Stirling, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire & the Campsies




Dumgoyne

The countryside surrounding the ancient town of Stirling is lush and fertile, with the peaceful slopes of the Campsies and the rolling farmlands of Strathallan. Scattered towns and villages dot the landscape, offering a rich flavour of rural Scotland.

Bridge of Allan is an elegant former spa town nestling on the banks of the Allan Water, with broad, tree-lined streets. Nearby Stirling University now occupies the fine parklands of Airthrey Estate.

From Castles to Cathedrals The town of Doune has an imposing 14th century ducal castle, a favourite royal hunting retreat and tower house, as well as the Scottish Antiques and Crafts Centre. Doune Ponds is an excellent, award-winning nature reserve, with birdwatching hides from which to spy on the abundant wildlife. Nearby is the famous Blair Drummond Safari and Leisure Park, complete with drive through reserves, chimp island boat safari and pet farm and children’s activity areas.

Blairdrummond Safari Park

Dunblane Cathedral, dating back to the 12th Century, establishes this ancient community as one of Britain’s smallest cities. The Cathedral Museum unfolds much of the rich and colourful history that surrounds Dunblane, while Scotland’s oldest private library, the Leighton Library, was founded by Robert Leighton, Bishop of Dunblane, in the 17th century, and housed in a building completed in 1688, boasts some 4,500 volumes in 90 languages.

Dunblane

There are riverside walks along the banks of the Allan Water and the ‘city centre’ still exudes an olde worlde charm where examples of 17th and 18th century architecture blend with Victorian and more modern buildings, creating a distinctive setting for the various local shops and hostelries. The Campsies - A Hidden Gem The Campsie Fells provide a scenic backdrop to the numerous colourful floral villages of the area. Attractive 18th and 19th century cottages provides a strong character in the historic village of Killearn, with its 103 foot obelisk which commemorates George Buchanan, tutor to King James VI. Nearby, Glengoyne Distillery, set beneath the distinctive volcanic plug of Dumgoyne Hill, welcomes visitors for guided tours. Fintry, tucked high among the hills, is noted for its regular awards in the ‘Scotland’s Best Kept Village’ competition. 700 year old Culcreuch Castle, is Central Scotland’s oldest inhabited castle, and offers 1,600 acres of parkland estate in its grounds.

There are forest walks and good fishing at the Carron Valley Reservoir and an excellent fishery at the North Third Reservoir. The delightful village of Kippen was once home to a local laird by the name of John Buchanan, who declared himself “King of Kippen”, which more amused than annoyed the real king, James V, at his favourite residence in Stirling Castle.

The West Highland Way long distance footpath passes through the broad valley of Strath Blane en route to Loch Lomond. Other excellent walks nearby, for example at the Queen’s View on Stockie Muir, Campsie Glen, by Clachan of Campsie and in Mugdock Country Park, just south of the villages of Blanefield and Strathblane. The park offers 500 acres of varied countryside and has an excellent visitor and craft centre.

The Moss Lairds Like Kippen, Balfron, Buchlyvie, Arnprior Gargunnock and Cambusbarron each skirt the edge of the Campsies, overlooking the broad Carse of Stirling - once an impenetrable bog but drained in the 18th century ‘the Moss Lairds’ to form fertile pasturelands, now known as ‘the hay basket of Scotland’. Parts of the old wetlands remain, in Flanders Moss and are rich in wildlife.

Culreuch Castle, Fintry

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