Alva Glen is located north to Falkirk and Alloa, at one end of the Ochil Hills range. We already mentioned it in descriptions of our Dollar and Tillicoultry films, and for a good reason. All three glens are sharing similar features - scenic paths along the rocky slopes of valleys, multiple waterfalls, lush forests at lower parts and grass-covered hills at upper parts.
Alva Glen starts with few man-made waterfalls (00:08 and 00:32). They were created when Alva Burn was providing power to mills in the city. There is still pipe system visible in lower part of the trail. Just few meters upstream from the upper dam is located a hidden gem - a waterfall, which is no longer accessible as the viewing platform is in a sorry state (00:48). The only way to see it is either with a drone or with a quick wade through shallow, but freezing cold water. Going further along the trail we can get to the Smuggler's Cave (01:04), rock formation with a waterfall falling down through it. Unfortunately only small part of waterfall is visible and I didn't want to risk my Mini 2 getting into quite narrow rocky shelf to see it in full glory. One day I will need to climb in there 😊. Descent to the cave can be tricky for small children as it involve some scrambling. Most people are coming to Alva Glen to see the cave and then get back to the car park, but actually, going bit further is very rewarding, because after traversing a slightly tricky slope of the next hill you can arrive at the highest of all Alva Glen waterfalls (02:00).
The whole walk to this waterfall and back takes around 2 hours (3 hours if you take lots of pictures). At the beginning of the trail is a free car park, however quite busy when weather is nice. Also, near the first waterfall there are some activities for children.
