To kick off our Scotland trip, we went on a day trip with Timberbush Tours on our first full day in Scotland. We chose to go on the Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle & the Kelpies day tour. The tour takes us to a few unique places and it’s not long of a ride. This was also the tour that we took in our last trip to Scotland, 15 years ago. As a result, this was also a nostalgic trip down memory lane for the 2 of us.

The tour would take us to the Kelpies, then to Loch Lomond. After that we went to a town called Callander for lunch and toilet break. The driver then drove a few mins outside the town to see and feed the Highland Cows. We then went to Stirling Castle, we decided to visit Stirling Jail instead. It’s back to Edinburgh after Stirling driving along Firth of Forth to see the bridges. Throughout the journey, the bus driver told stories, jokes and information about the things that we see along the way.

Kelpies

This was one of the stops on our bus tour and it was raining that day. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great walk and the sculpture was impressive. We took lots of photos, but that’s about all there is to do here. Nevertheless, it’s a nice place to stop on a bus tour for the toilets and coffee.

The Kelpies stand near Falkirk. Two steel horse heads, each 30 metres tall. Andy Scott sculpted them and workers completed them in 2013. They are the largest equine sculptures in the world. The Forth and Clyde Canal runs right beside them, connecting Edinburgh to Glasgow. Horses once pulled barges along this canal. The Kelpies honour that work.

Beyond the engineering, Scottish folklore gives the horse a darker role. The kelpie is a shape-shifting water spirit. It hides in lochs and rivers, disguised as a horse. Travellers climb on. The kelpie drags them underwater. Nobody sees them again. That legend is ancient and genuinely unsettling.

Loch Lomond

We decided to take a cruise on the lake that cost 18.50 GBP for adults and lesser for children below 16. In my opinion, it’s the best way to see Loch Lomond. It’s a slow cruise with a bar in the boat. There are places to sit outside (though it was raining when we went). The cruise also has commentary to tell us what we are seeing and the history of those places. Furthermore, the commentary was meaningful for our visit, as it gives us a sense of why this loch is famous.

Loch Lomond is the largest freshwater loch in Scotland and, on a clear day, it earns every bit of that reputation. It sits right on the fault line between the Highlands and the Lowlands. The two ends of the loch feel like completely different places. The southern end is wide and calm, scattered with wooded islands you can boat out to. However, head north and the loch narrows. The mountains close in. The whole mood shifts. It gets serious up there.

People come for the scenery, the walking, and the boat trips. Some just come to stand at the edge of something big and quiet. Glasgow sits close enough to make a day trip easy. Consequently, that explains the crowds. The eastern shore road runs right along the water. Drive it slowly. The western shore is where the money has always been. Victorian merchants escaped Glasgow by sailing up the Clyde and into the loch each summer. They built grand stone villas and whitewashed cottages directly on the waterfront. Those houses are still there, well-kept and quietly showing off.

Balloch sits at the southern tip of the loch, where it drains into the River Leven. It works as the main gateway into the area. That said, it is not pretty in the postcard sense, but boat hire, loch cruises, and the Loch Lomond Shores complex all sit here. The waterfront gives most visitors their first proper look at the loch.

Highland Cows

Very sure we stopped here 15 years ago on a bus tour (back when Google Maps was not a thing). In fact, we remembered the Trossachs Woollen Mill building very well. There was already a cow named Hamish then. 15 years later, we stopped here again and Hamish did not seem to age (you get what I mean). It’s good fun for the kids and adults, for a small price of carrot and potatoes to feed them. They are ADORABLE! However, be warned not to touch their horns as they are sensitive to it.

Stirling Old Town Jail

We were on a bus tour that stopped in Stirling. Instead, we were recommended the Jail over the castle. It did not disappoint. It’s a unique experience where one guide acts as the various characters in the jail — one man, one guide, one actor. My first experience of its kind. In between the explanations, we get to go into the cells and see the exhibits. It also has a watch tower, from the spiral staircase on the top floor, where you can see the surrounding area. It’s a great educational and entertaining way to spend 1 hour. We could have spent more time there but we had to rush back for the bus.

Note that visit to the Jail is only by tour which runs every half hour. The tour and visit would take about an hour. So plan properly if you need to catch the bus.

History of the Jail

Stirling Old Town Jail sits on the hill next to Stirling Castle. It opened in 1847. Before that, the Tolbooth on Broad Street held prisoners since the 1700s. Conditions there were grim. Men, women and children shared the same space. Disease was rampant. Public hangings drew crowds outside.

As a result, the new jail changed the thinking. It followed the separate system, each prisoner got their own cell. The idea was to give prisoners time alone to reflect and reform. Silence was enforced. Prisoners ate, worked and slept in isolation. It sounds harsh by today’s standards. At the time, however, it was considered progressive.

The man behind the reform movement was Captain John Kincaid, Inspector of Prisons for Scotland. He pushed hard for rehabilitation over punishment. Moreover, he believed that isolation, work and education could turn lives around. The jail ran classes. Prisoners learned trades. The goal was to send people out better than they came in.

Today the jail operates as a living history attraction. Actors play the roles of warders and prisoners. They bring the story to life in a way that a museum display cannot. It is one of the more interesting stops in Stirling and worth an hour of your time.

You can check out my London and Edinburgh itinerary