Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dunblane Cathedral
April-Sept Mon-Sat 9.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm, Sun 2pm-5pm • Oct-March Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm, Sun 2-4pm • Free; HS
Dunblane Cathedral
dates mainly from the thirteenth century, and restoration work
carried out a century ago returned it to its Gothic splendour. Inside, note the
delicate blue-purple stained glass, and the exquisitely carved pews, screen and choir
stalls, all crafted in the early twentieth century. Memorials include a tenth-century
Celtic cross-slab standing stone and a modern, four-sided standing stone
commemorating the tragic shooting in 1996 of sixteen Dunblane schoolchildren
and their teacher.
Dunblane Museum
The Cross • May to early Oct Mon-Sat 10.30am-4.30pm • Free
he seventeenth-century Dean's contains houses the small
Dunblane Museum
,
which has exhibits on local history, memorabilia from the battle of Sherrifmuir,
medieval coins and suchlike. here's also a display on Dunblane's favourite son,
Andy Murray, who triumphantly won the men's singles at Wimbledon in 2013:
you can see a signed tennis racquet, plus his Olympic cap and jacket (he won gold
and silver in London in 2012).
7
Leighton Library
61 High St • April-Sept Mon-Tues & Thurs-Fri 11am-2pm • Donation requested •
T
01786 822296,
W
leightonlibrary.co.uk
he
Leighton Library
, established in 1684, is the oldest private lending library in
Scotland and houses 4500 books in ninety languages, printed between 1500 and 1840.
Visitors can browse through some of the country's rarest books, including a first edition
of Sir Walter Scott's
Lady of the Lake
.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
DUNBLANE
By train
Frequent trains connect Stirling with Dunblane
(every 20min; 13min).
By bus
Occasional buses (#47 and #C48 from Stirling bus
station) make the journey 5 miles north of Stirling to
Dunblane.
ACCOMMODATION, EATING AND DRINKING
Chimes House B&B
Cathedral Square
T
01786
822481,
W
bedandbreakfast-scotland.co.uk.
A friendly,
old-fashioned B&B which overlooks the cathedral in
Cathedral Square and offers plea
sant
en-suite doubles as
well as a good Scottish breakfast.
£50
Tappit Hen
Kirk St
T
01786 825226,
W
thetappithen-
dunblane.co.uk.
This trad flower-bedecked pub right by
the cathedral is a good place for a pint of real ale, and hosts
regular folk music nights as well as a May ale festival.
Sun-
Thurs 11am-midnight, Fri-Sat 11am-1am.
Doune Castle
3 miles west of Dunblane • April-Sept daily 9.30am-5.30pm • Oct daily 9.30am-4.30pm • Nov-March Mon-Wed & Sat-Sun
9.30am-4.30pm • £5.50; HS
DOUNE
,
eight miles northwest of Stirling and three miles due west of Dunblane, is a
sleepy village surrounding a fourteenth-century
castle
, a marvellous semi-ruin standing
on a small hill in a bend of the River Teith. Today the most prominent features of the
castle are its mighty 95ft-high gatehouse, with its spacious vaulted rooms, and the
kitchens, complete with medieval rubbish chute. Built by Robert, Duke of Albany, the
castle ended up in the hands of the second earl of Moray, James Stewart - son of James
V and half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots - who was murdered in 1592 and
immortalized in the ballad
he Bonnie Earl of Moray
; it was also used as a prison by
Bonnie Prince Charlie's army after the battle of Falkirk.
he building's greatest claim to
fame today, however, is as the setting for the 1970s movie
Monty Python and the Holy
Grail
. With legions of Python fans arriving here on pilgrimage, Historic Scotland sells a
selection of film souvenirs including bottles of the local Holy Grail Ale.
