Drymen - village in Stirling, Scotland, UK

Drymen is a village in Stirlingshire in the Central Belt of Scotland. It's within Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, four miles from the east shore of Loch Lomond, and this is the main reason to visit. In 2020 the population was 830.

"Drymen" is from Gaelic Druiminn, a hillock. It's by a crossing point on the Endrick Water and until mid 19th century was one of many points where cattle drovers brought their black cattle out of the Highlands and headed to lowland marts such Crieff and Falkirk. Those droves ended once railways enabled direct shipment of livestock. Drymen remained agricultural, but also developed tourist accommodation as an access point to the loch. The actor and comedian Billy Connolly (b 1942) lived here in the 1970s.

Get in

McColls Bus 309 runs daily every 90 min or so from Alexandria via Balloch station (for trains from Glasgow) to Drymen (15 min) and Balmaha.

From Glasgow take M8 / A82 to Balloch then A811 north. From Edinburgh take M9 to Stirling then A811 west.

Drymen is the first significant village on the West Highland Way after starting out from Milngavie. From Drymen the route crosses Conic Hill to Balmaha then follows the east shore of Loch Lomond to Rowardennan and Inversnaid.

Get around

Drymen is small enough to explore on foot.

See

• The Square 📍 is the village green, a common layout in England but rare in Scotland. The bus stops here. The village is much more peaceful since A811 was diverted east of Drymen, with the loop of its former route now B858.
• Buchanan Castle is a fenced-off ruin by the golf course. It was a mansion built in the 1850s for the Duke of Montrose, but abandoned in 1954. Rudolf Hess was briefly held here after his flight to Hamilton in 1941, then sent to the Tower of London.
• Catter Law south of the river by the junction of A811 and A809 was a medieval motte, an artificial hillock reinforced by wooden palisades. It was never converted to a stone castle. The site has been much altered and is on private property.
• Dalnair Castle 📍 is a baronial mansion built in 1884. It's nowadays private mansions so you'll have to be content with a distant view - but that development has saved it from sharing the fate of Buchanan Castle.
• Finnich Glen 📍 is a scenic ravine reached down a staircase, where a circular rock is known as "The Devil's Pulpit". The only deed that the devil is reliably known to have committed here is to make it a TV location for Outlander in 2014, whereupon tourists flocked and messed up the area. However other TV sagas have been and gone since then so you may find it tranquil.
• RSPB Loch Lomond 📍 is a bird-life reserve on the loch shore at Gartocharn, follow signs for Lagganbeg caravan park. The car park is open daily 09:00-17:00 and the reserve is free.

Do

• Golf: Buchanan Castle GC is west near the castle off A811 (don't follow the bumpy lane off B837); white tees 6133 yards, par 70. Strathendrick GC is nine holes, south of the village.
• West Highland Way Stage 1 is Milngavie to Drymen, 12 miles of fairly level lowland going. Stage 2 from Drymen climbs over Conic Hill then descends into Balmaha; you then follow the east bank of Loch Lomond to Rowardennan. Conic Hill can be climbed by itself but that's better done from Balmaha.
• Rob Roy Way is a 79 mile hiking trail from Drymen to Pitlochry. Section One to Aberfoyle heads north on the lane (Old Drymen Road) for four miles to Loch Ard forest. (On-road bikes stay on the lane all the way to Aberfoyle, off-road bikes can turn off onto the hiking trail.) You pass Corrie Aqueduct and waterworks of Loch Katrine, then descend by Bofrishlie Burn into Aberfoyle.
• Drymen Agricultural Show and Highland Games are held on the showground half a mile south of the village. The next are on Sa 27 May 2023.

Buy

• Spar is the village convenience store on The Square, open M-Sa 06:30-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00. For a big supermarket drive to Dumbarton.

Eat

• Drymen Bakery & Deli on The Square is open daily 08:00-17:00.
• Skoosh is a friendly cafe on Main St 100 yards south of The Square, open M-Sa 08:00-16:00.
• Clachan Inn, The Square, Drymen G63 0BL, +44 1360 660824. First licensed in 1734, when the sister of Rob Roy was the landlady, this has good food and atmosphere. They have rooms. B&B double £70 2022-12-29
• Drymen Inn, 5 Stirling Road, Drymen G63 0BW (just east of The Square), +44 1360 660123, info@thedrymeninn.com. Central in the village, this serves good trad fare and has rooms. Dog-friendly. B&B double £140 2022-12-29

Drink

• No pub, try the hotels. Drymen Beer Shop is an off-licence at 15 Main St open M-Sa 11:00-20:00, Su 12:00-20:00.
• Glengoyne Distillery, Dumgoyne G63 9LB (6 miles south of Drymen), 56.0140°, -4.3634°, +44 1360 550254. Founded in 1833, this is one of Scotland's more photogenic distilleries, and being close to Glasgow it's firmly on the tourist and corporate hospitality circuit. The water source is unpeated and the barley is malted without using peat smoke, so the whisky is lowland in nature, very smooth and quaffable. Annual capacity is 1.1 million litres and much of it is blended, but they sell a range of single malts. The owners are Ian Macleod Distillers. Basic tour £18 2022-12-29

Sleep

• The Winnock, The Square, Drymen G63 0BL, +44 1360 660245. Village inn, now a simple hotel. Great place on the days they get it right, but it draws very mixed reviews for comfort, service and food. B&B double £80 2022-12-29
• The Hawthorns and Braeside are B&Bs on The Square.
• Kip in the Kirk, 11 Stirling Rd, Drymen G63 0BW, 56.0666°, -4.4509°, +44 7734 394315. B & B and hostel in a former church hall (and before that a church), clean and comfy. Bunk £30, B&B double £80 2022-12-29
• Buchanan Arms Hotel, 22 Main St, Drymen G63 0BQ, 56.0635°, -4.4519°, +44 1360 660588. Pleasant mid-range hotel (no longer a Best Western), rooms are tired and in need of re-furb. The spa and gym remain closed. B&B double £100 2022-12-29
• Glenlaird B&B, 30 Balmaha Rd, Drymen G63 0BX, 56.0690°, -4.4572°, +44 1360 661026. Rave reviews for this smart modern B&B northwest edge of the village. B&B double £150 2022-12-29
• Drymen Camping, Gartness Rd, Drymen G63 0DN (A mile southeast of village), 56.0537°, -4.4321°, +44 7494 144064. Simple but clean campsite on West Highland Way open Apr-Oct, dogs welcome. £10 ppn 2022-12-29

Connect

As of Dec 2022, Drymen and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Vodafone, and 3G from Three. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

• Balmaha is the only village on the east shore of Loch Lomond. The lane continues north to dead-end at Rowardennan, start of the ascent of Ben Lomond.
• Balloch at the south end of the loch is a larger town with more amenities.
• Stirling to the east is a miniature Edinburgh, with its castle perched on a crag.