📌 Cowal, Argyll & Bute
★★★★★
🛠️ Lower part of gorge trail closed due to storm damage – repairs currently underway (checked April 2024)
Magic oozes from every twist and turn of Puck’s Glen, an enchanting gorge deep in the forests of Cowal a few miles north of Dunoon. Named after the mischievous sprite in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you might see him in the balls of sunlight which occasionally burst through to the base of the glen. Every corner seems to reveals a new surprise, with dozens of waterfalls and bridges clinging to the valley sides. Photos can’t capture the scent of fresh pine, the noisy cascades or the dampness of the air, all of which combine to create one of Scotland’s very best, most atmospheric short walks. If you’re lucky enough to get it to yourself (perhaps early or late in the day), it feels like you’re the first person ever to set foot here.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish on A815 3 mi north of Sandbank
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NS 147839
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.012141,-4.974325
🚌 Bus stops on A815 just south of A880 junction (1 mi)
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 3 km / 2 mi | ▲ 130 m | ⌛ 1.5 hr
Features: 🌲 Puck’s Glen
⬤ Moderate | Track at first, then clear paths – lots of steps with some quite rough / steep sections on ascent.
Download file for GPS➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – base of Puck’s Glen by track – Puck’s Glen – track junction at top of Puck’s Glen – start by woodland path. Route marked in red on map 🔗 here (Puck’s Glen Gorge Trail)
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Robins, chaffinches, dragonflies, tadpoles.
Weather: Sunny intervals with general temperature in high teens, but cooler and damp in the gorge.
July 2023
