Hillfoots Tales

Our first session of October will have the theme, “Autumn/Fall”.

Come and join us to hear tales of the season of “mists and mellow fruitfulness” or perhaps tell your own autumnal tale.

A warm welcome awaits in The Woolpack, Tillicoultry, 7.30pm – 9.30pm.

Our theme this week was “Ochil Tales”.  We met, as usual, in the cosy surroundings of The Woolpack, Tillicoultry.

Several of the stories told are well-known and much loved favourites of our members.

Our first tale of the evening was “Red Cap and the Smuggler”.

Secondly, we listened to an old folk song, “With God on our Side”, sung by one of our long-standing members.

“Davie Rae’s Wife” was the next traditional tale to be shared.

The penultimate offering was a story told many times within the family of another of our members, “Coalsnaughton Ghost Story”.

And finally we heard an original poem written by our resident poet, “The Ochils”.

As the nights begin to draw in, it was an uplifting and entertaining evening as usual.

Our theme for this evening’s storytelling session in the convivial surroundings of The Woolpack, Tillicoultry was “Hero or Villain?”.

We began by sharing anecdotes about our own personal heroes or villains, which generated much discussion and laughter.

Our first tale of the evening was “Zeus and his Shenanigans”.

Next we heard a family story, “The Doc Leaf Poultice”.

We were lucky to hear not one but two self-penned poems from our long- standing members, “Last Summer” and “The Villains of Summer 2025”.

“The Dean of Dalmahoy” was our next story, set in Cambuskenneth Abbey.

Our final offering of the night was “hero Turned Villain”, a long tale about a fisherman.

Once again, it was a most enjoyable evening.

Our theme for our first meeting in August was “Flight of Fancy”.

We listened to the story of “Jack and the Witch’s Bellows”, one of many stories about the eponymous Jack.

Next we heard a story of a clever slave, “In a Box”.

After that, the true story of “The Invasion of the Caterpillars”, which took place in Clackmannanshire in 1937.

The fourth offering of the evening was an original poem written by our resident poet, “The Dream”.

Our penultimate tale was “The Firebird and the Wolf”, from Russia.

And last but not least, we were entertained by “The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship”.

We also enjoyed hearing about eventful air journeys that our members have experienced.