Glen Finglas

Glen Finglas lies in the Trossachs, a forested glen in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It sits north of Brig o’ Turk and close to Callander in Menteith, with Loch Katrine to the west. The Woodland Trust Scotland took over the estate in 1996 and opened it to visitors. Ancient woodland has been restored and the Great Trossachs Path now crosses the estate. The path is one of Scotland’s Great Trails, offering long walks through varied landscapes. The glen was once a royal hunting forest, protected from the 1450s to keep deer for the hunt. James II built a Hunt Hall there in the 1400s, later used by James IV and James V. Mary of Guise and Mary, Queen of Scots also hunted in the glen. Sir Walter Scott wrote his poem Glenfinlas there in 1803. The area’s rock formations drew John Ruskin and John Everett Millais in 1853. Visitors find a reservoir surrounded by restored woodland and open moorland. The Great Trossachs Path winds through the estate, leading to waterfalls and viewpoints. Ruskin’s waterfall inspired Millais’ painting of the critic. The dam at the reservoir holds a small hydroelectric station. Paths follow the Finglas and Turk rivers, offering quiet walks beside clear water.