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Burncrooks Reservoir

2.5 miles (4 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap This walk takes you to the Whangie hill and then on to the lovely Burncrooks Reservoir in the Kilpatrick Hills.
You can start your walk from the Queen's view car park which sits on the A809 north of Auchengillan. Then follow the footpaths west from here to visit the Whangie. This unusual hill includes interesting rock formations and a narrow chasm through which you can walk.
From here head south along paths which will take you down to the reservoir. There are good well maintained walking paths running around the lake with fine views to the Luss hills, Arrochar Alps and Ben Lomond. After following the circular trail around the reservoir you can then follow ither paths up to the trig point on Auchineden Hill. You then retrace your steps east to return to the car park.
You can extend the walk by heading south to visit the nearby Kilmannan Reservoir where there are more nice trails to try. Loch Humphrey is also just a few miles south west.

Postcode

G63 9AU - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Burncrooks Reservoir OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Burncrooks Reservoir Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Just a few miles north of the car park you'll find something of a hidden gem at the Devil's Pulpit in Finnich Glen. There's a wonderful deep sandstone gorge and rushing waterfall to see in this geologically fascinating area.
Head a few miles south east and you could visit Loch Ardinning, Mugdock Country Park, Dumbrock Loch and Bardowie Loch near Milngavie.

Photos

Queen's View Car Park - geograph.org.uk - 961285

Queen's View Car Park In addition to the magnificent view from the car park, this is also the most convenient place to start from to see the Whangie.

Southern entrance of the Whangie - geograph.org.uk - 1092786

Southern entrance of the Whangie. The Whangie in the north of the Kilpatricks is of particular interest to geologists and casual walkers alike. It consists of a slice of the hillside that has been separated from the main slope. This has created a narrow chasm up to 10 metres (33 ft) high and about 100 metres (330 ft) in length through which visitors can walk. 

The north-eastern extremity of Burncrooks Reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 912851

The north-eastern extremity of Burncrooks Reservoir. From the spot where the photo was taken, a small burn can be seen flowing into the reservoir from the north. The water levels in both the burn and the reservoir were fairly low after a prolonged spell of dry weather.

Burncrooks Reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 1526089

From the northwest corner, looking across the whole body of the reservoir.

The dam of Burncrooks Reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 1526063

The dam of Burn Crooks Reservoir. Carefully blended in with the landscape.

The valley of Burn Crooks - geograph.org.uk - 1323522

 The valley of Burn Crooks. Burn Crooks (the stream) flows into Burncrooks Reservoir from the south-west. Oddly, a Burn Crook (singular, at least on the 1:25000 map) flows into the same reservoir from the north-west. The photograph was taken from the top of a steep slope, just above the point where the burn makes a sharp turn. On the reservoir itself, the book "Loch Lomondside" (by John Mitchell, in the New Naturalist series) comments: "With both Dumbarton and neighbouring Clydebank having fully exploited the water gathering grounds of the southern Kilpatrick Hills, the last Clydebank reservoir to be built was sited some distance away from the town in the then untapped northern half of the hills. Opened in 1914, the Burncrooks Reservoir was constructed around one of the feeder streams to the River Endrick".

The Whangie from the southwest - geograph.org.uk - 1525200

The Whangie from the southwest. The whole outcrop can be seen from this angle and distance

Auchineden Hill Trig Point - geograph.org.uk - 956041

Auchineden Hill Trig Point

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Burncrooks Reservoir.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Burncrooks Reservoir.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)