Robert the Bruce’s lost gauntlet

In the 1300s, Robert the Bruce visited one of his favourite royal hunting grounds: the royal forest of Clackmannanshire; since the 1100s one of only four royal hunting forests in Scotland (along with Stirling, Alyth and Plater, a now lost place-name in central Angus).

Legend has it that the great man put down his gauntlet (clearly he was getting his mobile out) then rushed off forgetting it (look what gene we've all inherited from Robert the Bruce!). He sent his trusty knight Sir James Douglas back to find but to no avail.

Today, on a cycle ride, you can freewheel down the slope of Look Aboot Ye Brae (so you too can look ‘aboot’ you for the gauntlet) as you do the Clackmannan to Culross loop mostly on quiet roads.

And the glove? Well as described above we do have a modern version of the gauntlet, come and stay and you can try it on!

And you can sit in the gardens of Slackbrae, which has foxglove (Digitalis lutea, perfect for shade) as a nod to this legend. Come and feel part of this story and visit the Stone of Mannan in Clackmannan where Robert the Bruce lay down his glove as he rested.

Thanks to Valerie Forsyth writing in the Alloa Advertiser for this story.