Before deciding when to travel to Scotland you might want to check out the special events that are held every season. Among the most important are the Edinburgh Festival and Edinburgh Military Tattoo which last throughout most of August. Other special events, like the Highland Games take also place during the summer. Or you may want to visit during the winter and celebrate a Scottish Christmas or watch the famous football (soccer) matches.

Unfortunately, most historic buildings, castles and so on are not open all year long. They are usually open most of the year except late autumn, all of winter and perhaps very early spring. It is always important to check updated schedules  prior to planning your trip. It can be very frustrating to travel a long distance to visit a castle or museum only to find that it is closed on the day you arrive!

 

William Wallace was a Scottish patriot who vowed to free Scotland from the control of kings of England. With a small army, he defeated the large and better-equipped English army at the battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. A year later, however, the English king himself marched north with his troops and overpowered Wallace's smaller army at Falkirk.

Wallace escaped to France where the French king refused to help him and threw him into jail. He returned to Scotland a year later. In 1305 he was captured by his enemies and cruelly executed. The Wallace Monument outside Stirling reminds all Scots of William Wallace, a man of great courage and brave heart.

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