Walk: St Fillan gives up the goats

📌 St Fillans, Perth & Kinross
★★★

The attractively rocky knoll St Fillan’s Hill (or Dundurn – Fort of the fist) lies just downstream of St Fillans village, cut off from the surrounding hills by a flood plain, grazing fields and golf course. The approach from Loch Earn is mostly along a tarmac track, but the last leg isn’t quite so straightforward; after wet weather the final field can get boggy and crossing burn involves taking on a shoogly bridge or uneven stepping stones. Once you reach the top, there’s plenty of rugged scenery to enjoy even if surrounding higher hills limit views a little. Dundurn’s history is interesting too: it used to be a Pictish hill fort, and St Fillan is believed to have established a cell here in the 6th century (the smoothened boulder on the summit is known as St Fillan’s Seat). A dwindling herd of wild goats roam the steep northern slopes – just watch out for the odd cliff edge if you’re busy photographing them!

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish at layby on minor road by southeast corner of Loch Earn, immediately south of St Fillans

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NN 695239

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.389508,-4.115345

🚌 Bus to St Fillans

🚗 Small layby – don’t block passing places

📝 Key info

▶ 4 km / 2 mi | ▲ 140 m | ⌛ 2 hr

Features: 💧 Loch Earn ★★★; ⛪ St Fillan’s Chapel; △ St Fillan’s Hill / Dundurn (175 m)

⬤ Moderate | Short section of loch / riverside path, then minor road & track through golf course. Final approach to hill is across a boggy field with a makeshift bridge or adjacent stepping stones across a burn, then intermittent, steep paths to summit.

➡️ Out-and-back walk with minor return variants: start – Loch Earn – path then road to golf course entrance at 🧭 NN 702241 – St Fillan’s Chapel – continue to gate at track end beyond sewage works – turn right (south) to cross burn on makeshift bridge or stepping stones – gate to St Fillan’s Hill at 🧭 NN 706233 – St Fillan’s Hill via west side – descend to north then west – return to gate – start by outward route or similar

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Mallards & goosanders on Loch Earn, great spotted woodpecker, pheasants & sheep on approach to St Fillan’s Hill. Red kites around the summit & (only) 2 wild goats.* Goldeneye, goosanders & mallards on Loch Earn. Pheasants, sheep & lambs on approach to hill. Around 20 wild goats near the summit.**

Weather: 5°C with yesterday’s snow becoming slushy. Sunshine for outward route but high cloud coming in.* 11°C, layer of thin cloud mostly blocking the forecast sun.**

*February 2022 / **April 2016