This time of year is great, as the number of visitors begins to swell with the improving weather (fingers crossed) and longer days. And from now until the end of March there’s the chance to enjoy some fun historical family activities at the weekends, and a reduced ticket price.

We have costumed interpreters staging small-scale activities and performances, between 11am and 3.30pm, which let people glimpse castle life in the 16th century. This coming Saturday and Sunday it’s Mortar, Frost and Stonemasons, a chance to discover what it was like to be a stonemason building James V’s new palace in 1540. The following weekend (March 19 and 20) you can meet Lady Janet Fleming and one of the maids of the inner chamber. Maids and Mistresses explores the influence of women at Stirling Castle in the royal court of Mary of Guise. The event will also look at court dress and daily life. On March 26 and 27 there’s The Lion and the Unicorn when Sir David Lindsey of the Mount, senior court herald, introduces the ins and outs of Scottish royal etiquette. Wands and tabards will be in abundance - but you might need big lungs to largesse.

What’s fascinating about the castle is the way its history was so full of remarkable people. The other day I was hearing about a Spanish Renaissance Bond. His name was Ayala – Pedro de Ayala. In the days of James IV he was sent on a mission to neutralise the influence of a dangerous pretender to the English throne, one Perkin Warbeck, who had been given refuge in Scotland.

It was like an international game of political poker, with different governments seeing Warbeck as a means of stirring up trouble and warfare for their enemies. Ayala, the international spy, had to get close to James IV and persuade him not to rock the boat. Like Daniel Craig, in Casino Royale, his brilliance at the card table proved a big help. Ayala and the king both loved to bet. One of their most famous games took place at Stirling Castle, on September 17, 1497, when the king lost 21 unicorns and 15 ducats to the spy. Clearly there was no ill feeling as the pair are reported to have got on very well.

So come along and join us in the castle of maids, masons and spies. Until April 1 the entry price is £7 (down from £9) for adults, £5.50 (down from £7.20) and children £4 (down from £4.50) due to the refurbishment of the shops and the exhibition in the Queen Anne Casemates. The Unicorn Café has now reopened after extensive improvements – a new bakery has opened and provides a daily supply of freshly made cakes and tray bakes.

Nicola McCrae, Marketing Executive