The first time I saw this place was from the train arriving in Stirling from Glasgow. Its a monument to Scots defiance of English rule and there’s no mistaking it. You almost feel threatened by it as you arrive in town. At night, the squat tower has a fiery head from some clever lighting.

I used to live in Causewayhead at the foot of the tower and in the morning the tower would block the sun from my window for a while. I always liked that.

Willaim Wallace’s story is more dramatic in real life than it was in the movie.