King's Knot Loop

The heritage heart of King's Park. This loop follows the Heritage Circuit before climbing towards Stirling Castle to reach the King's Knot — the striking earthworks of a royal Renaissance garden — along with the Haining jousting ground, the Butt Well, the wooded Back Walk, Ailie's Garden, the Wolf Stone and the Stirling Smith. A few gentle gradients, and the finest castle views on the walk.

Access Mixed surfaces, with gentle gradients and a climb towards the castle. Not suitable for wheelchairs throughout.

⚑ Starts and finishes at the Pavilion. Follow the green trail stickers and signage (coming soon).

Switch on Facilities in the layer control for the cafe, toilets and play park. The time above is walking time — allow considerably longer to read the stops along the way. Tap a numbered marker for a photo and summary. Marker positions, distances and times are draft and not yet confirmed by survey on the ground.

Stops on this trail

1. 1 The Pavilion Built in 1923 as tennis changing rooms, now the cafe where every walk starts and finishes.
2. 2 Tennis — Kings Park Tennis Club Opened in 1924 and resurfaced in 2024 — the courts are back in play, and can be booked.
3. 3 Skatepark Mini ramps, fun boxes and kidney-shaped bowls, floodlit at night — where the bandstand once stood.
4. 4 Band Stand Sunday concerts drew crowds to a stone bandstand of 1937 — with no shelter when it rained.
5. 5 Play Park Rebuilt with timber towers, walkways, a rope bridge and climbing walls — and fenced, so no dogs.
6. 6 1911 Circuit of Britain Air Race 8,000 people were in the park at 3.45am in 1911 to watch the Circuit of Britain race land.
7. 7 World War 1 Practice Trenches Troops trained for the Western Front here in 1914 — the practice trenches still show in the grass.
8. 8 Peace of Mind Garden A quiet garden of benches, a pergola and planting for butterflies, on a hard path.
9. 9 Community Gardens A sheltered suntrap with seats, a pollinator border, and a handkerchief tree that flowers in late spring.
10. 10 Roman Road A Roman road runs under the park, found by excavation — its exact route still unknown.
11. 11 The Underground Toilets Public toilets ran beneath the pavement here until the 1980s, lit through glass bricks overhead.
12. 12 Kings Park Drinking Fountain A cast-iron fountain of 1934 from the Lion Foundry, B-listed and restored in 2006.
13. 13 The Community Orchard Scottish heritage apples — Bloody Ploughman among them — planted in 2013 and fruiting since.
14. 14 Victorian Drinking Fountains One of four ironwork fountains that gave the park public drinking water until the 1970s.
15. 15 The Dam Wall Most people walk this wall without realising it held back a royal loch.
16. 16 Park Loch James IV's royal loch covered six acres here, stocked with fish, herons and swans.
17. 17 Queen's Road / Victoria Place — Golf Course Golf was played in the park by the 1600s — and a seven-hole course was laid out here in 1869.
18. 18 The Kings Knot The “Cup and Saucer” — the stepped mound of a royal garden, tied in legend to the Round Table.
19. 19 The Jousting Fields and The King's Orchard James IV's royal orchard, planted in the 1490s with fruit trees and vines brought from France.
20. 20 Butt Well A spring running off the castle rock, drunk from until the 1950s and named for the archery butts.
21. 21 Lower Back Walk Stirling Castle was besieged at least 16 times — so sentries kept this hillside clear of trees.
22. 22 Ailie's Garden Named for Ailie MacLaurin, of the co-operative Homesteads community on the park's edge.
23. 23 Wolf Stone The wolf whose howl is said to have saved Stirling from a Viking raid, carved in Caithness slate.
24. 24 Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum Stirling's art gallery and museum, open since 1874 on land given by the burgh.