View of Stirling Castle at sunset, figures on a path in the foreground

Situated on top of an extinct volcano above the lowest crossing point for the Forth, Stirling Castle, one of the grandest of Scotland's castles, occupies a key strategic position and as a consequence was the favourite Royal residence of many of the Stuart monarchs. The earliest fortifications of the site date to the 11th century although the castle was extensively remodelled in the 16th and 17th centuries and the architecture shows a strong French influence, the Royal Palace (1540-42) is considered the finest Renaiassance building in Scotland. The King's Old Buildings now houses the Regimental Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.