We will walk from the university crossing Hillfoots Road to enter the woods of Abbey Craig.  There are many paths that we can take here but we will make a circuit of the crag gradually climbing above the cliffs on the west side to the Stirling Viewpoint and then to the monument itself. Wear some comfy shoes and dress for the weather conditions.

There is a café in the visitor's centre where you can get refreshments and buy tickets if you want to look around the monument.  You'll have to climb back up the crag though and its suggested that you'll need 2 hours in order to do the monument and the displays inside justice.  The views from the top of the tower are extensive and well worth the effort to climb the 246 steps.

Entry tickets are £10.75 at the time of writing for adults and £8.75 for senior citizens.  Tickets can be booked in advance - visit the Wallace Monument website.  Details of the paths on Abbey Craig are here.