The Battle Of Bannockburn

This visitor centre has a huge challenge of interpreting a site without artefacts so has opted for the full immersive 3d technology experience, in my opinion best suited to people visiting as part of a group and can see it appealing particularly to children. Personally would like to see more about the battle in wider social and political context. 3d battlefield map very impressive. Whole visit experience relies on the expert staff member, but some of us will always prefer a self guiding option.

This place is great. I went here along with loads of their historic places. You can dress up as a warrior as I did. Their 3D battle room is so cool. You can take part in a battle game. The gift shop is cool. Not so far from the Wallace monument, Stirling castle, battle of Stirling bridge. You could make a great day coming here.

Wow. Just wow. I hate visiting museums and exhibitions like this normally. However I can honestly say that nts have worked a miracle on this. Great audio visual presentation. We opted for the war game where we got to choose the battle plan rather than just watch and the guy we had guiding us through the game was amazing. History but kept fun and practical. The building is new and clean. Nice coffee shop area however the coffee as so often is rather lacking. Easy access from the motorway or town.
The only downside are the tour groups they can fill the place. My only advice is to book ahead and not turn up and hope for the best. You might be sorely disappointed.

Stirling. The heart and soul of Scotland. Without some very notable people and events, we wouldn’t have this amazing centre.
Lovers of Scottish history and of a certain epic movie with Mel Gibson shouting «FREEDOM!» rejoice! This is one of the best examples where history comes to life.
Anyone who knows me, knows I am obsessed with Scottish history, especially the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Battle of Bannockburn. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to finally get to the new and improved heritage centre!
First, I have to say it’s not ideal to get to. If you don’t have a car, you can’t walk there. You would either have to take a bus or taxi to get there. I know, you can’t choose the location but the busses seemed quite infrequent as I watched from outside the centre. (Adam, if you see this, thanks again for the lift!)
For anyone who isn’t well versed in the Battle of Bannockburn, 2014 was the 700^th anniversary of the Battle of 1314 in Bannockburn. To celebrate this, the old Bannockburn Heritage Centre was torn down and replaced with this state of the art centre curated by Scotland’s leading historians (my favourite, Neil Oliver!).
When you walk in, you watch two 3D films to prep you of the history. As an Historian myself, I thought the videos were well done and on pointe. They totally nailed it to make it fun and exciting for everyone.
The main room is kind of like a very fancy waiting room. When you walk in, you are immediately surrounded by huge, massive 3D soldiers who reenact the story around you. I didn’t think the 3D effects were mind blowing, the glasses I think limited the effect. Where you stood really determined the effect.
However, the content in that room was phenomenal and gave the battle a personal edge. They recommend at least 40 minutes to check out everything in this room.
Once it is your prebooked time, you will all go into see the Battle Game or Battle Show. I suggest booking in advance, as I showed up late and snagged one of the last show tickets. I also missed the beginning of the tour, so book in advance and come at least 45 minutes early so you can catch the tour and do everything in order.
Our guide for the show was an Englishman! The shame, the shame! Jokes. The show is narrated by Dr. Fiona Watson and another leading expert in the field. It explained and showed exactly how the Battle of Bannockburn actually happened on a historically correct scale of the Carse of Stirling.
I really enjoyed the whole experience of the new and improved Battle of Bannockburn centre, although I really hoped to spend more than an hour there.
If you have only one day in Stirling, you could squeeze in a visit to The Battle of Bannockburn, Stirling Castle and the National Wallace Monument. Although, you may require more time to soak up all the history! It is the BEST history in all of Scotland! There is so much to see in Stirling, I recommend spending at least two or three days there to see it properly.

This is an attraction that’s had a lot of money spent on it in the last couple of years it seems. I’m not convinced it’s been well spent, however.
Firstly — why change the name to one that makes it sound as if the battle’s still ongoing?
Secondly you get no indication on the remaining part of the battlefield as to where you should look to imagine the action happening. No maps of the engagement as it unfolded, arrows indicating staring positions etc. Surely if these weren’t there beforehand they could have been included now?
Thirdly the educational element in the attraction’s new building is weak in terms of the history leading up to the battle, the participants and the events over the course of the two days it covered. Whilst the 3D screens are initially impressive the images they show are not presented in a linear fashion and you’re reliant on a bloke in costume shouting out instructions on which screen to look at and what it is you’re actually seeing. Whether kids can take all this in (and it’s definitely geared more towards them than adults) is debateable.
The table-​top game of re-​fighting the battle must have seemed like a good way to engage kids in the present day but it takes an interminable time to run through, the actual progress of the battle is rushed through at its end and you’re probably more likely to witness an English victory or a draw given the larger size of their force and people’s abilities as generals. Children I imagine could come away confused about what in fact took place.
Food-​wise the café has a good range of cakes, sandwiches and main dishes all priced within the range you’d generally expect for such an attraction (i.e. the Farmer’s Board (why not just call it a cheese board?) was a good option at £6.50 although it lacks chutney and needs another couple of oatcakes). £1.80 for a pot of tea was fine.

The Bannockburn Heritage Center completes the history trifecta with Stirling Castle and the William Wallace Monument. It’s very well done — full of vivid historical depictions and information. Although Bannockburn is just a field at this point, after you’ve been through the center you won’t be able to help standing upon the former battle ground and marveling at what happened there.

A good value for 5, especially if you are a history buff. The centre doesn’t contain a museum per se, because there are no artifacts. Yet they have a substantial exhibit explaining the battle and its political backstory and aftermath. There is also a twelve-​minute film relating the exciting story through narration, music, and handsome drawings, plus a «living history» presentation.
The visitor centre looks out upon a portion of the battlefield, and it is thrilling to stand there imagining the history that was made there nearly 700 years ago.

This was disappointing — a lot more could have been made of it. The AV presentation in particular was very disappointing — dated and old. There’s also the issue that they’re not even its the right place! This is dealt with in one of the better displays. The educational element is well done with but the sort of thing which is seen everywhere. Trying on crowns and so on. It really could be much much more.
Outside, the monument itself is a wee walk away and is impressive.

Great for those wanting to find out more about scottish heritage. In need of some updating though.
I find things like this quite boring and do not think children would enjoy it unless part of an educational trip