THE WALK

THE WALK The sun shines on Benarty On a nice warm summers day, The bairns have got their clothes on And they all want out to play. l make them all some breakfast And the kids all eat their fill, Then I will take them on an adventure And go up Benarty hill. I will fill the bag with picnic food Then throw it over my shoulder, And give the bairns some memories To remember when they’re older. Just as you reach the hill road There is an opening on the right, Or walk an extra mile along And climb a murderous flight. One hundred and fifty two step of torture That zigzag through the trees, So take your time and walk up Or it will bring you to your knees. The first road on the right Is a steep walk through the wood, Our hearts are pumping faster But it will do us all some good. Just as we reach the Rockies Our mouths are all agape, Then on our cuddy hunkers And down the fire escape. There are six tracks take you up the hill Two East and four to the west, And once you’ve done them all You decide which one is best. Once you reach the trig point That’s where you collect your prize, Fantastic views of Scotland You won’t believe your eyes. We look down on Loch Leven Where Queen Mary spent six years, A prisoner in her own land In a castle full of tears. They chopped poor Mary`s head of She was Scottish and defiant, But she would be comforted if her last thought Was Benarty`s sleeping giant. You can clearly see the Kinnesswood climb Where the hill is steep and harder, Or walk along Loch Leven`s shore And have you’re breakfast in the Larder. There’s Kings and Queens have walked our hill And the ancient path below, With a large fort built upon it Where a peasant camp would grow. King Gedor of the Picts Who made the Romans yield, By defeating Rome’s ninth legion On Benarty`s lower field. The Culdees brought us Christianity In thirty seven A.D, Bringing secret text and knowledge From across the Irish Sea. Escaping from the Middle East With Holy words they came, Pagans ,Druids, cast aside with words in Jesus name. A parish of nine hundred years We’re one of Scotland’s oldest, And the people of Ballingry Are some of Scotland `s boldest. Ballingry (The abode of Gruoch) The Queen of King Macbeth, Who gifted the lands to ST. Serfs Upon her husband’s death. From Royalty to Sir Walter Scott Who have honed Benarty`s path, And their footsteps through the heather Would incur the Midges wrath. From modern day hill walkers To daredevils on their bikes, From running clubs to nature lovers Benarty gets a like. The youngsters grow up with the hill On every turn and bend, And learn wildlife and some bush craft At the wee camp at pines ends. Now they’ve cut the trees down No more a sea of green, Forest tracks wide open Where beauty once had been. It kind of resembles Tunguska With its dead and fallen trees, No more the sight of young deer Or the sounds of birds and bees. Timber and machine tracks Are the scars left when they’re done, But the people cut their own tracks And they do it just for fun. Old paths reinstated Debris cast aside, New tracks cut and shaped For mountain bikes to ride. So thanks to all the volunteers Who gave us back our track, And the hill walkers of Benarty hill Will all come flooding back. Time will tell how our hill grows back Through the summers and the chill, But whatever the weather put on your boots And walk up Benarty hill. You can take the kids up camping And hunt for Benarty gold, There’s plenty to do up Benarty hill For the young and old. Whether you’re running, walking, biking, Or playing and just getting mucky, To live underneath Benarty hill We really are quite lucky. So if you’re travelling on your own Or if you’re in a party, Enjoy your visit to our hill And welcome to Benarty THE END.