Dumyat Hill

Dumyat

At only 418m high, Dumyat is more of a brisk walk than a climb.   It lies at the western end of the Ochil Hills, near Sherriffmuir, looking down onto Stirling and the river Forth.

But it's a great wee hill if you just want to stretch your legs after a long winter break, or break in a new pair of boots.  In my case it was both these things.

Although it was only February, the forecast was for an unseasonably mild and sunny day.  So I decided that it was time to get back out on the hills.

The forecast of course was completely wrong and it was cold, cloudy and wet - but that gave me the chance to also try out my new wet weather gear.

I'm pleased to report that all the new equipment worked well.  The old equipment, i.e my legs, need a bit of work!

From the top there are fine views of Stirling and the river Forth.

At the summit there is a memorial to the soldiers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highland Regiment, a trig point, a memorial bench to a Mr Michael Simpson and an iron brazier full of rocks.

It's all go at the top of Dumyat!  No idea what the story is with the brazier full of rocks.

Getting There:

Dumyat Hill Part 1

The walk starts from the Pendreich forest Car park, reached by following the Sheriffmuir road from Bridge of Allan.

There is a sign saying "Dumyat"  beside the picnic benches and you can follow the path which runs in the same direction as the road.

At a junction on the path, take the right hand branch and follow the path until it reaches the road.  Turn left and follow the road until you see the gate with the very well made path leading up the hill.

In fact there are several parking spaces here at the side of the road, so if there is room, you could park here and miss out the first part of the walk.

Head through the gate and follow the path.

Dumyat Hill Part 2

Well, just as you're thinking that the path is just a bit too pristine - more of a pavement then a path, it turns into a boggy quagmire.

For the rest of the climb, the path alternates between pavement and bog - it seems to be a work in progress.

Over to the right you should now be able to see the Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle, the Carse of Stirling, and right below you, Stirling University campus.

On the day I climbed, the views were pretty hazy due to the cloud and rain.

Dumyat Hill Part 3

Before you reach the final slope to the summit, just after you cross a small  burn, you will see a path leading off to the right.

This takes you to the remains of an iron age fort which was the home of the Maeatae  tribe.

With fantastic views, you can see why they chose it from a defensive point of view.

It doesn't take long to divert off the main path and visit it.

There are a couple of large stone cairns marking the location of the fort.

Dumyat Hill Part 4

If you visited the fort, follow the path back to the main track.

You will now see a small gate, with the final push to the summit ahead.

Dumyat Hill - The Summit

As I said, there is a lot going on on the summit of Dumyat.  Two memorials, a trig point and an iron brazier full of stones.

If you look carefully on the brazier photo, down in the bottom right hand corner you can see the memorial bench.

You can head back down the same way, or read on for a slight variation of the return route.

Dumyat Hill - Return Route

Head back down the path, and just after you pass a gully on the left hand side, you will see a path heading to the left across the face of a slope.

This path is pretty boggy in parts, but at least it offers a bit of variety on the way back down.

Follow the path, and you will come to the stone remains of some houses.  Just past this you can take the path to the left to visit another bench and viewpoint.

Return, and follow the path until you reach a stone wall.  Follow the wall to the right for a bit, and then head off across a fairly boggy section and up the slope to rejoin the main path, and then back to the car park.