A new walk in the Ochils

[bootsandpaddles]

Well, new to us anyway. It made a good walk for a day that started rather unpromisingly but brightened up later. Follow the signs in Dollar for Dollar Glen/Castle Campbell. There is a car park on the right just past Castle Road (NS965985). From the car park, cross over and go up Castle Road for a short distance before taking a footpath on the left. This goes through the woods alongside the burn in Dollar Glen and emerges at Castle Campbell. From the lane just above the castle take a small track sloping across the hillside and back to the burn. The track crosses the burn and you finally emerge onto the open hillside. Head up Bank Hill and then King's Seat. It was not actually raining at this point but the wind got stronger and stronger as we ascended and by the time we reached the top we were cowering in the stone shelter wondering why we were here .
After a cup of tea and the inevitable cheese sandwich we decided to carry on (It can't get much worse, can it?! ) and dropped down the north ridge of King's Seat to the confluence of three burns at NN934008. Then we went steeply up Tarmagie Hill with a following wind and along the tumbledown stone wall to the top of Whitewisp. We had intended just to drop back to Dollar from here but it was only 1.30pm so we looked at the map and decided continue NE to Innerdownie and then down to Burnfoot in Glen Devon. As we descended the wind dropped, the sun came out and it was summer again. We could see T in the Park in the distance and we rather glad we were up here rather than down there.
On reaching the glen there is a fingerpost one arm of which points towards Dollar - just over 4 miles. It is part of The Reservoir Trail which starts in Glen Devon. This was a very pleasant stroll (or would have been if Katie hadn't been in such a hurry ). After all the footie didn't start til 7.30! Masses of wild flowers, butterflies, some sand martins, hot sun - what more could you ask.
I think this is a great walk for a day when the weather doesn't look brilliant.

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[walk aboot]

Nice report bootsandpaddles . I've been up the Ochill hills in Winter and was quite impressed with them (much prefer them as local-ish hills than the Campsies).

I saw some sand martins in Lauder in the Borders over the weekend too - spied them at a riverbank in April, so popped back to see they were still there whilst I was in the area .

If you do another walk in the Ochill hills, the Woolpack Inn at Tillicoutry is worth a wee visit (locals are friendly, likely to insist you go back for one of their folk or quiz nights). It's at the foot of one of the routes.

[Graeme D]

f you do another walk in the Ochill hills, the Woolpack Inn at Tillicoutry is worth a wee visit (locals are friendly, likely to insist you go back for one of their folk or quiz nights). It's at the foot of one of the routes.

Is this still open? We did Ben Cleuch last summer and intended to have a drink in the Woolpack afterwards, but it was closed (Saturday afternoon). If I recall, it looked like it had been closed for quite a while.

[walk aboot]

Someone told me a few months ago that is has re-opened?