Drymen (; from ) is a village in the

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

district of central

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Once a popular stopping place for

cattle drovers Droving is the practice of walking livestock over long distances. It is a type of herding, often associated with cattle, in which case it is a cattle drive (particularly in the US). Droving stock to market—usually on foot and often with the ...

, it is now favored by visiting tourists given its location near

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...

. The village is centred around a village green, which is an unusual feature in Scottish villages but more common in other parts of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Location

Drymen is located west of the

Campsie Fells The Campsie Fells (also known as the Campsies; ) are a range of hills in central Scotland, stretching east to west from Denny Muir to Dumgoyne in Stirlingshire and overlooking Strathkelvin to the south. The southern extent of the range falls wi ...

and enjoys views to

Dumgoyne Dumgoyne is a hill prominent on the edge of the Campsie Fells and is a well-known landmark visible from Glasgow. It is a volcanic plug and is high. The plug is readily reached from a path beside Glengoyne Distillery or via a water-board trac ...

on the east and to

on the west. The Queen Elizabeth Forest reaches down to the village edge, and the whole area is part of the

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park () is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs, along with several other ranges of hills. It was the first of the national parks of Scotland, two nati ...

(the first

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

in Scotland).

History

There is remains of a medieval

motte-and-bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

in the village. In the 18th and 19th centuries Drymen was used as a stopover point for Highland cattle drovers as they made their way to and from markets in central Scotland. One mile from Drymen is the ruins of the country house Buchanan Castle, owned by the Duke of Montrose, which was also used as a hospital in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and which housed

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

senior officer

Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician, Nuremberg trials, convicted war criminal and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer ( ...

. At one time the estate was also home to the seat of Clan Graham. The Clachan Inn, which was first licensed in 1734 claims to be one of the oldest pubs in Scotland. The first licensee of the inn is said to be

Rob Roy MacGregor Robert Roy MacGregor (; 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Jacobite Scottish outlaw, who later became a Scottish and Jacobite folk hero. Early life He was born in the Kingdom of Scotland at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, as r ...

's sister Mistress Gow.

Village today

Despite the growth in the numbers of villagers commuting to

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

to work, there remains an agricultural tradition in the area. Every year, in early summer, an agricultural show is held in the fields around the Endrick Water. It is often used as an overnight stop for hikers on the

West Highland Way The West Highland Way () is a linear Long-distance trail, long-distance route in Scotland. It is long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William, Highland, Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking i ...

, and forms the western end of the

Rob Roy Way The Rob Roy Way is a Scotland, Scottish long distance footpath that runs from Drymen in Stirling (council area), Stirling to Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross. The path was created in 2002, and takes its name from Robert Roy MacGregor, Rob Roy MacG ...

. There are a couple of pubs and a walkers' shop. In 2019 planning permission was given for a residential development for over eighty new homes. As part of the development a financial contribution was made for improvements for the local primary school to increase its capacity.

Notable people

* Duncan Macfarlan, minister of Drymen church and principal of the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

. * Catherine Roy, decorated

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

military nurse. * Billy Connolly, lived in the village during the 1970s.'' Shrink Rap'': "Billy Connolly", 2009

References

External links

Tourist Guide to Drymen
{{Stirling Towns & Villages Villages in Stirling (council area)