Maspie Den – A Waterfall You Walk Behind and an Organic Lunch
A few hours.
The route
Maspie Den is a steep wooded glen on the Falkland Estate, laid out by the Victorians as a romantic walk, with stone bridges, little footbridges and a waterfall at its head that you walk right behind.
It's a woodland adventure of an hour and a half, under the Lomond Hills. Then lunch is at Pillars of Hercules, an organic farm and vegetarian café beside the car park. It suits walkers and older children with good boots.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
Falkland
A climb up a wooded den at the foot of the Lomond Hills to a waterfall you can walk behind, and a warm organic lunch where the walk begins.
About three hoursAbout 4 miles on foot
Maspie Den
An attraction
Park in Falkland Estate's car park off the A912, beside Pillars of Hercules, just west of Falkland village. It gets busy at weekends when the sun is out. From the car park it's about 15 minutes' walk south through the estate to the foot of Maspie Den, by the House of Falkland. The path climbs beside the Maspie Burn under tall trees, over an old stone bridge and a string of wooden footbridges, past small falls and pools. At the head of the den the burn, or stream, pours over a ledge so deeply undercut that the path runs right behind the waterfall. The way is narrow, rocky and often steep, with many steps and muddy stretches, so wear boots, and it's no place for a pushchair. The whole walk, up the den and back to the car park, takes about an hour and a half. Sheep and cattle graze the estate, so keep dogs on a lead.
2 min on foot
Pillars of Hercules
Lunch
Lunch is at Pillars of Hercules, 2 minutes' walk from the car park once you're back down from the den. It's an organic farm with a vegetarian café, open every day from 9am to 4pm, serving soups, curries, pasties, baked potatoes and pressed sandwiches, plus scones and cakes, with plenty for vegans. There's nothing to book. If it's full, Café 1821 in the estate's Stables opens Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, with the last food orders at 3pm.
If it rains
A day or two after rain the falls are at their fullest, but in heavy rain the steps, roots and rocks in the den are slippery: walk only as far as the first footbridges, or keep to the estate's wide tracks, and make lunch at Pillars of Hercules a long one.
Worth a detour
- Falkland Palace and the village
Falkland village is just east of the car park along the A912, past the twin-towered gatehouse of Falkland Palace, where the Stuart kings came to hunt. Stop for a wander along its old streets and a look at the palace from the street. The palace and its garden keep their own seasons with the National Trust for Scotland, so look them up before planning to go in.
Pillars of Hercules, a restaurant in Falkland.
The Stag, Falkland, a restaurant in Falkland.
Photograph by james_groot