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The Via Dolarosa

The 'Racers Burn' was originally a small stream that ran from the hill above Mount Stuart down to the sea. In 1896, the 3rd Marquess of Bute asked the landscape architect Thomas Mawson to help him make more of this unassuming burn.

The result was the creation of a series of pools and spectacular cascades replicating the Via Dolorosa (the route of Christ’s suffering and death). This stretches from the gently lapping pebbly shore - 'indeed a spot for meditation', agreed Mawson - to the Calvary pond at the top of the hill.

The 3rd Marquess was a devout Catholic and The Via Dolarosa was replicated as a kind of spiritual pilgrimage. His peaceful walk was allowed to become overgrown and almost forgotten until 1993, when it was cleared and restored. The full shape and beauty of the Calvary pond itself emerged from the surrounding woodland in 2001, after dredging and drainage work was carried out.