Puck's Glen is a river-formed ravine on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, with a popular scenic walking trail beside the Eas Mòr stream (Gaelic for "big waterfall").
It comes under the Forestry Commission which highlights it as a feature of the Argyll Forest Park (itself within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park), and describes it as "One of the most magical forests in Scotland, with a delightful trail along a rocky gorge.
The stream tumbles down a series of waterfalls and rapids, joining the River Eachaig about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) south of the entrance to the Benmore Botanic Garden. A car park off the A815 road (about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Dunoon on the road to Loch Eck) gives access by a track to the foot of the glen path, as well as forest paths giving an alternative route to the top of the glen.
History
The Benmore Estate, to the north of the Holy Loch near Dunoon, was once Campbell hunting grounds. Forest tree plantations began in the 1820s. In 1849 John Lamont, who had made his fortune as a sugar planter in Trinidad, bought the estate and built Benmore House, but died in 1850.
A succession of owners made improvements, notably the American James Piers Patrick who planted the giant sequoia avenue in 1863, and later Greenock sugar refiner James Duncan expanded the estates and added the Puck’s Glen path between 1870 and 1889.He arranged extensive plantings, including more than six million trees around the estate and added paths leading up the Eas Mòr gorge for his visitors to enjoy the magical atmosphere of the glen, reminiscent of the mythological Puck, the character Puck in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In 1889 the Younger family of Edinburgh brewers took over, then in 1924 they gave the estates to the Forestry Commission and the central gardens to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which opened the Younger Botanic Garden in 1929. It was later renamed the Benmore Botanic Garden.
Visitors
The Benmore Botanic Garden car park serves walkers as well as visitors, bus services are more frequent March to October. Access to toilets through Benmore Café & Shop, check www.benmorecafe.co.uk for opening dates and times.
Temporary access restrictions
Though the Massan Loop will still be open, the Puck's Glen trail and Black Gates Trail have been closed for various reasons, click HERE for information and updates. A shorter 'Big Tree Trail' is still open as shown in this map HERE.
Puck's Glen and Massan Loop walks
Getting there
The walks are shown from the car park of the Benmore Botanic Garden and Benmore Café – PA23 8QU (NS 143855); 7 miles north from Dunoon on A815 road towards Strachur (and Inveraray), see below for bus stops at Invereck. For Met Office weather forecasts, look for Younger Botanic Gardens.
The car park is accessible all year, the Benmore Café provides access to public toilets (see www.benmorecafe.co.uk for opening dates and times) and is the visitor centre for the gardens which open 1 March to 31 October, www.rbge.org.uk/visit/benmore-botanic-garden/.
Bus services– see www.bustimes.org/localities/benmore or look for Benmore, Argyll & Bute on traveline:
484 and 486 buses run all year but no Sunday service, stop at bus lay-bys on main road.
489 bus calls in at Botanic Gardens entrance (inside the car park) at certain times, particularly March to October when the gardens are open, but not on Sundays – see www.bustimes.org/stops/60709850
More buses, including Sunday services, stop on the A815 at Invereck near the south end of the Massan road, at and opposite "Eventide Home" PA23 8QS (NS 147828) – see www.bustimes.org/stops/60709106 arriving and www.bustimes.org/stops/60709106 returning to Dunoon.
Crossing the Clyde:
Frequent passenger ferry services run from Gourock Ferry Terminal (adjacent to Gourock bus station and railway station) to Dunoon Ferry Terminal, near the bus stances.
The car ferry service runs from McInroy's Point to Hunters Quay (6 miles from Benmore Café), get discount return tickets first from www.western-ferries.co.uk/ticket-agents including a shop in Gourock.
Benmore Botanic Garden location map
Puck's Glen and Massan Loop image gallery
Images © Inverclyde Ramblers, February 2019.
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