Doorway

"Do you want to lead a Tuesday walk in the summer programme?"
"Sure! Why not?"
"Where is it your walk will go?"
"I don't know yet - you've only just asked me!"
"It's just that we have a committee meeting this afternoon, and we'd like to add it to the programme which we want to get out this week."
"Oh right! Erm, just put me down for a 'Denny Circular' and I'll take it from there."

And so, taking advantage of the good weather on Thursday - two days after this conversation took place - I took the bus into Denny and went off to see if I could come up with a walk from the town centre up to Tappoch Broch (also known as Torwood Broch) and back within the space of two or three hours, the usual time-frame of our Tuesday walks.

It was a pleasant, uphill (though not steep) walk along good paths, some of which were very muddy, into Tor Wood. Then the path got a little rougher due to the tree roots and such-like and muddier, although still quite straightforward, until I reached the Broch, where this photo was taken.

I have to say that I do like Tappoch (Torwood) Broch as a location - there aren't many lowland brochs in Scotland and this is just a place I like visiting, as it is a real part of iron-age history right on my doorstep (relatively speaking). More information about this broch is on the Undiscovered Scotland website.

A check of my watch indicated that it had been nearly 90 minutes since I left Denny. Even allowing for my frequent photo stops, I reckoned that this walk was unlikely to make it into the Tuesday programme since I still had to come up with a return route that wasn't just the outward journey in reverse.

My own return route on Thursday brought me out of the wood and down towards a bus stop in Torwood, from where I caught a bus into Stirling and later a bus home. It is possible to walk back to Denny via a circular route, but I'll leave that for another day. Meanwhile I'll now need to come up with another idea for the 'Denny Circular' walk that I have agreed to lead. On the plus side, I've been told that my walk will be in the programme as taking place in mid-September. Plenty of time then!