Uniform with this Volume. One Shilling: Cloth, 1s. 6d. The Elder at the Plate. A Collection of Anecdotes and Incidents relating to Church Door Collections. By Nicholas Dickson. The Kirk Beadle. A Collection of Anecdotes and Incidents relating to the Minister’s Man. By Nicholas Dickson. Anecdotes and Reminiscences of George Gilfillan. By David Macrae. Literary Coincidences, A Bookstall Bargain, and other Papers. By W. A. Clouston. Personal Adventures by a Detective. Pages from Note Books of Lieut

My dear Mr. Manners , Among many ways in which a holiday, or a Saturday afternoon, can be profitably and enjoyably spent by those members of the community whom the late Dr. Andrew Wynter designated as “our working bees,” there should be none more attractive than a climb to the top of some of our highest western hills. The following pages, which are respectfully dedicated to you who suggested them, make no pretence to fine writing or original matter, but are simply a short and, I trust, readable

There is hardly any excursion within a few miles of Glasgow that combines more of what is pleasing in history, poetry and patriotism, and varied scenery of the sweetest kind than a trip to Loudon Hill. Either the South-Western or the Joint Line, from St. Enoch, takes the traveller to Kilmarnock, or “Old Killie,” as it is pettingly called by the Kilmarnockians, a place that is suggestive of St. Marnock in the eighth century, Burns at the end of last century, and bonnets in the present. The line n

If any one wishes for perfect quiet, and to be well out of the way of smoke and bustle, of duns and other visitors—in fact, has a particular desire to find within 40 miles of Glasgow a place which, for all practical purposes, shall be to him or to her the world’s end—let him make up his mind to spend a day on the top of that well-known yet comparatively little climbed hill, Tinto. And for this purpose let him take a return ticket and follow us to Symington—and there is Tinto, or the Hill of Fire

We remember reading, some years ago, in Punch , a paragraph headed “Strange Insanity,” and stating that a respectable tradesman in the City, in pursuit of a holiday, had positively thrown himself into a cab, driven off to the Eastern Counties Railway Station at Shoreditch, and had taken a ticket for Great Yarmouth. It is perhaps equally an act of “strange insanity” in this year of grace and desirable excursions for anyone to go to Muirkirk on a similar errand, for the line to Muirkirk—like that

Given those three things, a good day, a liking for a walk over a Scottish moor, and a small bag over the shoulder well filled with eatables, could one do better than set out to make the acquaintance of this comparatively unknown hill? The most interesting route, and the most direct, leaving the least work for the pedestrian, is by the Caledonian Railway, from the Central, to Clarkston Toll. From there we avail ourselves of a coach to Eaglesham (kirk hamlet), not knowing what the necessities of t

Now that everybody is out of town, on Saturday at least, and every place in the guide book is as well known as the Trongate or Jamaica Street, it is something to discover a hill everybody has not been to the top of, and which is not in Black or Murray. Such a hill is that which stands between Fairlie and Kilbirnie, overlooking Fairlie Roads (that is, the Clyde between Fairlie and the Greater Cumbrae) on the one side, and the valley of the Garnock on the other. It is best to make the ascent from

We see that “Cook” is advertising his usual excursions to Switzerland and Paris in view of the Fair holidays, but, whilst we would not urge anyone not to go, having been there and enjoyed them, ourselves, to those who have neither the time nor the money to go any great distance we would say that we are old enough fashioned to believe that this “nice little, tight little, island” of our own contains within its rocky shores as wondrous a combination and as great a variety of scenery as can be foun

A Londoner can get “to Brighton and back for four shillings” in the height of the season; but we in Glasgow can have a day’s outing quite as good for half the money, and at any time. It is not “down the water,” but up to the Earl’s Seat, the highest point in what is popularly called the Campsie range. Find your way to Strathblane in the manner most agreeable to your mood. On reaching the station, turn to the right, past the handsome parish church, the pulpit of which was long filled by Dr. Willi

We started the other day for the top of Dunmyat, the nearest and most picturesque peak of the Ochil range. If you have not been on its summit there is a treat in store for you. We take the train from Queen Street to Stirling, thence by car to Causewayhead, the most fitting place from which to begin the pedestrian part of our journey. Taking the road through the village, up the hill, and keeping to the right, past the Wallace Monument, we soon find ourselves at the Parish Church of Logie. We look

Notwithstanding the fact that it had rained for two days previously, we determined to get to the top of Ben Donich, not that it is very high, but that its central position affords far-reaching views, such as many higher hills can lay no claim to. It is in the midst of a network of inland lochs, and the range of high hills, not to call them mountains, not a hundred miles away from the better-known “Cobbler.” The ordinary way to reach it is to take the steamer to Lochgoilhead. When there, there is

Who that has read “Rob Roy” would not wish to make a pilgrimage to the clachan of Aberfoyle, where visitors can see for themselves the historic coulter of the “Bailie,” still red-hot, hanging on a tree in front of the hotel? It will be remembered that this implement did no little damage to the Highlandman’s plaid, and led to the very important question, when the articles of agreement were being decided on in the inn, after the fracas—“But who’s to pay for ma new plaid?” And who that has read of

It is not known why several of our Scottish hills take their name from the Welsh Prince Arthur, of whom no other trace remains in the country, but it appears that they have been traditionally considered to be places of sovereignty. For example, it is said that that huge mountain at the opening of Glencroe, the naked rocky summit of which is thought to bear some resemblance to a shoemaker at work and bent to draw his thread, and which is therefore called the Cobbler, being at one time considered

If Loch Lomond is the queen of Scottish lakes, Ben Lomond is the king of Scottish mountains. He may not reign by divine right in one sense, for there are higher heights than his in this “land of the mountain and the flood,” yet he reigns by almost universal consent. There is none of them all that attracts such a number of visitors from all parts of the world who have heard of his greatness and majesty, beauty, and widely extended dominion. It is the fashion to climb Ben Lomond at least once in a

Guide-books are but too often blind guides, as they present certain objects for our admiration, which are accordingly visited and admired, but leave out all mention even of others of as great, if not greater, interest. For example, there rises up from the margin of the Queen of Scottish Lakes, Lomond, at its south end, about 3 miles from Balloch, a little mount, easy of access even to those who can only afford a Saturday afternoon to visit it, from which undoubtedly the best view of the loch is

The most popular excursion in Scotland, both with ourselves and with strangers from all parts of the world, is that which takes us to, and through, the Trossachs. But it is somewhat unfortunate that the idea exists in the public mind that it is an impossible excursion to any but rich people on account of its expense. We propose to-day to lead any who are willing to follow us to one of our Scottish mountains which more than any other may feel proud of its surroundings, which is, so to speak, at t

It was our Autumn Holiday, and we had decided on a run to one of the choicest spots which abound within a reasonable distance of Glasgow. Of course we wanted to do as much as possible, which is not always wise, especially when there are one or two in the party with different tastes and different muscular capacities. But having got a general idea of our plan, we started, leaving that “divinity that shapes our ends” to give the turn to our holiday which we believed would bring us the best results.

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