Scotland is renowned for its long-distance hiking trails and picturesque walks.
Many of its cities have nearby routes, including Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The best and most rewarding hikes, however, are located in the Highlands, many of which have been described as the best in the world given their wild and remote nature.
This is true of Dumyat Hill just outside Stirling, the city that throughout history has been seen as the last considerable outpost before the mountainous terrain begins.
While a small hike, Dumyat Hill is truly astonishing, a little cub of the Ochils Hills, far lower than the main range but packed with character, and is the perfect stretch of trail for anyone to take on this Christmas period.
Positioned on the fringe of the range overlooking Stirling and the Central Belt, the views from Dumyat are superb.
You’ll also be able to see across to Fife, the Wallace Monument, Perthshire and the Lothians, as well as to much bigger hills beyond.
Dumyat sits at the western extremity of the Chi Hills, its name is believed to originate from Dun, a hill fort, of the Maeatae, a confederation of Scottish tribes who lived beyond the Antonine Wall in Roman Britain.
Although small, its outline is a defining feature of the landscape and combines with the nearby Abbey Craig to create a postcard-like image. Dumyat has two principal summits: Castle Law on the west, and Dumyat proper on the east.
Today, the summit of Castle Law remains as it was more than a thousand years ago as an ancient hill fort.
Originally occupied by the Maeatae, you can still make out its fortifications which are protected as a scheduled monument.
The walk itself is easy. Most people begin in Pendreich Forest car park, reached by heading up the Sherrifmuir road from Bridge of Allan.
Marked footpaths to Dumyat run along the track, and the track itself isn’t very steep but mostly more of a gradual incline.
Some detours can be found along the way, like a smaller path that appears at the halfway point that veers off to the right.
If taken, you will find yourself on the site of the ancient hill fort, the dilapidated remains marked by a small cairn.
Back on the regular path, a few fences and a briefly steep climb land you on the hill’s peak. With views to the Highland Bens on the horizon, including from left to right Ben Lomond, Ben Ledi, Stùc a’Chròin, Ben Vorlich and distant Ben Lawers
At just 418 metres tall, the walk has one of the best views in Scotland of the least amount of effort.
Dumyat Hill is also extremely close to Stirling, a beautiful city steeped in history with evidence for human habitation as far back as 2152 BC.
The city is filled with things to do and places to see, perhaps the most notable being its castle and the infamous Tolbooth Prison.
This latter site is believed to be Stirling’s most haunted place, built in the Middle Ages and used up until the 19th century.
You can see it in its current form as a music and arts centre, though some visitors report hearing ghouls and ghosts walk its corridors, and say it isn’t for the faint-hearted.
