Walking & Hiking

Whether you are looking for short leisurely day walks, bagging munroes or are on a longer hike, the Black Bull Gartmore makes an excellent base to explore the beautiful local countryside. And we're more than happy to prepare you a pack lunch for your day's adventures.

Local Munros & Corbetts

A munro is a mountain over 3,000 feet and a Corbett is a mountain between 2,500 - 3,000 feet. There are 21 munros in the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park all accessible on a short drive from the Black Bull.

The most famous, Ben Lomond, is visible overlooking the village of Gartmore. The start point for the ascent is approximately 20 miles away. If you venture slightly further afield to Crianlarich (45 miles) you will find a number of fantastic munros - Ben More, Stob Binnein & Cruach Ardrain to name but a few. Or head over to the "Arrochar Alps" (49 miles) where you'll find Beinn Ime, Beinn Narnain and the famous Cobbler (Ben Arthur). If you want slightly smaller hills then we'd strongly recommend the nearby hills Ben Venue (2,400 feet) and Ben A'an (1,100 feet) which offer spectacular views over Loch Katrine and are only 6 miles from the Black Bull.

Munro Map

Ben Lomond

Loch Katrine from Ben A'an

Local Walks

The Black Bull Gartmore lies on the south edge of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park an area of immense natural beauty teaming with forest tracks making the entire area accessible to walkers and cyclists. There are numerous circular walks enabling you to take in the local views without back-tracking on yourself. Some of our favourites include :

The riverside walk to Aberfoyle along the banks of the river Forth (the Easter Park Trail)
The walk from Braeval east to overlook the Lake of Menteith
The walk north of Aberfoyle to explore the Lodge Forest Visitor Centre and the Little Fawn Waterfall
The walk west through the Queen Elizabeth Forest to Loch Ard where there are 5 walking trails of 3-14km
The Three Lochs Forest Drive - yes its a car route but there are 3 walking trails of 1-2km along the way

Munro Map

Three Lochs Forest Drive

Ben Lomond

Loch Ard

Loch Katrine from Ban A'an

Lake of Menteith

Long Range Hikes

The Black Bull Gartmore is only a few miles from the end of Stage 1 of 2 of Scotland's best known long range hikes and makes an excellent stop-over for hikers looking to spend that important first night in comfort, in front of a roraring fire with good food and a selection of beer, wine and whisky.

The Rob Roy Way runs for 79 miles from Drymen to Pitlochry in the eastern Highlands. Stage 1 Drymen to Aberfoyle is 17.4km and the Black Bull lies c.3 km south of Aberfoyle and 3km east of the trail as it passes Gartmore. If you were to choose the Black Bull as your first night'd stop over then your options would be 1) Continue to Aberfoyle then take a taxi to the Black Bull (call Pete on 0795 6914988) or 2) Head west to Gartmore from the trail when you are about 3km south of Aberfoyle (forest track route - we can provide directions).

The West Highland Way stretches 96 miles (154 Km) from Milngavie to Fort William. Stage 1 Milngavie to Drymen is 19 km and the Black Bull lies c.9 miles north of Drymen. If you were to choose the Black Bull as your first night'd stop over then we'd suggest you take a taxi from Drymen to the Black Bull (call Pete on 0795 6914988).