I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big fan of an amazing view that doesn’t involve too much effort. Sure, I’m constantly inundated with Instagram post suggestions that show incredible vistas that only involve a four hour climb or whatever but, I’m sorry, that life is not for me.

The Dumpling, however, fits my M.O. perfectly.
Isn’t that the cutest name for a little hill? It is, of course, a nickname. The Dumpling is really called Duncryne Hill and is just outside the village of Gartocharn, south of Loch Lomond.

Now, views of Loch Lomond from the nearby-ish Conic Hill are legendary, but that walk is longer and immensely popular. We once tried to walk there on a random January Saturday morning when it was freezing cold and even then there were too many people. Also the path was so icy in parts that we had to give up anyway.

The Dumpling is lesser-known and you can actually complete the walk up and back down, with an adequate amount of time spent admiring the view at the top, in around half an hour. The path is fairly straightforward, albeit prone to being a bit boggy in places, and is only really steep for the last stretch. After that last steep part, when you arrive puffing and panting at the summit, you’ll be immediately rewarded by a beautiful view of Lomond and some of its many islands.

I mention the bogginess though as, the first time we tried to do the walk, it was a sunny day but there’d been a decent among of rainfall in the preceding days, and we’d ended up having to go back to the car to change footwear. So just assume it will be boggy and wear suitable shoes from the outset! I think parts of the path have been fixed since that first time but it’s best to err on the side of caution!
There’s space at the side of the road to park, but it is limited so, as always, I would recommend picking a quieter time to do it if possible. The last time we visited was spring last year and we chose a random weekday evening . . . It was perfect as we only encountered two other groups of people the whole time.
That would never happen on Conic Hill!!!