EK News Article by Eric Kent: The latest Duncanrig Ramblers walk was in the Perth and Kinross area. The main walk was from Muthill to Creiff (10.3 miles) with a shorter version of the same route from Muthill to Strowan (7.4 miles) for the alternate walkers

The walk commenced close to the centre of Muthill and headed down a country road to Sallyardoch Wood then on the remains of the old railway from Auchterarder which in times past  joined  the Creiff - Perth line on the other side of the River Earn. The village of Muthill has a very picturesque centre with the ruin of a medieval church which incorporates a bell tower from the 11^thcentury. Muthill was founded by Culdee Monks in the 700's and has a rich history; including the village having to be almost totally rebuilt after most of the buildings had been destroyed by retreating Jacobites in 1716. This early church in Muthill also served for a time as a seat of the Bishops of Strathearn (later Dunblane) before the building of the cathedral at Dunblane in the 13th century. This change was part of the Scottish and Irish Christianity changes from a distinctly Celtic church to where they were regulated on the Roman pattern and in this process the Culdee monks also lost any distinctiveness they may formerly have had once they were brought under canonical rule. The village also has a museum and a hotel. We continued along the south bank of the River Earn heading towards Crieff in warm sunny spring weather. The walk along the river bank was enjoyable with the clear water sparkling in the sunshine and the glinting of the stones on the river bed delighting all with this picture of natural beauty. About a kilometre or so from the visitor centres on the Muthill road into Crieff we had a mini Wild West show due to some young cattle being spooked by the number of walkers walking close by to them close to the river. These young animals started to panic and then they broke away into a small stampede and fortunately none of the cattle or any of the walkers were injured and the fleeting moment of drama and excitement quickly passed into memories. After lunch we headed off from the visitor centre westwards into the vast Torlum Woods using established tracks. At the start of this part of the walk were all delighted with the spectacular views over to Crieff and the surrounding area which could only be seen while walking well away from the usual motoring road views. Walking through the woods was hard work as we had a number of climbs up through the woodland but these were worth it to enjoy the fresh spring growth bursting out from the trees and the ground plants.  We left the woods on to an open area where we could see up Glen Turret and Ben Chonzie (931m) and also the tip of the summit of Ben Lawers (1214m) which was just to be seen beyond the hills above Glen Lednock. From the woods we headed down to Strowan where the alternate walkers finished their walk and joined the Coach. From Strowan the main group walked down a small country road heading north to cross the River Earn again close to Strowan Church. On the way there we could see on the hill directly in front of us called Tom Na Chaistel an obelisk monument which was intriguing everyone as to its purpose. We later found out that it was in memory of a British General called Sir David Baird (1757-1829) who was famous for his roles in India and South Africa and in 1804 his military contributions to the Empire earned him his knighthood. After crossing the river we headed east on a rough road below Tom Na Chaistel hill to Trowan Farm and from there continued on to the point where the Old Laggan road meets the Lady Mary walk. We followed the Lady Mary walk all the way from there along an avenue of mature oak, beech, lime and sweet chestnut trees, and this includes some fine, outstanding tree specimens. The Lady Mary walk follows the River Earn bank for awhile until the river converges with the Shaggie Burn. The walk track then follows the Burn which continues on to the start of the MacRosty, Taylor and Mungall Park close to the outskirts of Creiff.  Parts of this park were donated by each of these local worthies for the enjoyment of the people of Creiff and the visiting tourists and walkers.  The Lady Mary walk was a favourite of Lady Mary Murray, whose father; Sir Patrick Murray of Ochtertyre named it for her and opened it to the people of Crieff in 1825. Close by on the Turretbank Road is the famous Eppie Callum Tree rumoured to be 600 years old this ancient oak which is 21 metre/ 70 ft high tree is stated to be named after Eppie Callum, the inn keeper of the nearby Oakbank Inn, a popular hostelry for drovers of old. She is said to have planted an acorn in a pot then moved it to the garden when it became too large for the window sill. The tree is now in a private garden but easily visible from the road and is listed in the Perthshire Big Tree records. From this point we walked down the Turretbank Road into Crieff where we were glad to see the Coach and the finish of the walk on this warm and sunny day

The social hour was enjoyed by all at Bannockburn on the journey back to East Kilbride.