Puck's Glen Gorge Trail

Puck's Glen Gorge Trail is a 1¾-mile (2.8 km) loop from Puck's Glen car park, up a Victorian walkway through a narrow, steep-sided gorge and back through the forest. It follows a tumbling burn beneath towering Douglas firs, crossing arched wooden bridges and passing several waterfalls. The payoff is close-up: mossy walls, ferns, rock and moving water. This is a short walk with a surprisingly physical middle, not a long ridge stroll.

Allow about 1 to 1½ hours. With the A815 behind you, follow the old road north, passing behind a large complex of wooden chalets. Just before half a kilometre, turn right at an old milepost onto the gorge path. The trail starts up the right side of the burn, then crosses it repeatedly on footbridges. In the Lower Glen, short, steep flights of rough stone steps alternate with narrow, rocky path and wetter stretches. Some edges above the water are unprotected, so keep children close and watch where you put your feet.

At the sign for the Lower and Upper Glen, continue ahead into the Upper Glen. A path off to the right heads back to the car park early; it is a useful shorter choice if you only want the lower section. The full loop dips briefly in the Upper Glen, then crosses more bridges past several more waterfalls, with less climbing than the lower gorge.

The narrow ravine eventually gives way to a forestry track. Turn right at first, then take the rightmost of the two paths branching right at the next junction. The broad return path gives a short look across the strath before it drops into tall pines. At the seat junction, turn left downhill; the shortcut from the gorge joins from the right. A hump-backed wooden footbridge brings you back to the same car park.

The walkway has a little theatrical history: the Younger brewing family built the original path, and it was restored in 1986. Puck's Hut, once placed in the glen to heighten the drama, has since been moved to Benmore Botanic Garden. After rain the waterfalls are especially lively, but the stone steps and wet sections can be slick. For a photo, include a bridge or the stairway beside a fall; it gives the rushing water a sense of scale without edging closer to the drops.

The car park has a picnic area. Benmore Botanic Garden, about a mile south, is a separate stop for a cafe and public toilets; it is not part of the gorge loop. Expect firm but uneven gravel, rough rocky and narrow sections, steep slopes, long flights of rough steps and several bridges. This is a strenuous-feeling walk for its length, especially if you are unsteady on wet steps or uneasy beside an unprotected edge. The waymarks make the route easy to follow, but stay on the marked path rather than branching onto the connecting forest tracks.