Braveheart - the ultimate kilt movie

The story of the Oscar-winning film Braveheart (1995) did not begin with Hollywood superstar Mel Gibson, but with an American visitor to Scotland. In 1983 Randall Wallace became fascinated with his namesake William Wallace, the patriotic son of a small landowner who led the Scots to victory against the occupying English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. Although he was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Falkirk the following year, and subsequently executed in London, his example laid the foundations for the triumph of King Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

Historical details on Wallace are sketchy but there are references to the killing of his wife, so Randall let his imagination fly as he produced his screenplay - a story of a reluctant hero seeking vengeance for the murder of his wife. Braveheart, the resulting film, is a stunning epic with brilliant battle scenes and stirring dialogue. It went on to win five Oscars, including best picture and provided Scotland with unprecedented exposure.

Nowhere is it possible to come closer to the legend of Wallace than in Stirling, where the National Wallace Monument sits on a wooded outcrop just overlooking the city. This spectacular Victorian Gothic tower was completed in 1869 and gives visitors an insight into Wallace's life, his trial at Westminster and superb views of Stirling Bridge - the site of his greatest victory. Another Stirling 'must-see' is the Bannockburn Heritage Centre where visitors can explore the site of the Battle of Bannockburn and learn more about the conflict which saw Robert the Bruce gain the Scottish independence for which he and Wallace had fought.

Rob Roy - truly a legend in his own lifetime

In Rob Roy (1995), the real-life clansman Rob Roy MacGregor (1671-1734) was the subject of this popular film starring Irishman Liam Neeson in the lead role. Few, if any, Highlanders have had their lives chronicled and their tale told and re-told, like Rob Roy. Part freedom fighter, part blackmailer, part politician and part Robin Hood, he used intimate knowledge of his Trossachs homelands to outwit the Government soldiers sent to subdue him. Perhaps the best-known Highlander of all time, and possibly one of the most misunderstood, his story has fascinated writers and filmmakers for almost 300 years, starting with Daniel Defoe and Sir Walter Scott. Actor Tim Roth was Oscar-nominated for his role as Rob Roy's adversary Archibald Cunningham, and the dual between he and Neeson has been acclaimed as the best sword fight ever seen on film, truly reflecting the nature of the two opposing worlds and contrasting values of the characters portrayed.

Today the Trossachs are still very much 'Rob Roy Country'. Visitors to the stunning Balquhidder Glen - one of the most picturesque glens in Scotland - can visit Rob Roy's grave which is marked with the appropriately defiant motto "MacGregor Despite Them". The drive north from Aberfoyle, over the winding Duke's Pass (named after Rob Roy's arch rival, the Duke of Montrose) offers some of Scotland's most spectacular views. Not to be missed is the Rob Roy & Trossachs Visitor Centre in Callander, where visitors can experience what life was like in Rob Roy's day, see how he and his comrades would have lived, and even try on the type of clothes they would have worn.