National Wallace Monument

Towering over Scotland’s narrow waist, this nationalist memorial is so Victorian Gothic it deserves circling bats and ravens. It commemorates the bid for Scottish independence depicted in the film Braveheart. From the tourist office, walk or shuttle-bus up the hill to the building itself. Once there, break the climb up the narrow staircase inside to admire Wallace’s 66 inches of broadsword and see the man himself re-created in a 3-D audiovisual display. More staid is the marble pantheon of lugubrious Scottish heroes, but the view from the top over the flat, green gorgeousness of the Forth Valley, including the site of Wallace’s 1297 victory over the English at Stirling Bridge, justifies the steep entry fee.

Buses 62 and 63 run from Murray Pl in Stirling to the tourist office, otherwise it’s a half-hour walk from central Stirling. There’s a cafe here, too.