WalkModerateSee the trail page; the walking time is an estimate, not a published figure.
The Back Walk
← All things to do
About
A path laid out between 1724 and 1791 that follows the line of the old town wall up the side of the crag, from opposite the Central Library up to the castle, with paths on round Gowan Hill. Stirling City Heritage Trust says William Edmonstone of Cumbuswallace paid for it, and that a timber carving of a wolf marks the start. The wolf is an old Stirling symbol, from a legend that a wolf's cry warned a sentry of a Viking attack. The trees along it were kept short while the castle was a barracks and grew back after the army left. Past the castle, Gowan Hill, which the trust says was once called the Heidden Hill, holds the Beheading Stone.
Highlights
- ✓The line of the old town wall
- ✓The wolf carving at the start
- ✓The Beheading Stone on Gowan Hill
Tips
- →Start opposite the Central Library on Corn Exchange Road and look for the wolf carving.
- →You can come back down through the Old Town streets past the Holy Rude instead of retracing your steps.
Best Season
SpringSummerAutumnWinter