December 2010 has been the coldest winter in 20 years, local papers say. It was nice walking through Stirling again, after many years, even if it was ‘quite cool’… Walking through town, a real Christmas shopping atmosphere enveloped us participating in a technical workshop at Stirling University. The walk up to the castle was either over snow, or black ice on the road… very slippery. We passed the old town jail, and veered off to the town’s cemetery, a place I had not visited previously, Why not? Many celtic crosses later and a few falls, we could see a grand view of the castle, and in the background Sheriffmuir hills covered in snow extending eastwards in the direction of St Andrews, a glimpse of the Ochils, with Alva and Alloa somewhere at the foothills. It was reassuring to see Robert the Bruce, still with his hand on the sword’s hilt at the castle gate overlooking Stirling. Back at the university, the pond had all but completely frozen, leaving just a small pool for the whole bird population to concentrate sadly, in need of rest, and some food.
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| Robert the Bruce |
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| Stirling Castle |
