Alyth, Tullyfergus and Blairgowrie 14.11.13

Today the walking group got on a bus to Alyth for a walk to Tullyfergus.

It was a nice sunny day with a fresh wind.

To the northeast of the town a hill-fort, possibly of Pictish date, stands atop Barry (or 'barrow') Hill. The remains consist of massive collapsed stone ramparts that take advantage of the topography of the Hill. Local legend connects the fort with King Arthur, and it is claimed that Guinevere, Arthur's queen, was imprisoned here for a short time.

 

After we left Alyth we head off through the Den of Alyth for Tullyfergus and the leaves on the tree's and on the ground were nice at this time of year. 

Den is from the Scots word meaning wooded glen and this area features many walks of varying length through mixed open woodland.

 

We stopped by a small loch for lunch then headed off for Blairgowrie by the Cargill's Way.

 

When we got back to Blairgowrie we got the bus back to Dundee.

 From around 1600 to the turn of the 19th century, Blairgowrie had a fairly stable population, recorded at 425 inhabitants in the first Statistical Account in 1792.  The second Statistical Account of 1853 notes a disproportionate increase due to an influx of families attracted by the expanding textiles industry.  Gaelic was declining but still partially spoken in the upper part of the parish at that time, with all speaking English.
 

 

A great day was had by all.



St Andrews Botanic Gardens 11.11.13

 

Today the group got a bus to St Andrews Botanic Gardens.



On the way to the garden we walked through a nice den called Lade Braes.

 

 

 

 

When we arrived at the Botanic Gardens we paid our £2 entry fee to the honesty box and made our way inside.
 

 

The aim of the St Andrews Botanic Garden Education Trust is to provide botanical, horticultural and environmental education for children, schools, families, adults and communities Fife-wide and beyond. Its work is based in the Glass Class, St Andrews Botanic Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The weather was nice and sunny and a great day was had by all.

Burntisland to Kinghorn 07.11.13

Today the group got a bus to Burntisland for a walk to Kinghorn, first we headed along the coast.

The earliest historical record of the town of Burntisland was in the 12th century, when the monks of Dunfermline Abbey owned the harbour and neighbouring lands. The settlement was known as Wester Kinghorn and developed as a fishing hamlet to provide food for the inhabinants of Rossend Castle.

 

After a few miles we headed in land along the Creigencalt link path to Kinghorn Loch.
   
 

  

We arrived at Kinghorn loch we stopped for lunch at a very nice place called Earthship that is an Ecology Centre.

The Earthship Fife Visitor Centre overlooks Kinghorn Loch, (at a site shared with Craigencalt Ecology Centre), where it serves as an educational and research building. SCI is running an on-going monitoring programme to assess an Earthship's performance in Scotland's climate.

 

 





We when left Kinghorn on a bus home.

The historic former Royal Burgh of Kinghorn lies on the coastline of the Kingdom of Fife. The former castle in Kinghorn was frequently visited by the Scottish Court in the period of the House of Dunkeld.




 

 It was a great day the weather was nice sunny day with a strong cold wind. A great day was had by all. 

Clatto Park to Templeton 04.11.13

On the 4th of November the Monday walking group got on a bus to Clatto Park where we set off for a walk around Clatto Reservoir, it was a nice day and the sun was out.

Originally created as part of Dundee’s public water supply in 1874, the reservoir is no longer connected to the supply network. The deepest point is approximately 8 metres, and the levels are now dependant on rainfall.

 

 

We then set off for Templeton Woods. This was a nice walk as the sun was shining and the leaves were nice to see at this time of the year.

There are a surprising number of permanent residents in the woods, who you may be lucky enough to spot.

These include roe deer that graze the forest and are most easily spotted at dawn and dusk. Buzzards nest in the woods and can often be heard calling to their mates as they soar above the tree tops.

Jays are the beautifully coloured members of the crow family, whose harsh screech can often be heard in the car park. Keep your eyes peeled though, as they are very secretive birds.

Red squirrels are found throughout the wood, making Dundee one of the few cities in Britain to be a home to these cute tree-dwelling mammals. They can be seen scampering around and jumping through the trees in search of food.

 

We then headed to Birkhill for a coffee and a bite to eat in the Birkie Inn

This busy country inn, dating back to 1870, lies just to the north of Dundee in the village of Birkhill.