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Loch Dhu and Loch Chon

Recommended by

Our view

"An easy and enjoyable walk, mainly on forest roads"

Walk directions

From the car park turn right onto the B829. The road turns away from the loch for a short while until it comes to Loch Dhu (the Black Loch). At the south end of the loch, look for a road to the right signposted to Comer Farm.

Follow this road as it bears right, crosses a bridge at the bottom of Loch Dhu and reaches a T-junction. At the T-junction, look straight ahead to see the outline of a ventilation shaft on the water pipe from Loch Katrine to Glasgow.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Forest path and country road

Landscape - Forest, loch and mountain views

Dog friendliness - Keep on lead near loch and livestock

Parking - Car park at Loch Chon

Toilets en route - At Stronachlachar Pier

Walks in Stirling Dog-friendly walks in Stirling

About the walk

The pipe carrying drinking water to Glasgow runs along the side of Loch Chon. In the Depression years of the 1930s this was a route used by an emerging breed of working-class outdoorsmen to escape the grime and poverty of the city and enjoy the fresh air and the landscape of the Trossachs. David... McConnel, a Glasgow textile engineer, was one of that band and years later wrote that 'every weekend there are hikers who sleep in barns, sheds and shelters of every and any description. These Spartans take pride in their hardiness and love of countryside and one member of the Ptarmigan Mountaineering Club has a unique record of not having missed one weekend out of doors for seven years.' That man was Jock Nimlin, whose autobiography May the Fire be Always Lit is a wonderful description of the period. The fire in question was at Craigallian, not far from Carbeth. Walkers met there on a Friday night to swap stories and plan the weekend. Nimlin makes frequent mention of the fire, the first smell of the smoke and the welcoming glow encountered by those arriving through the dark from Milngavie. Most of them had physically demanding jobs in the shipyards, docks and factories of Glasgow yet still possessed the drive and energy to finish work, take the tram to Milngavie and set off for a weekend in The Trossachs or the Arrochar Alps. They would doss in basic shelters, under tarpaulins or in a hedgerow or cave in summer and winter. Their equipment was army surplus clothing, plimsolls and their mothers' washing lines, and they would walk and climb all weekend before heading back via Craigallion on a Sunday night. Some of them barely made it back in time for work on Monday morning. With rising unemployment many refused to sign on the dole and took to the countryside for weeks at a time, living off the land by snaring rabbits, guddling for trout in a burn or by pinching kale, a few potatoes or turnips from a farmer's field. Nimlin also went on a lengthy expedition to the Highlands and returned home half starved. Many of those who congregated round the fire and continued along the pipe to the Trossachs went on to become prominent mountaineers. As well as Jock Nimlin, they included the Scottish writer and TV personality Tom Weir and the legendary W H Murray whose book Mountaineering in Scotland was originally written on toilet paper in a German Prisoner of War Camp. No one walks ‘up the pipe’ at weekends now and although the fire is no longer lit there is a permanent memorial in its place.

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About the area

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Nearby places to stay

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Route details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Moderate

Distance:

6 miles (9.7kms)

Ascent:

33ft (10m)

If you like this walk, you can try more routes in the area.

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Loch Dhu and Loch Chon

Recommended by

Our view

"An easy and enjoyable walk, mainly on forest roads"

Walk details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Moderate

Distance:

6 miles (9.7kms)

Ascent:

33ft (10m)

Walk directions

1 of 5

2 of 5

Turn right and go uphill, passing Loch Dhu House on the right. Keep looking to the left for a sight of the ventilation shafts, which mark the line of the mains water pipe to Glasgow. Continue to follow the forest road as it undulates along the length of the loch.

3 of 5

Beyond the end of the loch, cross a bridge and pass the turn-off to Frenich Farm, as the road starts to bend to the right. Cross another bridge just before the road climbs steeply to return to the B829 at a T-junction.

4 of 5

Turn right and follow the road as it twists and turns, up and down all the way back to the car park.

5 of 5

Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Forest path and country road

Landscape - Forest, loch and mountain views

Dog friendliness - Keep on lead near loch and livestock

Parking - Car park at Loch Chon

Toilets en route - At Stronachlachar Pier

Walks in Stirling Dog-friendly walks in Stirling

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

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Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Stirling

. .

Nearby places to stay

View all (8)

Loch Dhu and Loch Chon

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Loch Dhu and Loch Chon

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