There's Silver in Them Thar Hills
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- A visit to Alva, a Hillfoots town at the foot of the Ochil Hills in Clackmannanshire. Alva once had a thriving woollen industry with upwards of nine mills in the town, but, as is sadly the case in far too many towns in Scotland, that industry has completely gone. But Alva is well placed to benefit from tourism, and the town doesn't have to build much to cater for an influx of visitors. For the Ochil Hills provide a stunning backdrop to the town and are there for all to explore. There are walks all over the place, like the Hillfoots Diamond Jubilee Way, or paths in Alva Glen, and tracks into the Ochil Hills themselves with many fine hills and views. In this video we take a brief look at the extent of the woollen industry in Alva through the examination of old maps, and pass by the Strude Mill building, originally called the Boll Mill, that sits above the town. We then make our way onto the hill from Alva Glen, briefly check out the Silver Mines, then walk to the top of The Nebit where we are rewarded with spectacular panoramic scenery stretching towards the three bridges at Queensferry and beyond. A truly wonderful hike.
Hello Eddy. Great to see you happy pal,i just finished 2 back to back 12hr shifts and to see you on a hillside with a bridie telling a tale has certainly cheered me right up. Fantastic wee toon that with a good industrial past ,together with them views was stunning. Also when you mentioned about bus drivers being unable to understand what passengers are saying is something i can understand, as you know i am a bus driver and most of my passengers are chinese doctors and scientists wanting to go to the Biomedical university campus, !!! .great to see you happy again Eddy, till next time care pal. 🥃🏴👍
Thanks Billy. I don't know how you guys do 12 hour shifts. It's quite common in any number of professions, and I just don't think it's right. Way too long. Take care.
I remember a American wanted to go to Bradford from Buchanan st bus station. The Skye bus was waiting to board so the lassie at the ticket office sold a ticket to Broadford.... The problem wasn't realised until Fort William.. That was in about 1990. My mate was driving the bus.
Hi Eddy, really got envious of you while watching this video. Although I have been many times to places like Callander, Crieff, Dunblane, Stirling, Auchterarder and Perth,
I have never had the pleasure of visiting Alva and its surroundings, a truly stunning area and beautiful countryside. It sure looked like an interesting and enjoyable day out and about. Nice production Eddy, take care, and all the best, regards, Rob.
Thanks Rob. It's hard to go wrong in such a beautiful area of Scotland. Take care.
Great Eddie, thanks.
Absolutely fabulous and fascinating video, well done Eddie.
Many thanks.
That's gorse, not broom 😊 Great video, and well made, and very informative, thanks for making and uploading, here's a wee bit of background History I found in Bruce Baillie's History of Dollar:
ALVA
"Rocky plain"
A small hamlet until the early 1800s, an
attempt was made to plan a village round a
square by the then Lord Alva, only two sides of
which were completed. In 1801 there was only
one mill. By 1886 there were nine spinning mills
at work employing some 1500 people. The most
imposing building is the magnificent Strude or
Boll Mill, now converted into flats, which was
only part of a complex owned by William
Archibald and Son until 1976. Built around 1820,
it has six storeys, each with twenty-five
windows, each window originally intended to
give light to a handloom. The estate seems to
have anciently been held from Cambuskenneth
by the Stirlings of Calder passing down through
the Menteiths to the Erskines of Mar, the
Erskines of AIva being descended from them.
The Erskines held it from 1620 to 1775 when the
then Lord Alva sold it to the Johnstones of
Westerhall. Sir John Erskine is remembered for
the discovery of silver in the Silver Glen around
1710 and the profligate way he used it for
improvements. John Johnstone had made a large
fortune serving in India under Clive and
subsequently bought estates in Selkirk and
Dumfries as well as Alva. In 1636 Sir Charles
Erskine developed a mansion around an ancient
tower and this was further developed in a large
manner by the Johnstones about 1820. The last of
the Johnstones, Miss Carrie, died in debt in 1929 ,
and the house was left derelict to be used for
target practice during the Second World War. The
Stable Block serves as a Woodland Centre.
Interesting stuff. Many thanks.
A beautiful day with even more beautiful views. A wee bit on Lyme disease was diagnosed as a separate condition for the first time in 1975 in Lyme, Connecticut.
Thanks Charles; it's a beautiful area of the country.
Great video ed, lovely views, having lived in the hillfoots for past 30 years it's a beautiful area
Very hard to beat a dander in the Ochils.
What was that creaking in the graveyard? Spooky
Probably my knees.
I hate feckin ticks, oor wee dug picks them up regularly and I've seen them on the floor nearly the size of a marble having dropped off her full of blood ... I've been using Permethrin clothing sprays and skin cream for a couple of years, so far so good, touch wood... I've never been very keen on Deet since I melted through the inside of a tent spraying it at some mozzies!
It must be a nightmare for dog owners as clearly if you've been out in the countryside it's a major examination to check beneath all that hair.
Walking up the back of the Nebit is like walking into the sky.
Absolutely. Lovely little hill.
"You shall not pass!" I believe my partner and I may have passed you on this walk! I did wonder!
Hi. Yup, that was me doing my Gandalf thing. It was a great day. Hope you enjoyed your walk. All the best.
Hi Eddy great to see you out and about another great video I'm sure our paths may cross some day I'll be sure to have a chinwag cheers for now
Many thanks.
It seems the smile has returned and you have been set free to roam, to the benefit of all of us. Thanks so much.
Smiles are spontaneous in such beautiful countryside. You just can't beat Clackmannanshire. Thank you.
Lovely video Ed
Thanks.
Hi Eddy,
You've put the bar up higher this time. This was one of your best yet. Beautiful scenery, interesting stories, fascinating history and of course, which always helps, the weather was fantastic. We've never heard of Alva before but have now made a note of it as one of our must go places. The mill that was once Boll Mill is a stunning building. Do any of the other mills still stand? There were, I think I counted 9, amazing. Well done Eddy this was really good. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ian and Angie.
Many thanks. I was initially pleased with how this video had gone but I've just watched it on the telly and the quality's just not there. It's lacking sharpness. Then I rabbit on for about 3 minutes at the start in silhouette where you can barely see me. What on earth was I thinking? Sound quality's all over the shop. I'm my own worst critic. I suspect there may be other bits of buildings that were once mills, but clearly the Boll Mill is the grandest. Take care.
Loved this one Eddie! Loved seeing the Wallace monument in the distance, the views were stunning. It does a soul good to get out into nature like this. I’m stuck in a town and have been for 18 months now but my little bit of escape is watching your videos. Thanks for making them 🥰 xxx
Many thanks. Take care.
Great job Eddy. First I've heard of the silver mines and I've been here 62 years! It looks like I need to go for a walk up there.
Thanks. It's just a lovely area, with paths all over the place. I strongly suspect I'll be back soon.
Great to see you out and about Eddie , was up the dumyat recently myself , great views
You can't beat The Ochils.
My home town Ed, fantastic video :)
Many thanks. I'm thinking about renaming the channel 'Ed in Silhouette'.
@@EdExploresScotland i shared this video on to the Auld Clackmannanshire page on Facebook.
Thank you. I was wondering where all the extra views were coming from.
11:06 That's not a pirate's grave in the foreground with the skull and crossbones!
I'm afraid not, but you never know. In many ways it was typical for graveyards of the period where symbols like hour-glasses and skulls & crossbones were fairly common.