Doon Hill – The Minister and the Fairies at Aberfoyle
About 4 miles on foot.
Doon Hill is the small wooded hill on the edge of Aberfoyle where, the story goes, the fairies took the village minister in 1692.
A waymarked circuit climbs through oak and birch to the Fairy Knowe, a lone pine in a clearing at the top, and comes back down to the village. It's an easy-going morning with a good story in it, and lunch at the Faerie Tree at the end.
- Time
- About two hours: a 6.5 km (4 mile) circuit from Aberfoyle to the Fairy Knowe on Doon Hill, with 124 m of climbing. A walk.
- The path
- Surfaced paths and forest roads with a gentle climb to the top of the hill; not suited to a wheelchair.
- Where to start
- The Riverside car park in the middle of Aberfoyle, beside the Scottish Wool Centre, with public toilets.
- Set off
- From November to February, set off by 1pm to be back in daylight.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to February, set off by 1pm.
- Dogs
- On a lead where the path crosses farmland.
- Children
- The National Park suggests it for adults and children alike; a pushchair would struggle on the forest paths.
- Toilets
- Public toilets at the Riverside car park; none on the hill.
- Before you set out
- Surfaced paths and forest roads, graded moderate by the National Park.
The walk
The walk starts at the big Riverside car park in the middle of Aberfoyle, beside the Scottish Wool Centre, where there are public toilets. The National Park gives the Doon Hill and Fairy Knowe walk as a 6.5 km circuit, about two hours, with 124 metres of climbing on surfaced paths and forest roads. It crosses the river out of the village and climbs gently through native woodland to the top of Doon Hill, where a lone pine stands in a clearing.
This is the Fairy Knowe. Robert Kirk, minister of Aberfoyle from 1685, wrote a book about the fairies called The Secret Commonwealth and died on the hill in 1692. The story goes that the fairies took him, and that his spirit lives on in the pine.
His grave is in the old kirkyard at the foot of the hill. Keep dogs on a lead where the path crosses farmland. From November to February, set off by 1pm to be back in daylight.
If it rains
Most of the way is under the trees and on firm paths, so it is a fair walk on a damp day; the view from the top goes in low cloud. Lunch is indoors.
Afterwards
About 3 min on foot
The Faerie Tree
Lunch
Lunch is at the Faerie Tree, a bar and restaurant on the main street a couple of minutes' walk from the car park. It opens every day from noon, and the lunch menu runs from soup and Cullen skink to flatbreads, burgers and fish and chips, with a children's menu. Dogs are welcome, and there's even a menu for them. Ring 01877 382191 to book at busy times. If it's full, there are a few cafés along the same street.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Monachyle Mhor, 12 miles away.
For further reading, before you go.
Photographs by Scott Brown and The Faerie Tree Inn via Google