The Castle Rock

The Castle Rock emerged approximately 350 million years ago as molten rock was forced up from deep within the Earth. Further honed by ice during the last Ice Age, the Castle Rock was surrounded by marshlands known as the Flanders, Blairdrummond, and Drip Mosses. During the Middle Ages, the combination of marshes and surrounding hills forced most land and water traffic moving north-south and east-west to pass directly below the Castle Rock, giving Stirling Castle its strategic importance. As a result of this, the castle was frequently likened to "huge brooch clasping the Highlands and Lowlands together."