Best Walks and Trails in Stirlingshire

 

When you’re in Stirlingshire, you’re in Highland and hiking country and ought to know where the best walks and trails in Stirlingshire are. That includes where to find the good ‘ben bagging’ options, exhilarating loch-side scenery and historic sites to explore... 

Read on for our list of the most striking hiking routes to get on to the best walks and trails in Stirlingshire.

Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park

If you’re only going to pick one of our places to visit in Stirlingshire, make it Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. In one of the Highlands’ most famous, vast and stunningly scenic parks, the choice is yours. An easy walk? Short walks or hill walks? Long distance or guided tours? You can do them all here. 

Ease yourself in with a couple miles from Sron a’Chlachain to Killin for the great views over Loch Tay, then up your game to bagging one (or all) of the park’s 21 munros. If your bag’s not big enough, a route taking in Ben Lui, Vorlich, Ime and Lomond makes a pleasant series for the more casual, less steeply inclined hiker. 

Those geared up for longer distances (much longer…) can choose one of six grand trails, ranging between 25 and 100 miles in length. Ranked by National Geographic as one of the top 10 trails in the world, the West Highland Way (from Glasgow to Fort William) is understandably a popular option. Meanwhile, for those wanting to stick to the Trossachs, the John Muir Way, Three Lochs Way and Great Trossachs Path are all excellent choices. 

Look for camping near Loch Lomond.

Ben Lomond

The phrase ‘because it’s there’ certainly applies here – while you’re at Loch Lomond, you just might be so inspired to take on Ben Lomond. It’s one of Stirlingshire’s most scenic munros and therefore one of its most stunning places to trek. 

At 3,196 feet, ascending Ben Lomond isn’t exactly a walk in the park, and requires a good level of fitness and stamina. But with spectacular views as far as Ben Nevis to the north, the Ochils and Pentlands to the east, the uplands of Galloway in the south, and Mull, Islay and Arran in the west and south west, the level of reward is worth it. 

Main trails can be accessed from either car park at Rowardennan or Balmaha. 

Browse campsites near Ben Lomond.

The Ochils

Although Stirling Castle is undoubtedly among the best castles in Stirlingshire and indeed a grand day out for exploration, venture outside its parameters and soon you’ll find some seriously good circuits for a grand day out hiking. Get up into the Ochils and you’ll be able to see what’s happening on the wilder side of the county. 

Here is some superb scenery for hillwalkers on an expansive plateau with dramatic fault-carved flanks and short glens. Head further south for more rolling landscape as it extends toward the upper reaches of the Firth of Forth. Explore and admire the medieval towers dotted along the way, and see if you can engineer a way to pass through the scenic 17th/18th-century town of Culross for grub and local ale. 

With a vast network of trails and pathways to pick from, you can take advantage of the Ochils’ range of historic and scenic destinations such as Doune Castle, Cambuskenneth Abbey, Devilla Forest – and, of course, Stirling Castle. 

Find somewhere to pitch up near Stirling Castle.

Wallace Monument, Cambuskenneth Abbey and Abbey Craig

Not just an impressively towering monument on a wooded summit, the Wallace Monument (commemorating the 13th-century Scottish warrior-statesman) is a national icon whose surroundings are superb for day out traipsing the trails. 

Allow yourself a couple of hours for exploration through its many nature trails before ascending the monument’s base. For a wee bit of exertion up the tower staircase, you’ll be rewarded with stunning vistas across Stirling Castle, Cambuskenneth Abbey, Causewayhead, the windings of the Forth and the mountains to the north and west.

Back on terra firma, you may also be inspired onto the Abbey Trail for further woodland exploration in and around Abbey Craig. 

Find a patch near the Wallace Monument.

All that walking guarantees a big appetite – and one that you’ll fancy feeding indoors at some point. For this, check out our best restaurants in Stirlingshire guide, and be sure to also get on to both our great list of best campsites in Stirlingshire and indispensable Scotland camping guide for tips on getting settled in this fine land.