Bannockburn

After Doune & Stirling I drove to the new Bannockburn Visitor's Center, which was literally just up the road from my lodgings. I'd been there in 2012, when the Trust for Scotland were still building the new place and I was interested in seeing what they'd done with the place. The new centre didn't have a fucking item of yore, not a display or an item of days gone by. What they DID have was timed entries where you would first enter a large room with all manner of high tech; big screens on the walls, copies of various weaponry, etc. It was supposed to give you an insight into battle techniques and such, but I found the whole thing mightily confusing and noisy. Also, if the poor guide has to fight for attention with the automated sound system, what's the fucking point?

We were then taken into a smaller room, where they had a topographical map of the battle area, including Stirling Castle a couple miles away. The guide assigned us historical names and titles, and gave us troops to command. There then followed a long battle sequence where little red and yellow figures raced across a pixeled battlefield. This too was quite confusing, but as I somehow won the battle for the English, I didn't much mind. Anyway, I'm sure it's all very entertaining and modern and grand for the young 'uns, but I prefer a good, sturdy, oldfashioned museum any day of the week. Also, you couldn't take pictures inside. Meh.

A short walk from the centre is a small memorial area for the battle.


There was a circular stone monument with a flag pole in the middle. Also, if the engraving is true, I own Scotland. Sweet Jebus, I love that little country.


The bottom engraving is from the end of the Declaration of Arbroath, adopted in 1320, which plead for Scottish independence from the accursed Sassenachs.


A somewhat famous equestrian statue of Robert the Bruce.