Dollar Glen.
Start. Dollar.
Route. Dollar - Dollar Glen - Castle Campbell - Dollar Glen - Dollar.
Notes. Cutting deep into the Ochil Hills, a wooded glen makes for spectacular walking. A site of Special Scientific Interest because of it's range of wild life habitat and important geological features, this is Dollar Glen easily reached from the village of Dollar in Clackmannanshire, dominating the head of the glen is Castle Campbell, a 15th century stronghold, this formidable fortress being the lowland seat of the Dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell.
This walk may be short but it certainly wasn't easy, although some of the local literature claims it's a walk for grandparents and children, maybe it refers to another Dallar Glen that slipped our attention. Our short outing started in West Burnside, a long street appropriately running up the west bank of the Dollar Burn. On reaching the Dollar Golf Club we crossed the burn, our route followed the way-marked path on it's east bank, passing the Dollar Museum before crossing a small park. At the other side of the park we stepped into oak woods to be greeted by an interpretation board and wooden foot-bridge. We crossed the bridge to start the steep climb up the glen, stone steps guided us high above the burn, every so often we'd be gifted with stolen views south across Clackmannanshire. Soon the path plunged into the glen, foot-bridges and wooden walkways guided us, we ignored a short cut to the castle continuing up a spectacular gorge, soon we swung right, a narrow path with precipitous drops guided us to the castle, which unfortunately was closed today, disappointed we passed through the entrance gate to join a path descending to our left. This path carried us through another spectacular gorge marking the confluence of two burns before guiding us out of the glen.
A short but quite spectacular walk over it accured to me, if this walk was in the north of England there would definitely be an entrance fee, after all someone has to pay for the upkeep of path, bridges and wooden walkwalks, who says the Scots are tight, not me.
Dollar Burn looking north....
....and south from the parked car.
Our first view of the fairy tale like Castle Campbell.
Views over Dollar and the lowlands of Clackmannanshire.
Looking over Dollar Golf Coarse, somewhere in the distance Alloa and Stirling.
Gloom Hill as seen across Dollar Glen.
The 15th century pile of Castle Campbell, originally named Castle Gloom after the small wooded hill in the shot above.
Castle Campbell and the snow covered slopes of King's Seat Hill.
Stunning vistas over the village of Dollar.
Sue picks her way through this spectacular gorge, about to cross the Burn of Sorrow.
Another gap in the trees gifts us with another endless view.
King's Seat across Dollar Glen.
Wood Garlic on the banks of the Burn of Care.
One of many small cascades tumbling into the glen.
The route ahead, a spectacular walk through Long Bridge Gorge.
At the end of the gorge, Hempy's Falls....
....and this spectacular feature, the burn has sliced through a fault in the rock creating this impressive gorge, the photo doesn't do it justice, come see for yourself.
Further down the burn, John Knox's Pulpit, Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation, who brought reform to the Scottish church, it is said he preached from here. Caught up in scandal and the murder of Cardinal Beaton, arrested in France before being exiled to England.
Dollar Burn.
Our route out of the glen.