Lambdoughty Glen – Waterfalls and a Village Tearoom
About 2.5 miles on foot.
Straiton is one of the prettiest villages in Ayrshire, a street of stone cottages with blue doors below a hill topped by an obelisk.
From its edge, Lady Hunter Blair's Walk climbs into Lambdoughty Glen, a wooded gorge where a burn, or stream, tumbles over a string of waterfalls, and lunch is back in the village at the Buck Tearoom.
- Time
- About an hour and a half: the walk is a 4 km loop from the village car park.
- The path
- Earth paths, several sets of steps and narrow footbridges; a stretch along the B741.
- Where to start
- The village car park beside the playground on Kirkmichael Road, Straiton (the signs show how long you can park); or the small parking area on the B741 at the start of the glen.
- When to go
- The walk is open ground all year (go in daylight); the Buck Tearoom opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm, and is shut on Mondays.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs close along the B741.
- Children
- Waterfalls and wooden animal carvings; hold hands along the road stretch.
- Toilets
- Public toilets behind McCandlish Hall on Main Street, run by the village (donations welcome); the Buck for customers.
- Before you set out
- Steps and earth paths in the glen, slippery when wet.
The walk
Park in Straiton's village car park beside the playground on Kirkmichael Road, where an information board shows the walks; the signs there show how long you can park. The public toilets are behind McCandlish Hall on Main Street, kept by the village, so leave a donation. Lady Hunter Blair's Walk is a 4 km loop; allow about an hour and a half.
The loop leaves the village by a track through the trees, then follows the B741 Dalmellington road for about 750 metres. That stretch carries traffic round some blind bends, so keep children and dogs close, or drive on and start from the small parking area just past a farm road. From there the path runs into the woods beside the Lambdoughty Burn, past a string of waterfalls, and comes back down the other bank on steps and little bridges, past wooden carvings of a fox, an otter, a heron and an owl.
The steps and earth paths are slippery after rain, so wear boots, and it's no walk for a pushchair.
If it rains
The glen is under trees and the falls are at their best after rain, but the steps and paths get slippery: take it slowly in boots, and dry off over lunch at the Buck.
Afterwards
The Buck Tearoom
Lunch
Back in the village, lunch is at the Buck Tearoom at 32 Main Street, about 250 metres from the car park: a family-run café doing breakfasts, lunches and home baking, where walkers and dogs are welcome. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm, and is shut on Mondays. It's said to welcome children and to be step-free, and it has toilets. Ring on 07507 764194 to check before you set off.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
None of ours is close by: the nearest is Talli House, 30 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Fri 30 Oct to Sun 1 Nov.
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For further reading, before you go.