Brochure maps 5

Walks in and around

Gartmore

Proceeds to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and Gartmore Village shop

Cost

ÂŁ2.50

Contents The following walks range in distance from about 1 mile to approximately 5 miles. All are of moderate difficulty although it should be noted that conditions under foot can deteriorate on the unpaved tracks during periods of wet weather. Unsurprisingly, given the local topography, all of the walks involve uphill and downhill sections not dissimilar in gradient to the roads into the village.

1 2 3 4 5

About the walks Village Walk

1mile

Sow Park Loop

1.5mile

Terrain - Mostly unpaved forest path, with localised boggy ground

The Wee Wood

Terrain- Unpaved track mostly firm but with localised boggy ground, and paved road

Boreland Hill

Page 5

2miles

3miles/4.5miles

Page 7

Page 9

Terrain- Unpaved track and paved road

Fairy Knowe

4.5miles

Terrain- Variable ground including unpaved track, open field, loose forestry track with potential for some boggy ground

Why walking is good for us

01

Page 3

Terrain- Mostly paved but with some rutted / loose track

Page 11

Page 14

The Village of Gartmore The name Gartmore in Gaelic means large fold and indicates its significance as a stopping place for drovers from the Highlands. Here supplies and sustenance could be had while the cattle rested in the surrounding pastures before continuing their journey to the tryst in Falkirk.

There is evidence of settlement here in the 17th century but it wasn't until the early 18th century that Nicol Graham of Gartmore House issued the first feu for the site of Murray House and the establishment of the village started. Gartmore is one of the best examples of a planned estate village in Scotland with a character defined by the quality and diversity of its historic buildings allied to its very regular and defined central street pattern.

This contrasts strongly with the openness of the village’s location. Set on a hillside on the edge of the Highland Boundary Fault, poised between the lowlands to the south and east and the highlands to the north and west. The confinement of the main street is punctuated by dazzling views across open farm land to the Ochil Hills in the east, Campsie Hills in the south and Ben Lomond in the west.

02

Gartmore Village Walk Terrain- Mostly paved but with some rutted / loose track

03

1mile

The walk starts from the Village Square 1 . On the east side of the Square behind the War Memorial is the present Village Hall, formerly the old Free Church built in 1847.

It was refurbished and extended in 2014. On the west side of the Square is the children's playpark next to the former Village Club and Reading Room, now a private residence.

Walk northwards up the Main Street past the community-owned Village Shop and Post Office on the right. The properties in the Main Street were originally built in the 18th century and some have listed status.

Pass through the stone gate pillars at the north end of the village and head towards the imposing Archway or Village Gate built in 1790 2 . It formed one of the entrances to Gartmore House estate but unfortunately is now in a poor state of repair. Turn left at the finger post just before the archway and follow the path to the Cunninghame Graham Memorial 3 and information board (National Trust for Scotland) which overlooks the village sports field. Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham, or Don Roberto as he was affectionately known, was an author, traveller and horseman. He was a member of parliament from 1886 to 1892 and President of the National Party of Scotland in the late 1920s. He was the last member of the Graham family to be laird of Gartmore until Gartmore House was sold in 1900 to pay death duties.

Carefully descend the slope to the sports field, admiring the views across to Ben Lomond to the right, rejoin the Main Street and turn left down Park Avenue (formerly known as Slaughterhouse Lane). Turn right at the first junction and follow the full length of the Back Lane, passing the gardens of all the Main Street Houses .On a clear day there are beautiful views towards Stirling Castle, Wallace Monument, the Ochills and Dumgoyne 4 . Cross over Jellicoe Avenue and continue down the lane until the bend which overlooks the Old Manse of the former Free Church. On reaching the road, turn right and right again up the Main Street.

The first house on the left is Ardshiel 5 , which used to be the Parish Church manse.

A little further up on the left hand side is Ardvulan 6 , the former Vulcan Inn which also housed a stable block and smiddy. Further up is Gartmore Parish Church 7 built in 1790. Turn left into the church yard and follow the path up to the church entrance (have a look inside if open), then turn right round the back of the church. Passing through the gate and on the left is the private burial ground of the Cayzer family 8 who bought Gartmore House from Cunninghame Graham in 1900. Within the burial ground is a unique 17th century obelisk sundial (known locally as a moondial) which used to sit in the forecourt of Gartmore House. Follow the burial ground path past the rear of Gartmore School on the right to the gate at the top. The school was originally built in 1843 and was one of two schools in the village in the mid 19th century. Exit the gate onto Freuchan Lane (if locked you may exit through the school field on the left). The small single story building almost in front of this gate was believed to be a former school room. According to the Gartmore Heritage Society, it continued to function as a schoolroom into the 20th century and during World War II the building served as the headquarters of the local Home Guard. Turn right onto Freuchan Lane then left onto Main Street. On the right the Black Bull Hotel 9 sits proudly overlooking the Square, which together with the Vulcan Inn would have provided a valuable service to drovers on their way to Falkirk tryst (cattle market).

04

Sow Park Loop Terrain- Variable with loose track and potential for boggy ground.

Detail at Point 2 showing path past Cunninghame Graham Memorial

05

1.5mile

From the village square walk up the main street. At the top of the street 1 go straight ahead through the large pillars of the gate until you reach the archway 2. This is the entrance to the Gartmore estate.

Turn left before the archway to follow a narrow path between the wood on the left and a hedge on the right. A few yards further on is the memorial to Cunninghame Graham (see Village Walk 1 for details). Pass this on your left and continue on in to the woods.

At first this is open grassy woodland with mostly young oak trees, but then the path goes into mixed conifer and deciduous woods. In the autumn there are often many Larch Boletus (Suillus grevillei) to be seen here, a yellow-orange mushroom with a slimy cap and yellow pores. Follow the path as it winds between the trees. It is rough and often muddy in places. In the spring there are sheets of Bluebells under the trees – these are the native species, very fragrant, with long, narrow, dark blue pendulous flowers, uncontaminated by the introduced garden Spanish Bluebell which has paler, wider, more upright and less fragrant flowers. Woodcock can sometimes be seen here.

The path turns to the right past Rhododendron bushes. There are large bushes of orange Azaleas further to the right, very colourful and fragrant in late spring. The path then 3 reaches the drive that runs from Crinigart Lodge to Gartmore House.

Turn right along the drive through Rhododendron and mature oak trees. At the edge of the woodland a small stream crosses the lane. The lane joins another at a sharp angle 4 opposite the wood yards and biomass plant for Gartmore House. This provides heat and hot water for Gartmore House. Turn right up the lane, which climbs steeply between the fields on the right and grounds of the house on the left. There is an excellent view from here of the west frontage of the house. Gartmore House was built for the Graham family in the mid 18th century (replacing an earlier house) and enlarged in 1779-80 for Robert Graham. It was the home of Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham but in 1900 he sold the house to Sir Charles Cayzer. The western frontage, visible from this lane, was redesigned by David Barclay, a student of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. He also altered the roof and added the tower.

Follow the lane as it curves round to run alongside a mature wood of spruce and pine until you reach the archway 2 and then down the lane to regain the village street.

Continue straight ahead to return to the village square.

06

Wee Wood Walk (www) Terrain- Unpaved track mostly firm but with localised boggy ground, and paved road.

07

2miles

From the village square, walk down the main street about 100 m to a narrow lane between the houses on the right 1 . Follow the track past the school playing fields on the left, then between fields for approximately 200 m 2 and take the path to the left.

Follow the path to the gate 3 into the Wee Wood (Wester Cow Park) and pause to admire the view south to the Gargunnock and Fintry Hills, Campsie Fells, and the volcanic plug of Dumgoyne. Follow the path through the wood for about 10 minutes.

This wood was replanted in the 1980s with a mix of commercial conifer species, with native Willow, Alder, Rowan, Hazel, Pine, Oak and Beech in patches alongside the path. In the autumn the wood is rich with various mushrooms, and during periods of hard frost the strange phenomenon of frost fur is seen here – ice crystals extruded from wet wood to form fibrous snowy tufts.

The plantation opens out into beech and oak woodland above the stream (Glen Burn) coming down from Blarnabord, and at this point 4 the path branches. Follow the left branch down the slope with the stream to your left, and cross the bridge at the bottom 5 and through the gate – red squirrels can frequently be seen in this area.

Crossing a short stretch of grassy field, where Marsh Orchids grow in the early summer, join the track 6 to Blarnabord and turn left. Cross two cattle grids to enter the Borland Wood. Immediately to the right is a small group of Southern Beech trees, noticeable in early spring when they come in to leaf before any other trees. Follow the track as it winds through the woodland, which was replanted with native trees after it was cleared in the early 2000s. Several species of Pussy Willow can be seen in very early spring, wild Cherries flower in early summer, and a wide range of wild flowers can be found growing alongside the track throughout the warmer months.

There are additional paths that loop around Borland wood that can be followed to add up to three kilometres of pleasant rambling.

Just before the track leaves Borland Wood 7 there is a pond to the right, with a path that winds round its shores to re-enter the wood. A bridge crosses the weir at the outfall. This is a pleasant spot to watch dragonflies and damselflies on sunny days in the summer. A small floating structure by the bridge is used to monitor the possible presence of water voles or mink.

Continue along the track, over the small stream and past a marshy area on the left where snipe can be seen occasionally. At the top of the track 8 is the road junction known as Three Gates. From here the track to the right leads up on to Borland Hill (Walk 4) while the road to the right leads to Dalmary and the Old Drymen Road.

There is a splendid view from the field gate on the far side of the lane – looking out over the flat valley (Carse) of the Forth to the east, the tower of the Wallace monument is visible in the distance with Stirling Castle on the hill to its right. To the north is the line of the Highland Fault and to the south the Gargunnock, Fintry and Campsie Fells.

To the west the high cone of Ben Lomond stands alone. See Walk 4, Borland Hill, for a more detailed description of this view.

After admiring the view, turn left along the lane and down the hill to the bridge over the stream. Continue up the lane and round the corner to reach the road junction 9 at the southern edge of Gartmore. Turn left up the hill to return to the village square.

08

Boreland Hill Terrain- Unpaved track and paved road

09

There and back 3miles Full loop 4.5miles.

From the Black Bull turn left down the hill to the bottom of the village. At the road junction 1 turn right and follow the road round as it curves left and descends through fields to pass a large house on the right and then over a bridge. This is the burn that runs along the bottom of the Wee Wood. There is a short, moderately steep climb on the other side after which the road flattens out until you reach the “Three Gates” junction 2 . There are actually three gates here, plus two tracks and the road. Take the rocky track that runs more or less straight ahead – there is a sign “Back Borland Holiday Cottages” and you can see the track running up the hill in front, past a solitary thorn tree. The track to the farm exits on the left, and then the track to Back Borland to the right 3 . Continue through the gate – first of several. As with all gates, please leave it as you find it – open if it is open, or closed and secured as it was.

The track climbs steadily up the hill, with a wall to the left, and passing the solitary hawthorn.

The fields here are “improved” pasture, that is, with the native grasses and flowers replaced by (mostly) perennial rye grass and clovers. Great for productivity, responding well to fertilizer and very green, but with low species diversity and so quite boring to look at.

Nevertheless, in the spring you are likely to see Mad March Hares cavorting and boxing, while birds such as Curlews and Meadow Pipits can be heard in the summer. Looking back there is a splendid view of Braeval, the Hills above the Lake of Menteith and the Lake itself, further north-west Ben Ledi and behind it Benvane.

Pass through a second gate to reach the crest of the hill – at a moderate pace the climb takes about 15 minutes. After the third gate the track goes gently downhill before passing the fourth gate and climbing again to another crest. Just after this there is a prominent clump of Spruce trees 4 . The walk so far has taken about 40 minutes, and this is a good point to turn back, especially since the track goes downhill from here so returning from further on would mean another climb! From here the view west is of the Loch Ard forest, part of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. The aqueduct carrying water from Loch Katrine to Glasgow is visible as a black line in the middle distance, behind which is Lime Hill, unforested but surrounded by Spruce, and on the skyline Gualann and Beinn Bhreac, running round west to Ben Lomond.

If you decide to continue, there is a tricky gate ahead, with barbed wire entanglements. It is passable, with care. Just after the gate the wall to the left comes to an abrupt end, but the track, now grassy but with a raised stony right edge, continues ahead, with several mature Ash trees on either side. At the bottom of the hill is a solitary cottage (“Lead”), unoccupied except for the livestock, but still in reasonable repair. This is the site of one of Rob Roy’s battles with the Royalist troops, known as the Cean a Clachan, or Battle of the Hamlet. At the cottage the track angles right to cross a gated bridge over the Kelty Water 5 .

The track on the other side leads to Corrie Farm – turn left here, and follow the Kelty Water downstream. After a few minutes the track crosses a cattle grid and enters the forest – mostly Spruce, with scattered native trees such as Willow and Birch. From there it winds around through the forest for about 15 minutes. This area suffered an extreme blow-down during recent storms and all of it to the left of the track has now been cleared, opening up the views to the north. At the only junction in this area of the forest 6 a track leads back almost due west, providing a short cut to the Rob Roy Way. Just up ahead the forest track meets the tarmaced Old Drymen Road 7 . Turn left here and follow the road for 20 minutes, through cleared forest and then fields. Just after a white cottage to the right (Dalmary Lodge) is a T junction 8 – turn left here, the sign post points to Gartmore. An old stone bridge crosses the Kelty Water just before the farmstead of Chapelarroch. Continue along the road, with a fine view now of the length of Borland Hill to the left. The road eventually begins to climb again, steadily up to the Three Gates 2 . From here turn right along the road, back the way you came, to return to the Black Bull.

10

Fairy Knowe Loop Terrain- Variable ground including open field, loose forestry track with potential for some boggy ground.

11

5miles

From the Black Bull, turn left down the road then right 1 along the track between the houses opposite Jellicoe Avenue, as for the Wee Wood walk. Turn left where the track bends to the right 2 , then through the gate 3 into the wood. Continue through the wood until you reach the point 4 where the path branches.

Take the right fork between tall conifers and follow it as it curves right to run towards the wall and a very large Beech tree. This area is bright with Bluebells in the early summer.

Pass through the gap in the wall 5 and the pedestrian gate, making sure you close it behind you – there have been problems with escaped sheep here. The path crosses the meadow ahead and is easily visible, contouring round the hillside to the forest on the other side. There may be sheep out of sight in the field so if you have a dog, please keep it under close control, and if there is long grass, remember that this is a crop and keep to the path.

In the summer the meadow is rich with wildflowers, a wide variety of grasses, butterflies, and day-flying moths. Notice the series of parallel ridges running away to the south-west, and the square shoulders of Gualann in the distance. These mark the line of the Highland fault. At the far side of the meadow is another pedestrian gate 6 , but before going through, turn left along the forest edge. After about 20m there is a low shelf of rock in the grass at right angles to the fence. If you look carefully here you will see several deep hollows slightly larger than an egg-cup, with the central hollow surrounded by three very shallow concentric rings. This is a Cup and Ring mark – although there are many theories no-one knows the real significance of these, or even how old they are. There are several others in the Gartmore area, and many scattered across Scotland.

Go back through the forest gate, closing it behind you, and turn left through the forest, which has recently been clear-cut. The path winds between the tree stumps, over a small drainage channel, then slopes right up the hillside on the other side. This area has muddy patches, but these can easily be by-passed. At the top of the slope the path meets a forest track 7 , with finger posts to the Drymen road (left) and Aberfoyle (right). Turn right along the forest track. This area has also recently been felled (Feb 2015) – but it has opened up the view! The spectacular folded hill-tops visible to the north-east from this track are again part of the Highland fault. This stretches from Arran, across Loch Lomond, through Gartmore and the Hills of Menteith, through Callandar, and then across the country to Stonehaven south of Aberdeen. To the north and west are the high hills and deep glens of the Highlands, to the south and east are the lower hills and more fertile countryside of the Lowlands.

After about one mile, 1.2 km, there is a cross-roads 8 - go straight across. The forest track passes through mature native woodland with conifer plantation behind and winds down the hill towards the River Forth. (If you want to take a short cut back to Gartmore from the cross-roads, the track to the right goes back to the road – follow it downhill and up the other side. Where it turns sharp right at the top take the left branch - i.e. right rather than extreme right! `When you get to the tarmac road turn right.)

At the River Forth is Lemahamish 9 , a wide pool in the river, and a popular summer swimming hole. There is a parking area here, and National Park maps and information boards.

12

There is a parking area here and National Park maps and information boards 9 . Turn left along the forest track and through a barrier gate, then after forty metres turn left up a narrow path through the bushes, mostly willow, alder, and coppiced hazel. There is a marker post here with a dark blue strip. The path climbs slowly up the hill and is muddy in places. In the upper regions the bushes open out into mature oak and beech forest. This is the Fairy Knowe. The hill top has a rather mysterious atmosphere – the rocks look as though there might have been walls or buildings here, and the trees, although slender, are much older than they look. Note the thick layers of moss, lichen and liverworts on the trees and ground in this area, all indicating high moisture and low levels of atmospheric pollution – one species (Frullania tamarisci), dark purple-brown mats on bark, is an indicator of ancient woodland, only growing on trees in woodlands that have been intact for hundreds of years.

The path becomes a stony track, said to be the old road from Aberfoyle to Gartmore, and continues over the top of the hill before going down the other side. Take care here in wet weather - the slabs of rock in the track can become slippery! To the right is Easter Park, an area of partly overgrown fields. At one time there was apparently a wild-life park here.

After crossing a short stretch of board walk over a marshy area with Yellow Flag irises, the path joins a forest track. Just before the track take a path that leads down and back to the right 10 through young trees and bushes, with the old oak forest and bluebells to the right and mature spruce woods to the left. At the bottom of the hill 11 the path goes between two truncated conifers to join another forest track. Across the valley bottom is Doon Hill, with its solitary pine just visible above the oak trees on the summit. Turn right here and follow the track around the bottom of the hill. Pass the tarmac path and green signboard to Aberfoyle on the left and continue along the track.

The River Forth begins to appear through the scrubby trees to the left – the swampy area here is rich with wildflowers, including Meadowsweet, Water Avens, and Wood Anemone.

The track runs under an electricity line and then turns away from the river – at this point 12 a narrow path leads off through conifer trees to the left, again with a dark blue path marker. The path follows the bank of the River Forth to rejoin the forest track at Lemahamish 9 . Turn left here across a swampy arm of the pool and across an open meadow. The path crosses a stream and enters another area of native deciduous woodland, climbing and winding through the trees. At the far end it reaches the campground at Coblelands. At weekends in the summer there is a ranger station in a tent here, with activities for children, evening bat-hunts, nature and bushcraft walks. Check the notice boards there for details.

Walk through the campground to the road 13 and turn right up the hill, passing a lovely pink cottage on your left, to reach a sharp right-hand bend 14 . Take care here since traffic often comes fast round the corner. On the left is a track through the woods, with a handpainted finger post to “Butler’s Walk”. Follow this as it climbs slightly and then contours round past several large and old beech trees, curving to the right to reach the Gartmore House lane 15 . Turn right and walk along the lane for about 10 minutes until you reach a cross-roads just before the house 16 . Turn right here and continue round past the old stable blocks to the left, and then at the T-junction 17 by the biomass plant continue left up the hill. This will take you to the archway and stone pillars at the top of Gartmore village – pass through and back down the village street to the Black Bull.

13

Why walking is good for us We know that we must accumulate a MINIMUM of 150 minutes per week (more is better!) of cardiovascular exercise to protect and improve our physical and mental health.

This sounds like a lot, but it is only 2½ hours out of a normal 112 waking hours!

Also, it does not need to be all done at once. It can be accumulated in small chunks of 10-20 minutes! So you can go for long or short walks!

What are the physical and mental benefits of doing exercise? A LOT! • Improves cognition and memory • Reduces risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

• Reduces risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis (low bone density).

• Reduces Type II Diabetes risk.

• Reduces and improves sugar levels of Type II Diabetes.

• Lowers blood pressure.

• Improves your sleep.

• Reduces risk of depression and anxiety.

• Improves mood.

• Enhances self-efficacy.

• Helps in weight management.

• Reduces a number of cancers, including colon cancer.

Any walking at all is better than none One activity you can easily build into your day is to accumulate bouts of walking. You can walk for 10 minutes and do 3 bouts each day or longer more sustained bouts. Your exercise should add up to a minimum of 150 minutes in your week.

You can wear a pedometer to measure your steps. Aim for about 10,000 per day. We know that walking is better than sitting but try not to stroll. It is important that you walk at a speed that is MODERATE, are in a good posture when walking and walk at a speed that increases your heart and breathing rate and is about 3-6 on the scale. (Figure 1).

How much exercise

How does it feel in your muscles and breathing?

The talk test

1

Minimal effort

Relaxed breathing, relaxed muscles (sitting still).

Sing and whistle

2

Extremely mild effort

Normal breathing. No muscle strain.

Sing and whistle

3

Somewhat mild effort

Just aware of breathing more deeply, aware of slight muscle strain.

Sing and whistle

4

Mild effort

Just aware of breathing more deeply, aware of slight muscle strain.

Talk comfortably

5

Medium effort

Breathing more deeply, muscles slightly strained.

Talk comfortably

6

Fairly strenuous effort

Breathing deeply, definite muscle strain, but comfortable, able to continue.

Talk comfortably

7

Strenuous effort

Breathing deeply, definite muscle strain, but comfortable, able to continue.

Talk comfortably

8

Very strenuous effort

Breathing really deeply, muscles very strained, feeling like you would like to slow down.

Struggle to talk in sentences

9

Extremely strenuous effort

The hardest effort you have ever experienced, muscles and breathing are pushed a to a very high limit.

Struggle to talk in sentences

Maximum exertion

The maximal exertion that could possibly be achieved; most people will never experience this.

Struggle to talk in sentences

10

Figure 1: The exertion scale – how exercise should feel (Thow et al. 2013)

Tips for walking well 01

Keep your head up looking forward, not at the ground.

02

Keep your neck, shoulders and back relaxed.

03

Walk TALL with your back straight, not arched.

04

Swing your arms freely, with a slight bend in your elbows.

05

Try to take long strides and roll along your foot from heel to toe with each step.

06

Walk at a speed that makes you slightly breathless. Aim for 100 to 120 steps per minute. (120 beat is same beat as the Bee Gees song ‘Staying Alive’!) You can use a metronome to get the beat.

Acknowledgements Thanks to the following who contributed to this walking booklet; Paul McIntyre, Dr Morag Thow, Professor Rowena Murray, Gartmore Paths Group, Chris Sheldon, Janey Fleming, Dr Angela Newton Sponsored by Anchorage Educational Services