Stirling for two nights

Hi, Connie,

The big Tesco in Stirling is very close to the train station. It's walking distance, so if you don't have a lot of luggage, you could walk over to the Tesco, get your groceries, and take a taxi to your Airbnb. There is also a small Sainsbury's in the Thistles Center (an indoor mall), which is also walking distance from the train station.

To get to Tesco, turn right out of the train station, and follow the road to your right. The main road is Burghmuir, which you probably want to avoid, as it's very busy and impossible to cross on foot. You'd most likely have to walk all the way down to the traffic light at the end of the car park in order to cross Burghmuir Road (Tesco is on the left). Best to cross over to Goosecroft Road, (You'll see a roundabout in front of you), turn right, then turn right on Wallace Street, which is just after the new Travelodge. The Tesco will be on your right. It's less than a ten minute walk.

If you're going to the Thistles, turn left once you leave the train station. It's next to the bus stances.

There is also a very nice full size Sainsbury's not too far from the center of town, but you'd definitely need to take a taxi there.

There are restaurants in Stirling that have "vegan options," but no all-vegan restaurants. However, veganism is catching on in a fairly big way in Scotland.

You'll need to take a taxi or local bus to get to the Wallace Monument, as it's closer to Bridge of Allan than Stirling. If you visit the castle first, you can see the monument from the castle battlements.

Have fun in Stirling!

Mike (Auchterless)

Connie, My brother and I are vegan and did the RS Best of Scotland this June. I was shocked at how many restaurants in the smaller towns had vegan menus or at least a couple of things that would work for a plant-based diet. We really did not have much of a problem at all although we did not eat in Stirling. (SIL is omni but wound up eating veg most of the time because the food sounded so good!)

Of course get an AirBnB if you'd like but I wouldn't rule out being able to eat plant-based almost anywhere in Scotland.

I just did a googlemap view of Stirling. The first restaurant listed is Brea and they do have a separate Vegan Menu.

http://www.brea-stirling.co.uk/

In just a quick look I see a Mediterranean restaurant as well as an Asian restaurant, both of which have some things that I would be fine with.

If you are in Edinburgh you will be spoiled for choice. I loved the vegan haggis I had for brunch and salivate when I go back and look at the picture. No organs involved!

I want to emphasize the point made in the posts above - the UK is extremely vegetarian and vegan friendly. Don't assume you won't be able to eat in restaurants, even in smaller towns.

I heartily endorse Brea as well. Ate there 2 Monday’s ago and was extremely impressed with the level of care and conscientiousness given to special dietary needs/choices. I am a celiac and had a very positive gluten free experience at Brea.

Recommend making reservations. My friend and I eat earlier than most and lucked out getting into Brea close to 5pm, but they are a small location that fills up quickly.

Congrats on your upcoming trip!

Thanks everyone, for all the great suggestions and the assistance. I appreciate it :-)

Connie