It's the ethereal Scottish glen that has appeared in Outlander season one as the 'Liar's Spring'. Now, thanks to its starring role, it attracts up to 70,000 visitors a year.
With its moss green walls and blood-red waters, Finnich Glen is an otherwordly location that is hidden away on farmland in Stirling. Despite the fact it doesn't have its own visitor centre and can be hard to find, Outlander fans still flock to see where the famous scene with Dougal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish) and Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) was filmed.
Home to the ominously named Devil’s Pulpit, the dramatic natural gorge with vertical drops and slippery entrance steps has a spooky history of druidic rituals and sheltering covenanters in their wars with the royalist troops.
History
The hidden red sandstone gorge lies just north of Glasgow and is known for entrancing all who have visited it, with the Devil's Pulpit being the name given to the mysterious circular-shaped rock which rises from the Carnock Burn which flows through the glen.
It's been linked to witches, druids and even stories of sermons from the devil himself, so much so that the steps leading down to the glen are also known as the Devil's Steps.
TV and Film appearances
The gorge has been chosen as a setting for everything from interactive plays to scenes from Detective Pikachu, Netlix film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and TV show The Nest.
But it was its appearance in the hit TV show 'Outlander' that really propelled its tourism appeal.
Its towering walls of rock were the backdrop for the scene in season one in which character Dougal uses the 'truth-inducing waters' of 'St Ninian’s Spring’, also known as 'Liar’s Spring', to make sure he believed and trusted the time travelling Claire Randall.
Controversy
This surge in popularity has come at a cost though, with the recent controversy surrounding the beauty spot.
The rising number of visitors recently led to reviewers likening it to a ' glorified toilet' after people complained about the amount of rubbish that they discovered on their visits to the popular landmark.
Police have also been called to the site in recent months after a spike in cars parked dangerously at the side of the road.
This eventually led to a parking ban by Stirling Council during lockdown.
Visitor Centre Plans
Detailed proposals were recently submitted to the local council for a 150-space car park plus visitor centre and restaurant, and a network of paths, bridges and viewing platforms.
The £2m plans were launched by farmer David Young, who owns the land in which the Devil’s Pulpit is situated. He took over the running of the farm there in the 1970s, with his father having owned the land since the 1940s.
Stirling councillors have reportedly approved the plans, with hopes that the transformation will help make the site safer and will also lead to better handling of the increased traffic and footfall from tourism.
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