Walk: Downie’s Loup – or is it?

📌 Gargunnock Hills, Stirling
★★★★

This climb up to the Gargunnock Hills escarpment has “pub walk!” written all over it. The Gargunnock Inn serves excellent food and access to Downie’s Loup waterfall is straightforward from here. Except wait a minute – Ordnance Survey maps seem to imply that the named waterfall is lower down in thick, pathless forest. This route actually leads to the more visible, higher fall, complete with a narrow cave on its eastern side which is worth exploring. This waterfall is probably not Downie’s Loup then, but more suitable for an afternoon stroll unless equipped with serious bushwhacking equipment.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish at Gargunnock Inn, Main Street, Gargunnock village centre

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NS 705944

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.124776,-4.084267

🚌 Bus to Gargunnock

🚗 Car park

📝 Key info

▶ 4 km / 2 mi | ▲ 180 m | ⌛ 1 hr

Features: 🌊 Downie’s Loup ★★★ (maybe!)

⬤ Moderate | Track from Gargunnock to disused quarry, steepening higher up. Faint, boggy and rocky path beyond quarry. The best full view of the waterfall is from the opposite bank, but crossing the burn may be dangerous in spate.

➡️ Out-and-back walk: start & Gargunnock – east end of village – reservoir near Dinnin Wood – disused quarry – waterfall – return by outward route

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Bees enjoying the numerous foxgloves which line the track. Plenty of sheep.

Weather: Sunny intervals, more extensive later on, with temperatures in mid teens. Dry after rain earlier in the day.

July 2015

Downie’s Loup ★★★