Stirling

[greengreengrass3]

Hi everyone,

We’re looking for a bit of advice and recommendations 😊

It’s very likely that we will need to spend 1-2 weeks a month from October in Stirling for my husband’s work. We’re trying to figure out the best place to stay and would really appreciate any local insight.

First of all, what’s Stirling actually like to live in or stay in? From what I’ve seen it looks beautiful, but I’d love some honest opinions. Is it a nice place to base ourselves for part of the month?

We’re open to staying either in Stirling itself or somewhere nearby (within about 20–30 minutes commute). Are there any towns or villages around there that you’d particularly recommend instead?

A few things that are important to us:
• Nice scenery / somewhere that feels pleasant to spend time
• Good local amenities (shops, cafés, restaurants etc.)
• Dog-friendly areas (this is a big one!)
• A generally nice atmosphere / safe / welcoming

Also, if anyone has recommendations for good Airbnbs, holiday lets, or even areas to search in, that would be amazing.

Any tips, experiences, or things we should know (good or bad!) would be really appreciated.

Thanks so much!

Dunblane might suit you?

Will you have a car? Stirling is perfectly fine and ticks all of the boxes that you mention, within reason ie. Its fine, but i guess it depends if you want somewhere to go to work and then go home and go to bed, or somewhere with more to do and see. If the latter then you might be better commuting in and staying somewhere else.

Yes, we’ll have a car we will be driving up there when we need to go.
I’ll also be working, I work from home so can move about easily but we would like thing you do, even if it’s a good couple of pubs/ restaurants etc.
i’ll have a look at Dunblane now, thank you both.

Crieff has a lot of what you're looking for but the commute might be too far for you and might be a bit joyless in the winter months.

There are nice villages along the A811 but I don't know how well they'd do on the amenities front.

Bridge of Allan's nearby, but I'd look at Dunblane first.

I’d look at bridge of Allan, Dunblane, kings park, riverside. The last 2 are nearer the centre.

Bridge of Allan is less suburban than Dunblane which is popular due to the high school. Dollar is nice.

I live in Stirling, there are lots of lovely places you could live. I love living here, we are so close to so many places and it’s a great base. Kings park if you have a good budget but not sure how many rentals there are, we live near the city centre and near a lovely park (not kings park) so it’s handy for lovely walks with our dog and for walking into town, Cambusbarron/torbrex too are nice. We also drive out to Dunblane, Doune etc. I’m not a fan of bridge of Allan not sure why. But it’s pretty central lots pf cafes and little shops. Just depends if you’d prefer to be near the city or more rural.

I’ve never wanted to live out of town, so couldn’t say where outside of Stirling, we can travel to places easily enough. So having a preference might make it easier for people to direct you to areas that are nice.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I really appreciate it.
I’ll have a look at all the places you’ve recommended and I’ll come back if I have some questions if that’s okay.

Juniper properties have air b and bs in and around Stirling that do longer term stays for people working in Stirling.

They have them in dunblane, riverside, allanpark, cambusbarron, callander and in town. So quite a few options.

I live just outside Stirling 😃

I like Bridge of Allan too. As others have said Dunblane and lots of parts of Stirling itself are lovely. I used to work there and its a nice city.

Linlithgow? Between Stirling and Edinburgh

I’ve stayed in air b&bs in Kings Park and Torbex. Really enjoyed the pleasant short walk to the city centre, nice “circuits” to walk around in both those areas and I met lots of dog walkers.

Stirling is very nice. As there's a university, that might affect the accommodation market?

Personally I’d stay away from Stirling centre as during the busy periods it’s full of students (I can say that from expedience). I’d really recommend bridge of Allan as others have, it’s closer to the university which puts visitors judging by map off but not a single university student steps close that way. Anywhere between there and Perth is great. Also if you are visiting I’d highly recommend walking up the Wallace Monument on a nice night with your dog alongside, it’s absolutely beautiful and gives a full view of the city

Auchterarder is nice. Good range of shops and in the countryside but not far from Stirling.

I think that's a bit harsh. You've got cinemas, a theatre, music venues, some decent restaurants, various sports, clubs and societies. It's a quick train ride into both Edinburgh and Glasgow if you want more options. I'd look at Bridge of Allan.

If I was living in Scotland as a one off, for a month, I personally wouldnt want to spend my evenings doing things I could do at home like the cinema.

Alloa might be a good idea if you don't want Stirling itself. Rail link too.

OP say 1 - 2 weeks a month from October, I take that to mean up to half of every month on an ongoing basis. I could be wrong though.

Also from October sounds like it's going to be over winter, so evenings will be dark, rainy and cold.

There's lots of celtic live music in Stirling. And there are quite often Scottish films and theatre. If you mean that you'd be going for country walks after work, I'd say it makes sense to live near to where you work, and then drive out in different directions for walks, wild swims, etc. You'll almost certainly spend less time driving that way. From Stirling, you can easily drive to the Trossachs and to Highland Perthshire and to the Ochills, while being on a very good train route to both Edinburgh and Glasgow - at a push you could even go there to see a show after work. I can't see any point in living somewhere like Alloa, just for the sake of not being in Stirling itself.

It's worth remembering that not many short term let places will let a dog be left on its own unattended and during the warmer months it can't be left in the car so the OP may be limited regarding theatre and suchlike.

I agree, such a lovely wee village...cafe kisa does some great food. Is Simon howie butchers still there? The shop think (chiropractor?) Called deaths door always makes me laugh 😃. Plus there's a good park for the kids and gleneagles estate.

Theres also north third, carron valley , torwood castle, tappoch broch and the blue pool heading out the other way for walks too. Stirlingshire has quite a lot to offer if thats what op would like...plenty good walks and things to see. ❤️

Stirling is one of the best connected cities in Scotland, road, rail and buses. Well positioned for exploring Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as the lowlands and Highlands. Stirlingshire is vast and offers a plethora of entertainment, cultural and sporting opportunities.
The university campus offers an excellent theatre, study opportunities and sporting facilities to the wider Stirling community. The campus grounds are beautiful and open to all, and their dogs.
House prices (purchase and rental) are lower than Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The local people are welcoming, broad minded and fun.
Stirling is steeped in history but has a modern outlook.
Maybe consider a rental on a holiday park (static or lodge) in Stirlingshire, out of peak season you can usually negotiate a deal.