In Search of the Muir Dam, Thornhill

Muir Dam

Nestled between conifer plantations and farmland above Thornhill lies the Muir Dam. An isolated sheet of water, visited by few but home to many water birds. It had become a bit of an obsession to get there as it is protected by a high fence from the B822 road that runs to Callander. There is a footpath that follows the beautiful Cessintully Burn upstream from Thornhill, passing alongside the mysteriously named Nelly's Glen and over a wonderful hill, marked 127m on the OS map, that provides a sentry-like viewpoint down the Teith valley to Stirling, across to the Doune Hills and more spectacularly to the munros of Stuc a' Chroin and Ben Vorlich as well as the ever dominating profile of Ben Ledi.

I had walked there on a dreich day in February and felt a strange compulsion to revive the path that had been assiduously negotiated with three farmers eight years ago. Three volunteers from the village had built stiles over the fences but there were few takers for the walk. It had fallen into disuse with stretches of bog, broken stiles and furrowed fields. I persuaded the local paths officer to fund the materials to replace the stiles and along with one of the original volunteers, we set out to audit the state of the path. We were both captivated by the walk and the views but we measured up and hopefully, coronavirus notwithstanding, we will source the materials for replacing the stiles and bridges. Then its time for hammers, saws, wrecking bars and a lot of sherpa like activity to get the materials and tools onsite.

Entrance to the path from the North Common

Gate to Nelly's Glen

Nelly's Glen

Nelly's Glen

East towards Stirling

South to the Campsies

Stuc a' Chroin and Ben Vorlich

Over the birchwood to Doune Hill

Original pathmaker