Stirling Castle sits proudly on top of Castle Hill, the enormous rock formation that can be seen from all directions in this lovely part of the Stirlingshire countryside, and for hundreds of years it served Scotland both as a defensive military position and as a royal palace. Robert the Bruce liberated the castle from the English in 1299 and Mary Queen of Scots was Crowned there in 1542, and a visit to this historic site will take you on a journey to discover both of these important events and many more. This castle is drenched in history with many of the still-intact buildings dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, but its story actually begins in the early 12th-century when King Alexander I established a chapel on top of Castle Hill.