Try one pie and you'll want Mhor

If you are ever driving through Callendar in the rain, find a place to park and wander the high street until you find Mhor Bread.

If you are packing for a picnic (it can’t rain all the time) pick up a loaf of their artisan bread. But if all you want is something tasty to take away, allow yourself to be drawn towards the pastry case where a small tower of savoury pies are waiting.

The steak pie comes highly recommended by the staff, but Mhor Bread has also won awards for their traditional Scotch Pie. This will make your decision more difficult, however if you are lucky the lovely Sally will help you make your selection.

I went for the scotch pie and am delighted to report a peppery filling and crunchy pastry. Next time I will sample the steak pie and perhaps a loaf of olive and rosemary bread.

Also, do not leave the Mhor bakery without a package of buttered bannocks. JP didn’t enjoy the way the flavour lingered between that of a biscuit and an oatcake but I absolutely adored them, finding them extremely moorish and perfect with a sweet cup of tea. I can’t wait to make them for myself.

Anyone have a favourite grab-and-go Scottish food?

The many rewards of a hike in Dollar Glen

I have dozens of failed photos from our visit to Dollar Glen. There seemed no way to capture the depth of the place, the layers of green.

Massive ferns brushed our skin as we walked under tall trees, the rustling leaves constantly shifting the light at our feet.

The moss, sponge-like and dripping, clung in vast carpets over sheer rock faces and wrapped itself like a sleeve around fallen logs.

Everywhere around us the sound of streams and waterfalls added to the Glen’s atmosphere of luxurious clutter. Not surprisingly, Dollar Glen is one of the most popular walking destinations in Clackmannashire, Scotland’s smallest historic county, which borders Perth and Kinross, Stirling and Fife.

The relatively easy uphill climb is made all the more wonderful when you emerge at the top to see a ruined castle rising up through the trees.

Originally known as Castle Gloom, the land and castle were taken over in 1465 by Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll, and it has been known as Castle Campbell ever since.

After being destroyed by royalists in 1654, it was left to fall into ruin, but today it still makes an impressive sight, nestled as it is among the forests at the top of the Glen.

Castle highlights include the cobbled entrance into the gardens, where the last of the summer roses still blooming against the high walls.

The trap door leading to the pit prison has been propped open so visitors can gape down into the cold, dirt-lined space and imagine what it would have been like to sit there alone in the dark for days or even weeks.

But the thing I adored most of all had to be the two carved masonry masks in the top floor ceiling.

At one time oil lamps would have hung from their mouths and I couldn’t help thinking that modern light fittings simply do not compare.

The castle’s tower can still be climbed and offers spectacular views over the valley below and over to the Ochil Hills behind.

The lure was too great and despite the threat of rain we couldn’t resist a hike up to Bank Hill. We had only just hit the bottom when the wind started to howl and the rain swept over us, but there was no stopping.

Nearing the top of the steep slope, my clothes wet, my chest heaving and my legs rubbery with fear as much as exertion (for I am a supremely lacking in confidence when it comes to climbing), I looked up to see my beaming Scotsman, engaged in an enthusiastic rendition of the Rocky dance.

It is easy to see why hill walkers around the country are drawn to this area, where even a short hike can reward visitors with dramatic views and the sense of being blissfully alone in the world. It is places like Dollar Glen and the Ochil Hills that make me all the more passionate for Scotland.

We are finally off to the Highlands for a couple of days - what a way to start the week!

Edinburgh's ancient outdoor fitness mecca

This is the perfect time of year to get out for a hike after work, to stretch out those hours of daylight as far as they will go.

In Edinburgh the hills around Holyrood Park are slowly changing from summer green to autumn gold. In the late afternoon of a sunny day, Arthur’s Seat looms above the city like a gentle giant.

One of the things I love about Arthur’s Seat and the entire landscape of Holyrood Park is it is a place for everyone, whatever your fitness level.

There I was, lumbering slowly upwards, stopping again and again to catch my breath and take photos, while members of the super fit clan ran past us up the hill and other returning walkers meandered back to the city.

I couldn’t help wondering who would want to spend time in a gym when an extinct volcano is available and free for anyone to use. Aside from the cardio (wheeze, wheeze), the hike can also be filed under strength training and even balance work as you (carefully!) traverse some of the more uneven sections of trail.

Even at my snail’s pace it only takes about 45 minutes to get to the top. Along with the views of the city and the beautiful undulations of the hills, there is the added bonus of people watching.

I love how people interact with this place and the strange sense of community that takes over me when I am there at the top with others who have made the climb.

Grinning tourists, out-of-breath dog walkers, artists hunched over sketch pads - everyone apart but together in this moment of being on top of the world.

I have never been at the top during the summer solstice sunrise but it is something I would love to do because I think the feeling of kinship would be intensified when everyone has gathered there for a single purpose.

If you are visiting Edinburgh you cannot miss the chance to walk the hills of Holyrood Park and climb Arthur’s Seat. There is something magical about the place and it is sure to give you a whole new perspective on Scotland’s Capital.

Rediscovering the Pentland Hills

I’m back. Once again it feels like I just blinked and now summer is over. However I’m looking forward to feeling like my sensual self again just in time for my favourite season, when the earth slows down to my built-for-comfort speed.

For more than a month I have been desperate to escape the city, but our plans for a trip to the highlands have been put back a week. Still craving a bit of space and quiet, I turned to the Pentland Hills just outside of Edinburgh.

All of my previous attempts to hike the Pentlands have started from Hillend, near the Midlothian Snowsports Centre. Right from the start the gradient is steep which I hate because I’m one of these people who needs to warm up slowly. In fact, I like to do most things slowly. It is my way.

I didn’t want to have the same daunting experience, so we chose a different route, starting in the village of Balerno and hiking towards the Harlaw reservoir, Threipmuir Reservoir and Black Hill.

This was more like it. Good, easy to navigate paths with gentle gradients, all in an idyllic setting. Unlike Hillend, there was no view over the city, which gave me the blissful feeling of being much further away from things than we were.

Highlights from the afternoon included the graceful sight of man fly fishing, the slosh of water inside an old pump house at the base of Black Hill, and the remaining purple patches of blooming heather over the landscape. We sat for some time looking out at the world, wishing we had had the forethought to pack a picnic.

I have no poetry in me today, so the photos will have to tell the story. I have to thank my wonderful blogger friends who send me encouraging comments and emails (and sometimes even snail mail and treats!) throughout the festival season.

Now here we are on the cusp of a Scottish autumn. I’m loving Visit Scotland’s Perfect Day campaign, which helps people plan their ideal autumn holiday. Trossachs Beer and Mushroom festivals anyone?