Stirling running tour: What it's like to go on a guided jog of the city

Organised tours are common for most cities, with groups of exploring visitors regularly seen walking, bussing or even zooming past on Segways.

But, I have to say, I’ve never spotted a tourist running group in action before.

So I laced up my trainers and joined Colin Sinclair, the man behind Stirling Run Tour, to find out exactly what a guided running tour involves.

We meet at Stirling railway station, where Colin likes to begin his tours, and he explains its history.

So far, so normal for a local history tour. But Colin’s Central Athletic Club jacket is a reminder that things would soon take a more physical turn.

Coach and vice president at Stirling’s biggest athletic club, as well as a parkrun organiser, Colin is into running in a big way, and has been involved in athletics for more than 20 years.

Some of the views on the route are jaw-dropping. Image: Eve Conroy/DC Thomson

Originally from Hamilton, he has now lived in Stirling for over three decades. His day job is working as a librarian at the University of Stirling, and he has a keen interest in the city’s rich heritage.

You can see how all of this combined makes him the ideal running tour guide, but the idea didn’t strike until after the 58-year-old went on a jogging tour of Rome. He then discovered “a whole global network of run tours” and was inspired to create one for Stirling.

A gentle pace – and stories to surprise everyone

Before we set off from the station, Colin promises a gentle pace of a 10 or 11-minute mile, with stops every half a mile. I started running regularly after completing Couch to 5K (that old chestnut), and manage a jog without too much bother every few weeks, so I’m not too worried.

Heading away from the city centre, we run east and make our first stop at the former site of Stirling harbour – now a peaceful spot on the River Forth.

The tour offers this unique view of Stirling Castle, with its great hall on show. Image: Eve Conroy/DC Thomson

I’m surprised to learn that the city was once home to a bustling commercial port that rivalled Leith and Aberdeen. Colin shows me a photo of the harbour in its heyday and it’s amazing to compare it to the current tranquil scene.

He carries plenty of these comparison pictures in his running pack, helping to bring his varied historical tales to life. He found them trawling through local archives while researching his tour.

Colin has some hair-raising tales about the Old Town Jail. Image: Eve Conroy/DC Thomson

“I was keen that what I was saying was evidenced, and I wasn’t just making stuff up,” he says.

He was also keen to make his tour “a wee bit more idiosyncratic”, and to teach people something new about Stirling, whether they were tourists or locals.

Unforgettable lesser-seen sights around Stirling

Without revealing too many spoilers, I am especially impressed by the sight of the imposing Cambuskenneth Abbey, tucked at the end of an otherwise unassuming residential street.

Nearby, the views of Stirling Castle on the left and the Wallace Monument up ahead, with rolling fields on either side, are stunning.

Cambuskenneth Abbey is one of the stops on Colin’s tour. Image: Eve Conroy/DC Thomson

On what turns out to be the hottest day of the year so far, the sun is out in full force. Clear blue skies make the tour especially lovely, although with hindsight I wish I’d slapped on some sun cream and taken a bottle of water with me.

Still, it’s glorious as Colin and I continue to Stirling Old Bridge, which dates back to the 1400s or 1500s. I can feel the history there with every step across its cobbles. I almost expect to find myself transported back to medieval times when I reach the other side.

The Settle Inn is located halfway up a hill – at least you get a rest in the middle. Image: Eve Conroy/DC Thomson

Tailoring the run to your abilities

It’s around this point that I begin to sense Colin’s inner athletics coach coming out, and that he is tailoring the run to my abilities and energy levels.

He asks if I’m up for jogging uphill, and although I am starting to feel the burn – did I mention it’s the hottest day of the year? – I quite fancy the challenge.

Colin’s love of both history and athletics make him the ideal run tour guide. Image: Eve Conroy/DC Thomson

It means I get treated to more fascinating sights and stories around Stirling, including a stop outside The Settle Inn (the city’s oldest pub), and at the Old Town Jail.

The real highlights for me, though, are the small and fascinating details Colin points out, from intricate stone carvings of animals and famous faces on buildings we pass, to the former ferryman’s cottage by Cambuskenneth Bridge.

Just one of the many small details pointed out on Stirling Run Tour – a stone carving of a sleeping dragon. Image: Alex Watson/DC Thomson

In the end, we run close to five miles together, and I am brimming with new local knowledge and endorphins. I think I’m a running tour convert.

Knowledgeable, enthusiastic and easy to chat to, Colin Sinclair has engineered a unique experience with Stirling Run Tour that I found thoroughly enjoyable – despite my initial reservations about putting “running” and “fun” in the same sentence.

If you’re a jogger (no matter how amateur) looking for something different to do in the city, Colin gives any city tour a run for its money.

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