Drymen (; from gd, Druiminn ) is a village in the

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

district of central

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now popular with visiting tourists given its location near

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...

. 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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Location

Drymen lies to the west of the

Campsie Fells The Campsie Fells (also known as the Campsies; Scottish Gaelic: ''Monadh Chamaisidh'') 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. Th ...

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 track ...

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 (the first

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

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 to ...

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 Buchanan Castle is a ruined castle in Stirlingshire, Scotland, located west of the village of Drymen. The house was commissioned by The 4th Duke of Montrose and built in 1852-1858 as a home for the Montrose family, serving as such until 1925. I ...

, 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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and which housed

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

senior officer

Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler in 1933, Hess held that position unt ...

. At one time the estate was also home to the seat of

Clan Graham Clan Graham (''Greumaich nan Cearc'' ) is a Scottish clan who had territories in both the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, with one main branch Montrose, and various cadet branches. The chief of the clan rose to become the Marquess and later ...

. 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 ( gd, Raibeart Ruadh MacGriogair; 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Scottish outlaw, who later became a folk hero. Early life Rob Roy was born in the Kingdom of Scotland at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, a ...

's sister Mistress Gow.

Village today

Despite the growth in the numbers of villagers commuting to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

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 The Endrick Water or River Endrick ( gd, Eunarag) is a river which flows into the eastern end of Loch Lomond, Scotland. Its drainage basin covers a large part of the west of Stirling District. The Burnfoot Burn rising on the southern slopes of the ...

. It is often used as an overnight stop for hikers on the

West Highland Way The West Highland Way ( gd, Slighe na Gàidhealtachd an Iar) is a linear long-distance route in Scotland. It is long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the r ...

, and forms the western end of the

Rob Roy Way The Rob Roy Way is a Scottish long distance footpath that runs from Drymen in Stirling to Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross. The path was created in 2002, and takes its name from Rob Roy MacGregor, a Scottish folk hero and outlaw of the early 18th ...

. 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 Duncan Macfarlan (1771–1857) was a Scottish minister. He was twice Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland both in 1819 and in its most critical year of 1843. He was Principal of Glasgow University from 1823 to 1857. Life H ...

, minister of Drymen church and principal of the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. * Catherine Roy, decorated

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

military nurse. *

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

, 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)