It was a glorious Sunday afternoon and we planned to head up towards Sheriffmuir in search of the wheatear. The Where to Watch Birds in Scotland app had suggested this as a good location and we had previously taken a couple of drives through the area. Sheriffmuir is moorland and forest between Bridge of Allan and Dunblane. An inconclusive battle was fought here in 1715 during the first Jacobite uprising and a tall monument stands next to the Dunblane road. Deeper into the woods lies the Gathering Stone but that's another tale.
Before we headed into the wilds, I planned to squeeze in a spot of urbex activity. I had noticed what appeared to be an abandoned farm, right next to the M9 and not far from the junction for Bridge of Allan and Dunblane. The maps revealed a minor road crossing over the motorway and passing right by the farm. A mental note had been made to check out the place whenever I found myself in the area. No time like the present! My original idea had been to walk out from Bridge of Allan but today we just decided to drive along the single-track road. We found a spot to park just before the M9 fly over and walked across. We were looking down upon the farmstead and across the fields in the other direction there appeared to be a large stately home. Later research revealed it to be the A-listed Keir House - ancestral home of the Stirling family from 1760 to 1975, whereupon it was sold to businessman Mahdi Al Tajir from the United Arab Emirates. Now aged 89, he is a billionaire and one of Scotland's richest men. A notable 20th century figure from the Stirling dynasty was Sir David Stirling who founded the elite Special Air Service (SAS) - a military unit whose duties include counter terrorism, hostage rescue and covert reconnaissance. Keir House and Westley's farm are situated in the obscure parish of Lecropt. The current population is around 75 and consists entirely of isolated properties. Historically the parish created a geographical anomaly as it straddled the boundary of Perthshire and Stirlingshire. It was allocated to Perthshire in 1890 when the coming of modern local government (in the form of county councils) required such quirks to be ironed out. The historic counties ceased to play an administrative role in 1975 (Fife excepted) and Lepcroft is now governed by the Council Area of Stirling, which people sometimes wrongly equate with Stirlingshire. In fact, the two territories are markedly different. The flat landscape is known locally as the carse of Lecropt and there appears to be a 6-mile circular walk using largely traffic free roads such as the one we were standing on. I added it to my never ending list which I strive to chip away at whenever I can.
From my elevated position, I could see the farm complex contained a shuttered house and several outbuildings. Abandoned machinery and vehicles were dotted around the place. Definitely worth checking out in more detail. All I needed to do was hop over the metal gate. Nicole isn't normally too enthused about climbing over obstacles to reach ruined places and she decided to remain on the minor road while I poked around. I wandered into the farmyard and looked around. Suddenly my good lady wife was standing next to me. She had simply pushed the gate open. There was a great deal for the keen urban explorer to see. An old combine harvester and tractor stood alongside other agricultural equipment under a dilapidated shed. The farmstead was deserted and it nice to have a leisurely opportunity to explore and take photographs. The thrum of traffic from the motorway was of course ever present and I wondered if the owners (or tenants) had simply had enough of their rural idyll being shattered. Try as I might, I was unable to unearth the reason for the farm becoming abandoned. The adjacent fields were cultivated and ran right up to the ghostly steadings. Perhaps new living and working quarters had been found nearby, or it could be that Westley's was bought over by a neighbouring farmer who had no use for additional property? (that might already have been in a state of disrepair). So many possibilities. I conducted a good old-fashioned thorough explore and had a look in a few barns and sheds, wandered around the courtyard and traced the layout of the gardens. There was no access to the big house as every window and door was secured by steel grilles. No matter, I was more than happy just to have a stroll around. To be honest, I had expected the place to be seriously wrecked, given the fact the farm isn't exactly hidden from view. But it's probably far enough out of reach from local teenagers and anyone else who might fancy vandalising the place. A great urbex stop-over and it was soon time to be on our way.
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