📌 Lomond Hills, Fife
★★★★
West Lomond deserves all the plaudits: it’s the highest hill in the rural Kingdom of Fife, and surely the most interesting. Its flanks are littered with an array of unusual rock formations, from the anvil-shaped Bunnet Stane to the contortions of Glen Vale and John Knox’s Pulpit. This circuit visits all of these, with superb views from the summit cairn taking in miles of rolling fields, East Lomond and the lower Firth of Forth. Gradients are steep in places – this isn’t a particularly easy walk.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Track towards West Lomond 
Bunnet Stane 
Maiden Bore Cave 
Hillside above the Bunnet Stane 
View back to Lacesston Muir 
Traversing above Bell Craig 
View northeast 
East Lomond from the upper slopes 
Final approach to the summit 
East Lomond & Ballo Reservoir from West Lomond 
Looking north 
Descent to Devil’s Burdens 
View back to the summit 
Path southeast from Devil’s Burdens 
Glen Vale 
Final road section
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish on minor road 1 mi south of Gateside, or further parking 1 mi to southwest, elsewhere on walk route
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NO 185082
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.258938,-3.317646
🚌 Bus to Gateside (1 mi)
🚗 Layby
📝 Key info
▶ 9 km / 6 mi | ▲ 440 m | ⌛ 3.5-4 hr
Features: 🪨 Bunnet Stane & Maiden Bore Cave; △ West Lomond (522 m, sub-2000′ Marilyn); 🌊 Glen Vale
⬤⬤ Moderate to Tough | Clear paths or tracks throughout, very steep at times. Section through Glen Vale prone to rockfall. Minor road for final section.
Download file for GPS➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – Bunnet Stane & Maiden Bore Cave – West Lomond – Devil’s Burdens – path along north side of Glen Vale, with detour to waterfall – car park at foot of Glen Vale – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: A pair of kestrels, sheep & lambs, butterflies, ripe wild raspberries.
Weather: Sunny & warm with some wispy cloud & a moderate breeze.
August 2024
