Glen Finglas, The Trossachs

This guide is for Glen Finglas, a large estate within the Great Trossachs Forest. You will find many associated and detailed See Loch Lomond guides for Glen Finglas linked within this article.

What is Glen Finglas

Glen Finglas is within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and part of the Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve. The reserve is a 200-year woodland restoration project on land managed by RSPB Scotland, Forestry & Land Scotland and the Woodland Trust.

Glen Finglas Visitor Centre

A starting point to explore Glen Finglas is the Visitor Gateway Centre in the Lendrick Hill car park. It's open daily from 10 am-4 pm, between April and October. There are toilets, wi-fi and visitor information. Don't worry if you're arriving outside opening times as there are dispensers of leaflets outside the centre.

Where is Glen Finglas

Use the map below, scrolling in and out to pinpoint the location for Lendrick Hill car park. The car park is just over 8.5 miles from Callander on the scenic A821, before the village of Brig o’Turk.

 

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What to do at Glen Finglas

There are nine colour-coded routes for walkers and cyclists and a superb play trail to intrigue and excite children through Little Druim Wood. Children of all ages will enjoy discovering magic and dens, listening to woodland sounds and stories through the audio soundscape system. 

It’s a great natural play trail, easily accessed from Lendrick Hill car park. There is also colouring at the Visitor Centre. 

Ruskin Rock, Brig o’ Turk

Known as Ruskin Rock, or John Ruskin Viewpoint, this Trossachs landmark is one of the many examples of the impact on the area by the Victorian poets, artists and writers that flocked here, mainly in response to Sir Walter Scott’s poem Lady of the Lake published in 1810.

A portrait of John Ruskin, a renowned art critic of the nineteenth century was painted in 1853 by John Millais, capturing both Ruskin’s personality with his love of nature thanks to the dramatic backdrop of the falls. As the information board on the site explains, Ruskin was an early environmentalist, suggesting that everything should connect with nature. Ruskin and Millais had spent 1853 together at Glen Finglas. 

This story doesn’t end with the completed painting; the artist John Millais fell in love with Ruskin’s wife, Effie, whilst working on the portrait. Effie had been helping the men whilst spending some time reading and sketching at Glen Finglas.  

Despite their seven years of marriage, it had not been consummated, which Effie alleges was due to Ruskin’s impotence, something he was to deny. The marriage was annulled, and Millais and Effie were married. 

Take the orange way markered trail from Glen Finglas Visitor Centre to Lendrick Hill and Dam, looking out for the small detour close to the dam to this historic site.

Glen Finglas Reservoir

Great Trossachs Path

The Great Trossachs Path, one of Scotland’s Great Trails connects Inversnaid with Callander and goes through Glen Finglas.

Plan a Trip to the Trossachs

See our full range of guides to The Trossachs, as well as The Trossachs Trail website, plus check out our new book ‘101 things to do in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs’, a photo guidebook of things to do and places to explore, including lots of activities in the Trossachs. Click here to purchase. 

Glen Finglas Walking Routes

The Woodland Trust has produced a great guide for Glen Finglas showing the various walking and cycling routes. Click below to download.

Thanks for reading

Words and photography by Paul Saunders. Visit Paul’s Marketing and Photography websites for details of his services in Scotland.

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