Hiking Conic Hill

· by · in Scotland, Stirling, UK. ·

After the short Bracklinn Falls hike, we headed toward Balmaha for the Conic Hill hike, another very iconic Scottish walk ! Conic Hill is a little summit that offers fantastic views over Loch Lomond that can be easily reached (count 1-2 hours depending on your fitness level). The weather that day was fabulous, blue sky and mild temperatures, all you need for a steep ascent ;-)

We parked in the Balmaha free car park located close to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Visitor Centre. The walk begins at the end of this car park, you just have to follow the thistle symbol up to the top.

At the beginning, we walked through woodlands, with really huge bracken and tall trees. That part of the walk was quite easy. We followed some steps and arrived at a small gate leading to an open space, with some conic hills in the background.

This one was taken by seeingthrough35mm ;-)

After several wooden and stone steps, it was getting a bit steeper as we could see the small hills in the background.

After a bit more climbing we could see Loch Lomond in front of us with all the tiny islands in its center. It was gorgeous !!

Hiking Conic Hills

Hiking Conic Hills

We decided to climb to the summit to see if the views would get better but it was pretty much the same. We sat down for a bit before hiking back to the car park. We had food in the pub close to the car park, the Oak Tree Inn, and the fish and chips I had were once again very welcomed after all the effort I’ve spent :-)

There was one castle nearby I wanted to check out before heading towards Killin, Buchanan Castle. We had some difficulties to find it as our sat nav didn’t recognized the address. When we arrived at the location, we realized that there were fences around it, and that we could only see it from very far away. It’s not open to the public anymore, apparently, it’s too dangerous and degraded. I’m sure some urbex photographers would have been braver than me, I just took a picture from far away then took some pictures of the flowers :p

It really looked like a castle taken from a fairy tale, it looked lovely !

91 responses to “Hiking Conic Hill”

  10. Another fantastic post about the area – Conic Hill climb looks worth the effort particularly when you are rewarded that view and at a hearty pub fish and chips. Buchanan Castle looks like a great find – I’ve never heard of it before, so nice to discover something new :)

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    • It was very rewarding, was well worth the effort :-) And we could eat deep fried fish without too much guilt :p

      Buchanan was nice, but difficult to access. If you ever go there, go there either in the morning or evening for a better light.

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  13. My parents went to Loch Lomond and the areas around it before I was even born and always tell me how beautiful it is! The scenery is just breathtaking and I’d love to see Buchanan castle – I definitely think I don’t take advantage of having so many beautiful castles around me here in the UK. Gorgeous photographs!

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  17. Gin, how blessed are you to be exploring in the most beautiful places! even just a glimpse of the castle is a beautiful sight! exquisite flower and yummy lunch. love it all :)

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    • Which is great with Scotland, is that it’s not too far away from home (still 6 hours, but you can drive, you don’t have to take flight), so I really like it ! I hope we’ll back there soon ! I really enjoyed myself over there, the nature was lovely.

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  19. Shame about the castle but you did manage to get a great shot!! Sounds like a fantastic walk – fish and chips (even in newspaper how great is that) seems like the perfect meal afterwards.

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    • Well, to be honest, I’m not happy with the shot of the castle at all. It was very bright, the sun was very powerful and high in the sky. and the castle was weirdly orientated. So it was difficult to take a proper. it would have been better in the morning or in the evening I think.

      It was an imitation of a newspaper, but I find the idea quite nice ! :-)

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  20. Just beautiful Gin and looks like you had some good weather. My dad has been to the Trossachs and Loch Lomond and says it well worth visiting! Hope you have a great weekend :)

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    • I agree with you dad, the Trossachs and Loch Lomond is a lovely place, with much to do ! There are different kind of hikes, with different levels, so it’s great for beginners but also for really good hikers. there are many b&b and pub/restaurants around. I hope you will get the chance to visit, I’m sure you would love it! :-)

      Weather is good in Leeds, I’ll go to York tomorrow to the viking center :-) Enjoy your weekend as well !

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      • I love the Viking Centre Gin – we went there again last year (with my dad and elder daughter who came over with her family on that trip). I loved it as a child – one of my favourite places (have always been fascinated by the Vikings!). Absolutely love York too!! Your Scottish trip sounds so lovely – we’ll have to go up there one day on our visits – always seem to be so rushed when we’re over in the UK! Enjoy your weekend and your outing to York – look forward to hearing how you get on at Jorvik! :)

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        • It’s difficult for you when you come to the UK as you have to see family as well. so many things to do when you are here !

          Well, as today was the first day of summer holiday for kids, we didn’t dare going to York (maybe another day, but there were too many specials event in york today, it would have been super busy). Instead we went to Whitby :-)

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  23. Wow Jin..You definitely had good weather for you :) I was in Loch Lomond too a week ago :) Can you believe it once again we might have crossed path.
    It is just a wonderland, totally loved the place.

    How you are getting along in the UK :)

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    • Oh really ? You favourite ? I can understand why, it’s very beautiful to walk up there. Scotland is fascinating, I’m in love with this country and the people are so so so friendly. when we were walking, we talked to some locals (they are so fit !) and they were lovely.

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  27. Nothing beats fish and chips after a long walk! The castle looks beautiful, it’s too bad it’s been closed to the public. Probably interesting (but dangerous) to wander around inside!

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  30. Remarkable Scotland. You’re excellent photos remind me of our time there last year. We spent a few weeks in Glencoe / Highlands. If you like walks this is another place to go. Thanks for sharing.

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  31. A gorgeous hike and I especially love the photo of the purple flowers. I also appreciate how you often include the food and drink you enjoyed after your activity of the day. My kind of end of the day celebration.

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    • The light at the castle was really awful, it was the middle of the day and it was really bright,so difficult to take pictures. But I managed to take this shot of this pretty flower. I like it very much as well :-)

      Too often I complain I don’t remember what we’ve eaten during our holiday, so I’ve decided to document it from now on :-)

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  32. Beautiful hike, and that is some panorama shot you took there. Those steps look intimidating but I suppose slow and steady, you’ll reach the top :D That fish and chips look massive…but I don’t see any chips on your plate ;) I love fish and chips too!

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    • haha, Mabel, you are right, there is no chips …because I try to lose a bit of weight. I put on 10 kilos within a year and half; and for my health I should really pay attention and try to lose them. So I tried to avoid eating fries, or just from time to time :-) And it works well so far !

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  36. Cool greens :-) and the Buchanan Castle sounds like a romantic (in the literature meaning) place to admire. I know it’s humble in comparison to the panoramic views of the lake but I liked so much the fourth photograph, the light over the main characters and the shadows in the background and their scale against the trees, thank you ☺

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