Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
windows by Edward Burne-Jones, and the 10th-century Celtic
Barochan Cross
. A window commemorates the fact
that William Wallace was educated by monks from this monastery.
If you've got time, at the western end of the High St there's the
Paisley Museum
(
www.renfrewshire.gov.uk
;
High St; admission free; 11am-4pm Tue-Sat, 2-5pm Sun)
, which features paisley psychedelia! There are some
marvellous exhibits, including contemporary displays of children in the modern world - it's worth at least a couple
of hours. It also has collections of local and natural history, ceramics and 19th-century Scottish art.
Trains run from Glasgow's Central station to Paisley's Gilmour St station (10 minutes, eight per hour).
The Campsies & Strathblane
The beautiful Campsies reach an altitude of nearly 600m and lie just 10 miles north of
Glasgow. The plain of the River Forth lies to the north; Strathblane and Loch Lomond are
to the west.
One of several villages around the Campsies, attractive
Killearn
is known for its 31m-
high obelisk, raised in honour of George Buchanan, James VI's tutor. Eight miles to the
east,
Fintry
has carved itself a gorgeous spot deep in the Campsies on the banks of
Endrick Water, which has an impressive 28m waterfall, the
Loup of Fintry
. In the west
(on the West Highland Way) is
Drymen
, a pretty village with lots of character, popular
due to its close proximity to Loch Lomond.
Activities
One of the best walks in the area is the ascent of spectacular Dumgoyne hill (427m) from
Glengoyne distillery, about 2 miles south of Killearn. Allow at least one hour for the as-
cent of Dumgoyne. It will take another hour to Earl's Seat, and 1½ hours to return from
there to the distillery. From Drymen, the
Rob Roy Way
(
www.robroyway.com
)
is a great
week's walk through Central Scotland's most beautiful lochlands to Pitlochry.
Sleeping & Eating
Elmbank£
(
01360-661016;
www.elmbank-drymen.co.uk
; Stirling Rd, Drymen; d £54-65;
B&B
)
Just off the square, this welcoming, walker-friendly place has an interesting variety of
rooms, including self-catering options. The friendly owner runs a relaxed ship and is flex-
