Ochil Hills

The Ochil Hills rise north of the River Forth in Clackmannanshire, forming a long ridge of moorland and crags between Stirling, Perth and the towns of Alloa, Kinross and Auchterarder. Their steep southern face is an escarpment carved by the Ochil Fault, while the plateau to the north slopes gently down to the Highland edge. Deep ravines like Dollar Glen, Silver Glen and Alva Glen cut into the hills, often crossed by wooden walkways. The highest point is Ben Cleuch at 721 metres, yet no single peak dominates the undulating skyline. Geologists recognise the hills as an ancient Devonian lava extrusion, intruded by dykes and partly covered by glacial till. The hills have shaped local history. Castle Campbell was built in the late 15th century at the head of Dollar Glen as a visible statement of Campbell power. Sheriffmuir, on the northern slopes, was the site of the 1715 Jacobite battle. In the early Industrial Revolution the Hillfoots Villages—Tillicoultry, Alva and Menstrie—grew up to use the burns for mill power, and some mills survive as museums. Pictish traces remain: Castle Craig above Mill Glen was described in 1883 as a round Pictish fortress, and Katie Thirsty’s Well is linked by local historians to Pictish lore. Visitors walk the ravines and moorland paths, passing old mill sites and windfarms. The Ochils Mountain Rescue Team, founded in 1971, operates from here to assist those in difficulty. From the crags of Dumyat to the turbines at Green Knowes, the hills offer wide views across the Forth valley and the Highlands beyond.