Dollar

Our Ramblers walk on Wednesday was a relatively short, but in some places demanding, walk up Dollar Glen and then on tracks and farmland to the west of the town of Dollar in Clackmannanshire.

From Dollar, our route went up the Glen and various series of steps, some uneven, and tracks, some narrow, to a point above the 15th Century Castle Campbell (pictured). We then dropped (not literally!) down more steps and tracks to reach the Burn of Sorrow that runs alongside the Castle on one side. Crossing a footbridge, one of several on our route, we joined a path beside another burn, the Burn of Care, and that took us back into Dollar itself. Castle Campbell was the seat of one branch of the Campbell clan, the hereditary Earls of Argyll, and is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

After a stop for lunch, the remainder of our walk - longer in distance but shorter in time - took us westwards along part of the Hillfoots Diamond Jubilee Way (see extra) before we joined a farm track and then farm road that led us back towards our start-point.

Over 20 of us out again, on a day that was quite warm and muggy and wet for most of our walk. Quite a few midges and flies at various points too. It was a day that needed a bit of a breeze, but unfortunately one wasn't forthcoming during our excursion.

Excellent coffee and cake in Dollar was our well-earned reward.