Finding Glen Devon Woodlands
In winter short-eared owls are
often seen hovering above the
heathland, searching for prey.
Glen Devon Woodlands’ most westerly point is 4km east of
Dollar, close to Pool of Muckhart village; and its northern
end is 9km south of Auchterarder. The A823 Dunfermline
to Crieff road passes through Glen Devon and there are a
number of points on the road where you can park (see foldout map). Please do not drive up the private single track
roads to the Glenquey and Lower Glendevon Reservoirs.
It is possible to reach Geordie’s Wood from Pool of
Muckhart. Simply park in the village and walk up the
access road behind the village kirk, or park at Castlehill
Reservoir layby and follow the footpath signs.
Fur and feather
The mix of open ground and new native woodland
surrounding the reservoirs is now home to many
common woodland bird species; with birds of prey
such as kestrel and short-eared owl regularly
seen patrolling their territory.
Moncrieffe
Hill
Maturing woodland also provides the ideal habitat
and feeding opportunities for roe deer, fox,
hedgehog, red squirrel, pine marten and various
species of bat.
Look out for brown hare, rabbit, vole, shrew,
stoat and weasel on the open farmland; otter, A9
kingfisher and dipper using the reservoirs, rivers
Dunblane
and burns running through the hills; and black
grouse which, along with heather and blaeberry,Bridge
of Allan
are slowly re-colonising the high ground after
M9
decades of intensive sheep farming.
Stirling
A91
Black grouse can often be
heard and sometimes seen at
Glen Sherup and Glen Quey.
black grouse: wtpl/dennis johnson; Short-eared owl: cameron livingstone
A824
Auchterarder
Woodland Trust woods
Dunning
Gleneagles
M90
Glen Eagles
A823
A91
A91
Glen Devon
Woodlands
Wood Hill
Wood
A91
A907
Yetts o’
Muckhart
Dollar
Do you love trees?
Kinross
A977
Loch
Leven
M90
Kilmagad
Wood
Portmoak
Moss
Vane Farm
Nature
Reserve
Loch
Ore
Alloa
Clackmannan
Cowdenbeath
A905
Your family can help us protect native woodland and its wildlife.
Inzievar
You’ll also get inspiring ideas for
woodland adventures when you join
Wood
woodlandtrust.org.uk/join or call 0800 026 9650
The Woodland Trust is a registered charity in Scotland no. SC038885 and in England and Wales no. 294344.
A non-profit making company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 1982873. Registered Office:
Kempton Way, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 6LL. The Woodland Trust logo is a registered trademark.
Map © Crown Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100021607.
6276 01/15
All images taken by WTPL/Niall Benvie, unless otherwise indicated. Glen Devon
Woodlands
Start your adventure here
Glen Devon Woodlands
Wild, remote, beautiful and full of surprises just a few of the ways to describe Glen Devon
Woodlands, though none of them quite capture
the grandeur of this memorable place.
Think of vast open spaces, big skies, high hill
tops and spectacular views. A place still evolving,
yet with an intriguing past; home to a diverse
array of specialist plants and
wildlife suited to the upland
conditions you’ll find here.
It’s a place to find solitude
if you want it, popular
walking routes if you
don’t and as much to see
as you have the time to
see it in.
Stretching from
Clackmannanshire
to Perth and Kinross, Glen Devon Woodlands is
home to some of the best scenery that Scotland
has to offer with something for everyone,
whatever their ability.
Big Landscape
Glen Devon Woodlands is the collective name for three separate native woodlands
in the area – Glen Quey, Glen Sherup and Geordie’s Wood.
The site extends to over 1,200 ha and comprises a range of habitats and features
including rounded grassy hills, woodland, reservoirs, rivers, waterfalls and farmland.
It also has three impressive peaks – Ben Shee, Innerdownie and Seamab Hill –
which provide outstanding views of the Ochil Hills and beyond.
Since the site was acquired in early 2000, around 1.5 million native trees have been
planted, many by volunteers from the local community. The Trust is restoring the
native woodland that would have existed here centuries ago, for the benefit of
people and wildlife. Look for oak, ash, birch, hazel, rowan, juniper and Scots pine.
Osprey can be seen from
April to September, fishing on
the reservoirs where there’s a
plentiful supply of trout.
Path to the summit
of Ben Shee.
Planting 1.5 million trees
Land of the fairies
Ben Shee, standing above
Glen Sherup, derives from
the Gaelic word ‘sith’
which means a conical hill
associated with fairies.
osprey: wtpl/dennis johnson,
The name of the local village of
Muckhart comes from the Gaelic
“Muc Airde”, meaning ‘pig height’ –
a reference to the wild boar
which would have roamed this
area around 600 years ago.
wtpl/jim ch
ristie
Once home to wild boar
Start your adventure here
Glen Devon Woodlands
Trail Tips
There are many unsurfaced or informal paths to
follow. For circular walks try starting from the layby
on the A823 by Castlehill Reservoir. Or for access to
the wider path network south and west of Glen Devon,
start at the Glen Sherup car park.
River
Devon
Lower Glendevon
Reservoir
Upper Glendevon
Reservoir
Whether it’s a thirty-minute stroll or
a five-hour hike, Glen Devon offers a
range of walking routes to suit everyone
– from the easy 2km Castlehill Lower
Loop walk to the more challenging 14km
Reservoirs Trail. Just follow one of the
coloured way-marked routes.
The walk through Glen Quey
between Dollar and Burnfoot
is an old drove route, once
used to walk livestock to
market in Falkirk.
Glen Devon
Glendevon
Tormaukin Hotel
Burnfoot
Bald Hill
Ben
Shee
Glensherup
Reservoir
Castlehill
Reservoir
516m
1 kilometre
B934
Innerdownie
Glen Sherup
1/ mile
2
611m
Glenquey
Reservoir
Glen Quey
Nether
Auchlinsky
A823
Auchlinsky
Hill
A91
Cairnmorris
Hill
Geordie’s
Wood
Tarmangie
Hill
Muckhart
Nature Park
The Inn at Muckhart
Saddle
Hill
Dollar
The weather in the Scottish hills and glens can change
quickly. Be properly equipped when you go walking and
inform someone of your whereabouts before you set off.
Monas of Muckhart
Pool of Muckhart
To
Dollar
Please follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code
A823
Castleton
Hill
Hillfoot
Hill
Thanks to the efforts of the Muckhart Nature Park
Committee and Ochils Landscape Partnership,
younger visitors can enjoy a buggy-friendly wildlife
trail and pond at Muckhart Nature Park.
Yetts o’
Muckhart
Seamab
Hill
439m
Maiden’s Well
For panoramic views of the Ochil Hills, a climb up Ben
Shee, Innerdownie or Seamab is well worth the effort.
Map © Crown Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100021607.
The road to market
Glen
Eagles
wtpl/laurie campbell
Castlehill Lower Loop 2km (1.25 miles)
Muckhart Loop 3.5km (2.25 miles)
Castlehill Upper Loop 6.5km (4 miles)
Ben Shee Loop 9.5km (6 miles)
Reservoirs Trail 14km, one way (8.7 miles)
Unsurfaced path
Car parking
Information
Woodland Trust woods
Woodland Trust boundary
Other woodland
Viewpoint
Castlehill Lower Loop 2km (1.25 miles)
Muckhart Loop 3.5km (2.25 miles)
Castlehill Upper Loop 6.5km (4 miles)
Ben Shee Loop 9.5km (6 miles)
Reservoirs Trail 14km, one way (8.7 miles)
Unsurfaced path
Car parking
Information
Woodland Trust woods
Woodland Trust boundary
Other woodland
Viewpoint
Top: You can spot dippers alongside
rivers and burns in Glen Devon.
Right: The summit of Seamab Hill rising
above Muckhart Nature Park.
A91