In May last year we took another visit to the Cowden Japanese Garden, near Dollar, Clackmannanshire. Beautiful as ever.

Pavilion, pond and bridge:-

I particularly like the Zen Garden:-

Seen from distance looking back:-

Closer (and reverse) view of the bridge:-

There was  new garden area this time, accessed by a path:-

SPFL Tier 3, Recreation Park,* 20/11/21

Well.

A win.

Very welcome.

We needed it; especially as the two teams directly below us both won today as well.

And at last a better result in the second quarter than we had against that team in the first.

How much the win depended on them having a man sent off just after their equaliser I don’t know but we had taken the lead (a Stuart Carswell penalty no less) which suggests we were doing okay.

Then Eoghan Stokes pops up with the winner. He’s making a habit of making vital contributions off the bench.

A bit of a break from the league next week since we play Sauchie at home in the Third Round of the Scottish Cup. (When, I wonder, was the last time we played two Clackmannanshire based teams in a row?)

I’m not expecting an easy game. They beat Highland League leaders Fraserburgh – away – in round one.

Castle Campbell lies in the hills above Dollar, Clackmannanshire, at the top of Dollar Glen. We visited it in October 2019.

The road leading up to it is quite narrow and the car park is a shortish walk away from the castle itself.

It wasn’t busy the day we went but it may be more so in summer.

Castle Campbell from path:-

Part of castle (with loggia):-

Information board in courtyard:-

Former Great Hall:-

Castle gable:-

Doorway from courtyard to grounds:-

Castle from grounds below:-

A vaulted ceiling:-

This ceiling has two carvings of faces that look a bit like the Green Man. There are holes at the mouths and it’s thought that lamps probably hung from there:-

Part of roof:-

Information board on the history of the Campbell family:-

View down to Dollar and the valley of the River Forth beyond:-

The good lady is a keen gardener and when she heard that the Japanese Garden, at Cowden, Clackmannanshire was reopening after being a long time overgrown, we had to visit. The garden was first opened in 1908, but was closed to the public in 1955 and left to go to ruin. Thankfully the recent restoration is restoring the garden to its former glory.

Japanese gardens are very elegant. Despite the refurbishment still going on Cowden certainly is. There is an air of peace and harmony about the place. Japanese bridges are especially elegant. The first bridge below is by the path near the garden’s entrance. The second spans the garden’s large pond:-

Pagoda and bridge:-

Zen garden:-

Bench:-

The burn which feeds the pond:-

Path to bridge:-

Stones and ornament with bridge in background:-

I was fairly surprised to see that the pub in Menstrie has Art Deco features. This is the Hollytree; rounded facade, horizontals (and the gable angle) picked out in a different colour from the overall cream, nice stepping on the roofline above the door. The windows have been replaced but the wood effect isn’t too bad.

The photo below shows how it and the neighbouring pharmacy look against the surrounding hills.

Menstrie is a village on the A91 at the Stirling edge of Clackmannanshire. Not much there really but close to hills and the War Memorial is an elegant obelisk.

The 1914-1918 names are in the central shield. 1939-1945 ones are on the plaque below.

From the car park:-

It’s obviously undergoing refurbishment just now so I couldn’t get near the rear.

The left edge here is most interesting. I wish I could have got the doors in the photo but I was leaning over a cemetery wall.