Dunning – St Serf's Tower, a Thorn Tree and the Kirkstyle Inn
A few hours.
The route
Dunning is a quiet village at the foot of the Ochils, burned by a retreating Jacobite army in 1716 and rebuilt around its old church, whose 12th-century tower still stands over the square.
Beneath it, the Kirkstyle Inn is a country pub with low ceilings, open fires and well-kept ales. A short wander round the village and an evening by the fire make a lovely night out.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book supper at the Kirkstyle Inn
Book a table in the Kirkstyle Inn's dining room by ringing 07516 166091, for an evening after a wander round Dunning; the inn opens every day, from 5pm on Mondays.
The day
Dunning
An evening in the country at the foot of the Ochils. A short wander on foot round the old village, then a warm seat by the fire for a drink and supper.
About two and a half hours
St Serf's Church
The Kirkstyle Inn asks visitors to leave the car at the tennis courts on Station Road, about 150 metres away, when there's no space close by. Start at St Serf's Church on Tron Square, with its square 12th-century tower. Inside is the Dupplin Cross, a carved 9th-century cross, but the church opens only on certain days, so in the evening it's the tower from the kirkyard. In Tron Square stands the Alexander Martin fountain of 1874, lit after dark. A short stroll away, in Thorntree Square, a hawthorn stands where the village planted its first thorn tree in 1716, to mark the burning.
The Kirkstyle Inn
A drink
Then head back to the Kirkstyle Inn, right below the church, for a drink by the fire. It opens every day, from 5pm on Mondays and from 11am on other days. Children and dogs are welcome, and there are steps up to the front door. Book a table in the dining room on 07516 166091 if you want supper. Whoever is driving sticks to soft drinks, or takes one of its four rooms upstairs, from £125 a night at the time of writing.
If it rains
On a wet night, look at the tower from the inn's door and go straight in to the fire: the wander can wait for a dry evening.
The Kirkstyle Inn, a restaurant in Dunning.
Photograph by John Isaacs via Google