Lecht Mine Trail

This is an easy 1 mile (1.5 km) out-and-back from the Well of the Lecht car park to the old mine's crushing mill. Allow 30 to 60 minutes; the route has about 32 m of ascent. Follow the clear track into the glen, take the short left-hand footbridge path, then rejoin the track and continue to the mill you can see ahead. At the signed path to Chapeltown, stay on the track for the mine. Return the same way. The route is short, but the grassy sections can be soft or boggy after rain.

The Lecht first opened for iron ore in 1730, but that operation closed after seven years. In 1841 the Duke of Richmond and Gordon reopened it for manganese. More than 60 men and boys worked there at its peak; the mine shut again after five years as imported ore became cheaper.

The stone crushing mill is the only mine building left standing. Its machinery was powered by a water wheel fed through a mill lade from a stream farther up the valley; the mill was repaired and reroofed in the 1980s. Across the burn, look for foundations, three quarry pits and broad spoil heaps. Some of those heaps are iron ore left on the surface while miners searched deeper for manganese.

This suits a leg-stretch and a close look at an unusual industrial ruin, rather than anyone seeking a long hike. The mill, stream and path make the best view: pause before the building and frame it with the burn in the foreground. Sheep may be along the route. Dogs are allowed under Scotland's access rights, but keep them close around sheep and moorland wildlife, especially in the bird-breeding season.