Glen Finglas, Mell Circuit

From Lendrick Hill car park (A) cross the bridge and go through the gate. Head left uphill ignoring a smaller path heading straight up through the trees. The path climbs quite steeply at first but you can pause at a bench for fine views of Loch Venachar on your way up. Go left at a fork in the path and contour round the hill. Eventually the path descends down to a tarmac road. (A) There is a Woodland Trust Visitor Centre in the car park which outlines the history of the estate. There are nine way marked walks from this car park of varying length. This walk follows the longest walk, the Meall Trail.

Turn right at the road and walk up the glen past reservoir (B). Keep following the path beside the reservoir past a house and farm, ignore the track off to the right up Stuc Odhar and continue through gates to a fork in the path. You can go left or right for the Meall Trail but my preference is to go right here. (B) Glen Finglas dam was completed in 1965. The reservoir supplies water for Glasgow and there is also a small hydro electric power plant.

The path climbs gently and soon a long view of Glen Meann can be seen. Follow the path for the entire length of the glen. Just before the hill at the end keep right at a fork and climb the steep hill. A third of the way up a sign points the way for the path to Balquhidder. Ignore this path and stay on the main path as it passes over desolate ground known as the Moine nan Each, Gaelic for Bog of the Horse. The path continues to climb at a reasonable gradient before a steep descent into Glen Finglas is started (C). The summit at 600 metres is marked by a small cairn. (C) The estate was once part of a royal deer forest where kings hunted, while whisky smugglers and cattle drovers also played a part in its history. Sir Walter Scott immortalised Glen Finglas in his poems ‘Lady of the Lake’ and ‘Glenfinlas’.

Continue down the path from the summit cairn. Eventually Glen Finglas Reservoir comes into view and the path descends to the water. The path then follows the reservoir back to the turning up Glen Meann. Continue down the Glen Finglas road and go left up the path you came down on your outward route to return to the car park.