Mugdock Country Park and surrounding area
Date: 27 December 2025
Leader: David
Grade: C+
Number on walk: 16
Length 14 km. Ascent 240 m.
Hills climbed: None.
Click here for GPX track of the walk
Shortly after setting off, we crossed Drumbrock Muir and had a clear view of Dumgoyne and Dumfoyn
Before reaching Cuilt Brae we stopped for our morning tea break
We continued to have clear views of Dumgoyne and Dumfoyn as we joined the Gowk Stane Road
After following part of the John Muir Way, we joined the West Highland Way and passed Craigallian Loch
Before leaving the West Highland Way, we had lunch on the banks of the Allander Water
After lunch we left the country park and walked round Mugdock Reservoir
This reservoir is the first and main holding reservoir for water from Loch Katrine. It was designed as part of the 1855–1859 Loch Katrine Waterworks and has a depth of about 50 ft. The adjacent Craigmaddie Reservoir was brought into service in 1896–97 and doubled the water storage capacity.
A final afternoon tea break near Mugdock Reservoir before returning to the country park
As we returned to the start of our walk we walked past the ruins of Craigend Castle
The "castle" was built around 1816–17 in a Regency Gothic style with castellated walls and arched windows. The building served successively as a country house, an ambassador’s residence, and later the centrepiece of a short‑lived zoo before falling into ruin in the late 1950s