Loch Lomond Area Walks - Cashel Woodlandsin The Trossachs Scotland

Loch Lomond Area Walks - Cashel Woodlands in The Trossachs

Easy walk suitable for occasional walkers.

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Cashel Woodland Walks near Loch Lomond

We offer 3 levels of walks at Cashel of varying degrees of difficulty all with superb views over Loch Lomond and the surrounding countryside.

The Blue Loop, our first walk is 1.1km long and will take around 15-20 minutes to complete. It is a relatively easy walk suitable for folk of varying degrees of fitness. Sights along this walk include the Donald Dewar Cairn, which has a fantastic viewpoint that looks over the loch and further along the path is a beautiful throne like chair carved from a tree trunk, which was donated by the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh.

The Red Loop, our middle walk,  is 4.5km long and requires a little more effort. It will take 11/2 to 2 hours to complete and involves a steep walk uphill. There are panoramic views over the loch and the surrounding countryside all the way along this walk and at the top of the hill Ben Lomond can be viewed on clear day. We also have a viewpoint at the top of the hill, which can be reached by crossing across land to the top of the hill at the plot named Capercaillie. Remember to take care, as the ground is very uneven and rough. Our viewpoint is marked by an obelisk with a carving of a sun and the message ‘the sun will shine again’ carved onto it - an absolutely fantastic piece of sculpture that resembles the standing stones of ancient Scotland.

The Green Loop, our last walk,  is 6.5km long and will take 2 - 3 hours to complete. This is a steep uphill walk and not for the fainthearted. After the red walk cut-off the path continues to climb up hill and then opens into a stunning flat plateau. We have planted numerous Scots Pine trees along parts of this walk. These will grow on to resemble the ancient Caledonian Pine Forests of long ago.

What to expect at Cashel

On taking any of our walks at Cashel you will see all of the fantastic things that Scotland has to offer from forest to bog-land to hills covered in heather to open grassy plains. This is because, at Cashel, we feel that it is essential to have a natural diversity of the various habitats required to help nature flourish. We consider all areas of conservation as important as each other and intend to conserve these habitats for the appreciation and enjoyment of our future generations.

These routes are designed for the use of walkers only and we regret that mountain bikes are not allowed as they can cause excessive erosion. More footpaths are planned for the future.

Wildlife at Cashel

Abundant wildlife can be seen along the footpath. The small heath butterfly, gold ringed dragonfly, whitethroat, raven and buzzard are just some of the species you might see.

Butterflies have been monitored for the past three years in 10 different compartments. Species noted include the ringlet, peacock, orange-tip, and common blue and red admiral. Bird monitoring has also been carried out for past three years. Two transects are walked twice yearly and all birds encountered are logged. Birds found on the transect are black and red grouse, stone chats, whinchats, grasshopper warblers, reed buntings, meadow pipits, tree pipits and willow warblers.

Please try to keep to the footpaths for your own safety and to enable you to view the wildlife without disturbing it.

Other Facilities at Cashel

General facilities include barbeque facility (barbeque areas may only be used by organised parties with permission), car parking and picnic benches.

Cashel dedication barn - open to the public at all times. Why not bring along your tree numbers and view the dedications you and others have made. We also have literature on sponsored planting within the barn, which includes a site map with the sponsored planting plots on it.

Guided tours can be arranged for parties by prior appointment as can School visits (although qualified personnel will have to be supplied by the parties themselves) The 3 local primary schools, Buchanan, Drymen and Killearn all have their own tree plots and Gartmore Primary School care for a native apple tree orchard planted by the children with sponsorship from Marks and Spencer. There is now a community tree nursery with a poly tunnel available for school or community projects.

Sponsored planting - see our sponsor a tree page to sponsor a tree online or to arrange a visit to plant a sponsored tree yourself call or email our warden. You can also arrange to sponsor a grove, footpath or bench.

If you wish to arrange a visit to Cashel:

Please telephone our warden on: 01360 870450 Or email us at cashelwarden@cashel.org.uk  

Remember the Countryside Code

At Cashel we have worked very hard to create an area of natural conservation for everyone to enjoy. When visiting please respect the area and follow the few guidelines we have listed below.

1. Please close any gates you open behind you, we have measures in place to keep deer out of the area. If they manage to get in they can cause a massive amount of destruction to an area we have worked very hard to create.
2. Our routes are designed for the use of walkers only and we regret that mountain bikes are not allowed as they can cause excessive erosion
3. Dogs should be kept on a lead to minimise disturbance to the wildlife.
4. Camping and campfires are not allowed. Cashel Campsite is just across the road and offers superb camping facilities and a café.
5. If you are using the barbeque pit please ensure that you have fire beaters near to the site, these should be at the barbeque point and are also spread around the site. Always keep a close eye on your barbeque to avoid any mishaps.
6. Please do not leave any litter lying around. There is nothing worse than a beautiful natural landscape that has been ruined by an inconsiderate few. Please bag your litter and take it home with you. There are also litterbins located at the side of the farmhouse next to our dedication barn

Cashel is open to the public 52 weeks of the year during daylight hours.

Our warden is not always available on site but can be contacted on 01360 870450 to help with any problems

Directions to Cashel:

From Drymen, take the cut off for Balmaha. Continue through Balmaha Village heading towards Rowardennan. Cashel is about 2 miles along this road on the right hand side shortly after Blair Cottage. The site is sign posted for forest walks and there is a dry stone dyke wall with Cashel embossed onto large boulders built into the wall on either side of the road. Take a right turn up this track, you will find car parking to the side of and behind the farm buildings.

Next to the car park there is a site map showing our sponsored planting plots and the different walks that are available.