Glen
Glen Doll
A Forestry Scotland glen at the head of Glen Clova — the start of Jock's Road, the most contested right-of-way in Scottish history.
- Munros
- 11
- Corbetts
- 1
- Bothies
- 1
- Highest peak
- Lochnagar - Cac Carn Beag (1155.7m)
Glen Doll is the upper arm of the Glen Clova system, accessible via the Forestry Scotland car park at the glen head. It is the starting point for Jock's Road — the 20km through-route over the high Cairngorm plateau to Braemar, one of Scotland's most important rights-of-way, established in law after a landmark 1887 court case when a landowner attempted to close the path. The route crosses terrain above 900m and requires full navigation skills.
Below Jock's Road, the lower glen has forest trails suitable for families and less experienced walkers. The Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve, accessible by a short walk from the car park, has some of the best upland flora in the eastern Cairngorms.
The road in
Single-track road etiquette
Pull into passing places to let oncoming vehicles pass. Don't park in passing places. If a faster vehicle is behind you, pull over and let them past. Do not reverse at speed — wait in a passing place.
Parking1 spot
Glen Doll car park
40 cars
Forestry & Land Scotland pay and display — tariff on the machine
Hills from Glen Doll11 Munros · 1 Corbetts
Broad Cairn
997.1m
Tom Buidhe
957.8m
Tolmount
957.8m
Cairn Bannoch
1011.1m
Mayar
928.6m
Driesh
947.6m
Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach
1109.9m
Cairn of Claise
1063.1m
Carn an t-Sagairt Mor
1047m
Lochnagar - Cac Carn Beag
1155.7m
Hill of Strone
847.5m
Carn an Tuirc
1018.8m
Conachcraig
862.5m
Bothies in the glen1 in range
What's in the glen
Jock's Road
Jock's Road is Scotland's most celebrated right-of-way dispute. The route from Glen Doll to Braemar (20km across the Cairngorm plateau) was claimed as a public right of way after landowner Duncan Macpherson attempted to close it to walkers. The 1887 court case (Glen Doll Right of Way case) established the path as a public right of way and set a precedent for Scottish access law. The route is now a serious mountain crossing requiring full navigation skills and high-level fitness.
Corrie Fee NNR
Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve is accessible by a marked path from the Glen Doll car park — a 3km walk into a high corrie with exceptional arctic-alpine flora including mountain avens, purple saxifrage, and several nationally rare mosses.
Our take
Glen Doll is a stepping stone to somewhere bigger — either the Corrie Fee for an easier day or Jock's Road for a serious through-route. The car park is well-managed and the forestry trails are good. Come here as a base for the Jock's Road route and camp by the river the night before.
History
Jock's Road takes its name from a local guide called John Winter — nicknamed "Jock" — who regularly used the path to guide parties between Deeside and the Angus Glens in the 19th century. When landowner Duncan Macpherson attempted to close the route in the 1880s, a group of ramblers contested the closure in court.
The 1887 Glen Doll Right of Way case was a landmark in Scottish access law. The court ruled that the path constituted a public right of way by long usage and awarded costs against Macpherson. The case established the principle that rights of way in Scotland could not be extinguished by private landowners claiming disuse — a ruling that influenced the eventual passage of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
Practical
- Mobile signal
- No signal beyond the car park.
- Midges
- Low–moderate(2/5)
- Public transport
- None to Glen Doll. Car or taxi from Kirriemuir.
- Dogs
- On lead — livestock or ground-nesting birds present.
Map
Hills (green), bothies (brown), parking (blue), wild swimming (light blue).
Nearby glens
Scotland outdoor updates
Route guides, condition reports and seasonal picks — once a month, no noise.
Glen Doll — common questions
- What kind of road runs through Glen Doll?
- Single-track with passing places. Build in extra time for the approach.
- Can I take a motorhome or campervan into Glen Doll?
- We'd say no for larger vehicles: Glen Doll's narrow road, tight turns and limited passing space punish motorhomes and big campervans. Leave the van at a road end elsewhere and come in on foot.
- Are there midges in Glen Doll?
- Expect a moderate midge season in Glen Doll (2/5), running late May to September. The worst of it comes on sheltered, humid evenings — breezy spots and the high tops stay clearer. Smidge and a head net earn their place from May onwards.
- Can I wild camp in Glen Doll?
- You can. Scotland's Land Reform Act 2003 gives a right to wild camp on most unenclosed land, subject to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code: stay off enclosed agricultural ground, keep numbers small, leave no trace. Note the Loch Lomond and Trossachs Camping Management Zones and their seasonal restrictions do not cover Glen Doll.
- Can I get to Glen Doll without a car?
- None to Glen Doll. Car or taxi from Kirriemuir.