‘They have everything’

Neil Mitchell lives in nearby Kinross and volunteers with the Ochils Mountain Rescue Team. Although he’s climbed widely across Scotland and further afield, he says there’s nowhere quite like the Ochils. “They are incredibly varied,” he explains.

“To the west you’ve got popular hills like Dumyat [du-MY-at] which looks great, is nice and low, and easily accessible from Stirling. Further east you’ve got Ben Cleuch and amazing gorges like Alva Gorge and Dollar Gorge. The north is amazingly wild and bleak, more like open moorland.

“But my favourite bits are to the north east, around Glen Devon. I love the circuit around Glen Sherup, over Ben Shee, Whitewisp Hill and Innerdownie: lovely wild hills with great views and rich woodland. You can watch ospreys fishing in the reservoirs on one side, and see all the way to the industries of Grangemouth on the other. It’s hard to think of other ranges with such varied scenery.”

The Ochils, he says, are a well-kept secret. “People drive past them on the way somewhere else, which is sad in a way but also means they’re quieter than a lot of Scottish hills,” he adds. “And being easterly, they tend to avoid the worst of the west coast clag. You get some amazing cloud inversions, when you pop out above a sea of cloud.”

One thing he’s not absolutely certain of is the pronunciation of ‘Ochils’. “I say ‘OH-kuls’ and it’s what I hear most people say,” says Neil. “But I do hear people saying ‘OCH-uls’ [like ‘loch’]. I’m not brave enough to say which is meant to be right!”

You can find out more about the Ochils Mountain Rescue Team (and donate) at