Holiday apartment in Campsie Glen: waterfalls and volcanic traces

Campsie Glen combines a natural, steep-sided rocky gorge with waterfalls, pools and traces of a long geological history. The glen lies on the southern slope of Campsie Fell; the Kirk Burn flows through the valley to the River Kelvin. At the same time, Campsie Glen is situated at the site of an ancient lagoon – a geological background reflected in the rocks and lava flows of the area.

Nature

Campsie Glen features Lower Carboniferous Clyde Plateau lavas, approximately 350 million years old. Visitors can climb through a sequence of ancient lava flows that bear witness to the volcanic past of the Campsie Hills. The waterways also display different forms: at Lady’s Linn, there are several small waterfalls and pools alongside the Kirk Burn. At James’ Linn, larger waterfalls and pools lie approximately 100 m upstream. Muckle Alicompen has two waterfalls; the upper one plunges over a basalt lava flow.

Another geological trace is the Markle Basalt Quarry, a long-abandoned quarry with partially highly vesicular basalt. Some feldspar crystals there are longer than 25 mm. Thus, landforms, water and rock lie closely together in the gorge, without their different periods of formation becoming blurred.

Paths

The Campsie Glen path is a 0.8 km recreational path from Clachan of Campsie to the viewpoint car park on Crow Road. It uses a well-maintained ash path with crossings and edge kerbs to prevent erosion and runs in switchbacks from Clachan of Campsie to the car park on Crow Road. A route branches off to the left from the path towards Kirkton Burn and the waterfalls.

Those looking for a steeper and uneven ascent will find a path from Campsie Glen to the ridge of the Campsie Fells. Beyond Clachan of Campsie, a path also climbs steeply to a car park on the B822; another path around the hill leads to waterfalls on the stream below in Campsie Glen. The Campsie Glen Geological Trail begins at the car park in Clachan of Campsie. Its complete return route is 4 km long, has 200 m of elevation gain and takes approximately 2½ hours.

For walking and cycling, the Strathkelvin Railway Path offers a flat, easy-to-follow route. A scenic section runs along a former railway line for 7½ miles between Strathblane and Kirkintilloch. The nearby Old Road to St Machan’s Church follows the historic route from Lennoxtown to Clachan of Campsie.

History

The church associated with St Machan was first built in Campsie Glen in the 12th century beside the saint’s presumed grave. At the end of the 18th century, Campsie Glen was opened to visitors by the local landowner John McFarlan of Ballencleroch. Tree planting and path construction in Campsie Glen date from the 18th and 19th centuries. At the lower end of the glen are the remains of a bleachworks from the early 19th century.

Medieval rigg-and-furrow structures, historical remains of agricultural use, have also been recorded in Campsie Glen. Alongside the traces of ecclesiastical history and the old paths, the former use of the land is therefore also part of the visible history of the site.

Getting there

Campsie Glen can be reached on foot from the car park in the village of Clachan of Campsie. The car park for Campsie Glen is small and often very busy. Buses run regularly between Glasgow and Clachan of Campsie. Refreshments and bicycle rental are available in Clachan of Campsie.

Other places

Other place pages for comparison can be found here: Lennoxtown, Milngavie, Balgrochan, Bearsden, Bishopbriggs.

For the higher-level travel overview: East Dunbartonshire.