Carron Valley Reservoir, North Lanarkshire

Tommy does love a good bench! (click / tap to enlarge)

We recently took a trip out to Carron Valley Reservoir in North Lanarkshire, near the town of Denny in Falkirk. It's a pretty large reservoir that apparently services around 135,000 people in the Forth Valley. It's also the location of Duncarron Medieval Village which is dog friendly and I'm told is well worth a visit, though we've not been there ourselves.

There's a shore trail that runs for a few miles, though we only walked out to the viewpoint and picnic area that juts out into the water. It was a somewhat shorter walk than we were planning, as the parking charges are a bit inflexible: £1 for an hour or £4 all day, with nothing in between. We therefore opted for an hour as we were not intending to stay all that long anyway.

There is a lot of forestry work going on and the trail meets the logging road in several places, so dogs will need to be on the lead while walking along them if logging operations are in progress. There were logging vehicles regularly travelling along the road when we visited. Also, if you want to take a look at the reservoir spillway, it's a dangerous area for dogs and they'll need to be on lead there too. On the other side of the spillway, just off the shore trail, there's a little shingle beach which is a popular spot for dogs to have a splash about. Don't let them swim out however as the dam wall area is dangerous and can pull them under. 

Information is current as of our last visit in March 2023. All images can be clicked / tapped to enlarge. Further information about the area can be found on the Forest and Land Scotland website here.

Here are a few photo highlights:

The reservoir spillway (take care with dogs here as they can easily get through the safety rails)

The forested area near the start of the trail

View down the reservoir

The boys having a play at the viewpoint and picnic area

Time for a paddle!

A very happy Jasper in the water!

View back down the reservoir

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ OUR DISCLAIMER WHICH ALSO INCLUDES IMPORTANT GENERAL SAFETY INFORMATION.

Glentye Hill and Blairdenon, The Ochil Hills, Stirling

The gang at Glentye Hill (click / tap to enlarge)

We've been back in the Ochil Hills quite a bit lately. Here's another walk up there, this time from the Sheriffmuir Road out to Glentye Hill and on to Blairdenon. The recent snow had melted away and the route was even boggier than usual. Good walking boots are definitely recommended! Sodden ground aside, the path itself is easy enough to follow but it's a fair old climb with Glentye being at 481 metres and Blairdenon, 631 metres. There are great views, though our recent trip was on a rather dull day. Interestingly, Blairdenon is more or less the point where the borders of Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Perth and Kinross all meet.

There's no path to the summit of Glentye itself and it's not worth leaving the path and negotiating the tussocky hillside to get there, as the views are better from the paths around it. There is a short detour along a track near the summit however, where you'll find a lovely panoramic view (weather permitting!). I've marked this on the route map. As regards Blairdenon, be aware that you'll need to lift dogs over a stile if you want to get to the summit. 

There is parking on the verge on both sides of the road at the start of the walk, though the verge is pretty muddy in places. Link to parking location on Google Maps can be found at the end of the article, along with a map of the route. All pictures can be clicked / tapped to enlarge. Information is current as of our last visit March 2023.

Here are the photo highlights:

Jasper and Tommy making their way up to Glentye Hill (click / tap to enlarge)

If there's a muddy pool of water within striking distance of our route, you can bet that Jasper will find it!

The view from Glentye Hill

Tommy at Mickle Corum (between Glentye and Blairdenon)

Memorial and parts of a Tiger Moth that crashed here in 1957 (near Blairdenon)

View from summit of Blairdenon

Tommy at Blairdenon

View towards Burnfoot Wind Farm from Blairdenon

The view beyond Blairdenon towards the River Forth

Route detail (click / tap to enlarge)

Link to parking at start location on Google Maps

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ OUR DISCLAIMER WHICH ALSO INCLUDES IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION.

Hillfoot Hill and Seamab Hill, The Ochil Hills, Clackmannanshire

Jasper and Tommy on the snowy approach to Seamab Hill (click / tap to enlarge)

More snow on the Ochils last week and so we took a walk around Hillfoot Hill and on to Seamab, before the usual rain subsequently came in again and washed all the snow away. The walk includes a circular loop of Hillfoot Hill and a there and back portion out to Seamab Hill (440 metres) via Commonedge Hill (469 metres). It's a hilly and somewhat strenuous route covering a total distance of 6.7 miles.

There was quite a lot of snow but not too much for Tommy to get through, though he did need his fleece lined raincoat towards Seamab as it got quite chilly up there. There are some boggy sections up Commonedge Hill and of course when we walked it, lots of snow to trudge through too. When wandering off the main path for photos, the snow wasn't far off knee deep in places! 

The walking route is shown at the end of the article. You'll find parking location details at the end of the previous Hillfoot Hill article. All images can be clicked / tapped to enlarge. Information is current as of our last visit in March 2023.

Here are some photo highlights from our walk and some additional photos from previous visits.

Tommy + bench = inevitable photo opp of course! Looking out from Hillfoot Hill across the Forth Valley (click / tap to enlarge).

Tommy having a Mexican stand-off with Jasper in the distance!

Jasper with Glenquey Reservoir in the distance

Once we leave the Hillfoot path, the snow deepens and Jasper is in his element...

...as can be seen from his rolling around activities here!

The view back from Seamab Hill

Tommy at the summit of Seamab with Loch Leven and the Lomond Hills in the distance. Tommy enjoyed the walk but at this point his expression seems to indicate that he's quite ready to head back for dinner and an evening's lounging on the sofa!

The view across the Ochils from Seamab with Green Knowes Windfarm on the horizon

Castlehill Reservoir from Seamab

Looking out towards Loch Leven and the Lomond Hills from Seamab. The River Devon can be seen in the centre of the photo.

The view from Seamab towards Innerdownie Hill

Jasper doing some tunnelling, probably searching for rabbits!

View out towards the Forth and Queensferry Crossing on way back down from Commonedge

Jasper and Tommy on the way back down Hillfoot Hill, as we leave the snow behind

A few more photos from previous visits to Hillfoot and Seamab:

View across Forth Valley from Hillfoot Hill, Feb 2022

The following photos are all from Jan and Feb 2021 when the snow on Hillfoot and Seamab was rather more significant but still ok for Jasper. These photos were taken before we got Tommy and he wouldn't be able to cope with snow quite this deep!

Hillfoot Hill. The only signs of life were the tracks seemingly left by someone who had been around the hill before us on a quad bike. Other than that it was virgin snow and beautifully peaceful.

Jasper having an awesome time on Hillfoot Hill

Hillfoot Hill

Jasper charging around on Commonedge Hill as we head towards Seamab. A few other walkers around on this visit.

Jasper appears to be trying to cover himself in snow. It doesn't look like it's a very effective form of camouflage!

Jasper amid the late afternoon sun on Commonedge Hill

Snow still coming down on this walk and Jasper's beyond excited!

Route detail (click / tap to enlarge)

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ OUR DISCLAIMER WHICH ALSO INCLUDES IMPORTANT GENERAL SAFETY INFORMATION.

Dumyat and Castle Law, Ochil Hills, Stirling

Jasper having a rest at Castle Law as the Forth Valley stretches out into the distance behind him (click / tap to enlarge)

The walk to Dumyat Hill is a popular route near Stirling. The summit of Dumyat (pronounced Dum-Eye-At) is at 418 metres but it affords fantastic views across the Forth Valley. On the way up, there are also great views back towards the mountains of the Highlands. The route runs from the Sheriffmuir Road and is pretty gradual, making it a fairly easy walk as hill walks go.

Our walk also includes a short detour to the nearby Castle Law, taking in some more fine views. The walk is a there and back route of approximately 3.6 miles in total. As you can see on the map at the bottom of the article, there are some cliff edges near the hill summits, so take care with dogs.

Also take care on the drive up the Sheriffmuir Road as it's steep, windy and single track with passing places. There are a few parking areas near the start point of the walk but it can be be rather busy, especially during weekends and holiday season. When it's busy, you can usually park more easily at the Pendreich Woods car park. You can then follow Whitehill Walk which runs parallel to the road until it meets the road again, then cross over and walk up to the start. Links to parking locations can be found at the end of the article.

Information is current as of our last visit in March 2023. All images can be clicked / tapped to enlarge.

Jasper providing another photo opp! (click / tap to enlarge)

View towards The National Wallace Monument and Stirling

The view back with some of the munros of the Highlands in the far distance

Jasper at Castle Law summit

Jasper amidst some dramatic lighting at Castle Law

Tommy at Castle Law with the Forth Valley behind

Tommy and the view back as we near the summit of Dumyat

Jasper waiting for his mum to catch up!

The trig point at Dumyat with view of the Forth Valley 

Jasper at the summit of Dumyat

Tommy paying his respects at the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders memorial, Dumyat

View out towards the Queensferry Crossing from Dumyat

A great place to sit atop Dumyat and admire the view, assuming it's not too cold and windy!

Tommy on the path back as the sun sets

Route detail (click / tap to enlarge)

Link to parking location on Google Maps

NB if you happen to use Google Street View, be aware that it is years out of date and shows the area before the new car parks were built.

Link to alternative parking location at Pendreich Woods on Google Maps

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ OUR DISCLAIMER WHICH ALSO INCLUDES IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION.