THE saying goes that you can't know where you're going until you know where you've been.
That can apply to nations too. We have just had a momentous debate about the country's future - and many people took the opportunity presented by the Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre to look back to our beginnings.
When the refurbished centre opened one year ago this weekend - just ahead of the battle's 700th anniversary - then First Minister Alex Salmond described Bannockburn as the birthplace of modern Scotland.
No matter what one's historical perspective may be, the centre has played its part in dispelling some of the myths surrounding the events of 1314, becoming the first heritage centre in the world using Hollywood-calibre motion capture to immerse visitors in a realistic, historically-accurate 3D medieval battle.
The old Bannockburn Heritage Centre closed its doors for the last time in October 2012, almost 50 years after it opened. The new version, which was created through a partnership between the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland, has won several major awards and accolades in its first year of existence. More importantly, it has attracted 65,000 visitors.
As The Bruce himself might have said: if at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.
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