Stirling Castle

Venue Review of Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle has occupied its crag-top vantage point overlooking the Forth Valley for nine turbulent centuries. Kings and queens have been crowned, sieges thwarted and battles won and lost, shaping the course of Scottish history. Though the venue has lost none of its imposing presence on approach these days, the arrival is much more welcoming. A multi-million pound restoration of The Great Hall, Scotland’s largest medieval banqueting hall, returned the magnificent space to its 16th-century splendour a few years back, while 2011 saw the completion of work on the elaborate King’s and Queen’s apartments, tours of which can be built into events. For smaller group dining or pre-dinner drinks, there’s the atmospheric Chapel Royal with capacity for 200 seated guests, while parties can round off with a Beating Retreat in the Queen Anne Garden, which has views of the surrounding countryside.