Finnich Glen (Devil's Pulpit)

23rd April 2014
Map directions bottom of page.


Glen Finnich is said to have been the meeting place for druids 2,000 years ago, it remains almost completely hidden from the road nearby.

Finnich Glen is a 100ft gorge, the water runs a blood-like red thanks to the red sandstone it flows over called The Carnock Burn, and features steep walls and dramatic overhangs.
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Before the name Finnich Glen came into use, the gorge had been known by the name Ashdow, perhaps for the Gaelic "uisge dubh" – [ɯʃɡʲɘ du] – "black water"; modern large-scale OS mapping gives Ashdhu as an alternative name for Finnich Glen..
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Nowadays, people often refer to the glen itself as the Devil's Pulpit. However, that name, in its original usage, did not refer to the glen, but to a feature within it: more specifically, it was the name of a particular rock:

"Deil's Pulpit: this name is applied to a rock, situated in a very deep chasm on Carnock Burn. The origin of the name is not known. The rock cannot be seen unless when the waters of the stream are very low"
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Devil's Pulpit is the small mushroom looking rock centre of the picture

For those who know the glen itself as the Devil's Pulpit, it would be natural to think that the name was inspired by one of the prominent rocky overhangs. However, the original "pulpit" is a rock located in the Carnock Burn itself.

Neither the OS Name Book nor the maps themselves are very specific about where the pulpit is.
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Jacob's Ladder takes you down to the glen
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The glen can be reached by means of a flight of steps which has been nicknamed Jacob's Ladder or, by association with the rock, the Devil's Staircase. That flight of steps was made between 150 and 200 years ago at the behest of Mr Blackburn, the then proprietor of the Killearn estate.
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The Glen has featured in the 2011 movie "The Eagle" and the TV series Outlander having scenes filmed there.
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My Pictures of the Glen can be viewed here along with walking map..