Campsie Fells

The Campsie Fells from Bar Hill above Twechar

The Campsie Fells are a range of hills largely in Stirlingshire, stretching east to west from Denny Muir to Dumgoyne. The range overlooks the villages of Strathblane, Blanefield and Lennoxtown to the south; Killearn to the west; and Fintry to the north. The Fintry Hills lie further to the north; Kilpatrick Hills lie to the west and the Kilsyth Hills to the east.

The Earl's Seat is the highest point of the Campsie Fells, measuring 1,896 feet. On the top of the Earl's Seat is a trig point. Two main ways of climbing the Earl's Seat are by going past Dumgoyne from the Glengoyne Distillery or going up the Fin Glen from Clachan of Campsie.

The name is taken from one of the individual hills in the range, called Campsie; meaning "crooked fairy hill", from the Gaelic cam, meaning crooked, and sìth meaning fairy. "Fell" is English, though from Old Norse originally.

Erosion along the line of a geological fault known as the Campsie Fault has left tiers of rock representing some 30 ancient lava flows which date from the Carboniferous period. The headwaters of the River Carron rise in the Campsies.

The Campsie Fells have cemented their place in history as the birthplace of Scottish skiing, when W W Naismith of Glasgow skied the area, becoming the first ever man to ski in Scotland in March 1892.

Outside links

• Map: 56°1’0"N, 4°18’-0"W
• Computer-generated virtual panoramas:
  • Earl's Seat
  • Index