The Carbeth Hut Community

Discover a working class Utopian dream near the West Highland Way.

Distance 3 miles (4.8km)

Minimum time 2hrs 30min

Ascent/gradient 98ft (30m)

Level of difficulty Easy

Paths Roads, access tracks and footpaths, 1 stile

Landscape Hills, woodland and lochs

Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer 348 Campsie Fells

Start/finish NX 524791

Dog friendliness Suitable for dogs

Parking Carbeth Inn, check beforehand with landlord

Public toilets None on route

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Description

Situated approximately half-way between Glasgow and Drymen on the A809, an old turnpike road, you'll find an ancient inn. At one time called the Halfway House and now the Carbeth Inn it has served the needs of travellers for well over 200 years. Sir Walter Scott had the character of Baillie Nicol Jarvie in his 1817 novel Rob Roy describe it as a 'most miserable alehouse'. Things have obviously improved since then and for years it has provided a warm welcome to climbers, bikers, walkers and the nearby community of Carbeth hutters.

Directions

1 From the car park at the Carbeth Inn turn right on to the A809. After ¼ mile (400m) take the first turning right on to the B821. Continue on this road for a mile (1.6km) passing a collection of huts on the left and ignoring a public footpath sign to the right.

2 Turn right at the signpost for the West Highland Way. There's also a Scottish Rights of Way Society signpost beside this pointing to the Khyber Pass Road to Mugdock Country Park. This was the favoured route of the early walkers heading out of Glasgow to the Campsie Fells and beyond.

3 Go through a gate and continue along a well-surfaced access road. Ignoring the Kyber Pass turn-off, keep right and go over a stile to follow the West Highland Way along the access road to more huts. After passing some huts on the right and another hut on the left look out for a partially concealed public path signpost on the right beside a West Highland Way marker post.

4 Turn right here on to a narrow but well-surfaced footpath and continue along it, passing Carbeth Loch on the right-hand side, to reach the junction with the drive leading to Carbeth House. This is a private house and is not open to the public. Turn left, pass a house on the right then take the next turning on the left.

5 Continue along this lane ignoring a public right of way sign pointing right, then head uphill to reach another grouping of the Carbeth huts. At the first hut, a green one, the road forks with a narrow path branching to the right. Ignore this and take the wider road which passes to the left of the hut.

6 Keep on this road as it passes through the main part of the Carbeth huts, an extraordinary assortment of small dwellings, shanties and shacks. Ignore all of the smaller tracks branching off this road. They allow access to individual huts or other parts of the settlement.

7 Eventually pass a much larger hut on the right, then a smaller green one with a fenced garden on the left, and follow the road as it curves to the left. Continue downhill on this to reach the T-junction with the A809 beside the Carbeth Inn. Turn right and return to the car park.

Useful information

While you're there

A visit to Mugdock Country Park is a great day out for families. A mere 3 miles (4.8km) from Carbeth it can be accessed by car or as an additional 6-mile (9.7km) round walking trip. In the visitor centre an audio visual theatre shows a selection of nature videos throughout the day at weekends. There are ranger-led activities, walking and orienteering trails and horse riding can be arranged at a local stable.

Where to eat and drink

Besides being the only option within any distance the Carbeth Inn is the finest hostelry in this part of Scotland. Retaining its old world ambience, it continues to offer an amazingly varied menu which contains everything from home-made soup, toasties and filled rolls to Scottish favourites like haggis, neeps and tatties and an all day breakfast which would keep a walker satisfied for many miles. Walkers are very welcome along with children and dogs.

What to look for

If you have the time, and the inclination, look out for a road branching to the left after the first few huts in Point 5. Having an OS map will help here. This is the road that leads uphill, through a further group of huts, to give access to the top of Carbeth Hill. From this vantage point you will have a grand overview of the entire area and the extent of the hutters encampment.

Background to the walk

The Carbeth hut community started after World War One, when the owner of the Carbeth Estate let three ex-servicemen found a holiday fellowship camp on his land. At first the visitors lived under canvas but during the depression years unemployed Glaswegians, seeking an escape into the countryside, started to erect more permanent dwellings. These ingenious and often ramshackle affairs were constructed from any materials that were available free of charge or cheap. Conditions were spartan but met the needs of the people and were probably as good as they had at home. During the summers the area round the Carbeth Inn was alive with activity as whole families decamped to the countryside for their holidays.

The land was leased from estate owner, Barnes-Graham, at a peppercorn rent because of his desire to help people escape from what he saw as a squalid and depressing life in the crowded city. They became a tight-knit community with organised games and activities, they even built their own open-air swimming pool, complete with lifebelts and diving boards. To get to Carbeth the hutters took the train to Milngavie and then took to a path which became known as the Khyber Pass. Coming from the Clydebank area the hutters just hoofed it over the Kilpatrick Hills.

Today the swimming pool, simply a dammed stream, is silted up. Fashions and lifestyles have changed but Carbeth still has around 200 huts and an active community. However it is doubtful if it can be maintained for much longer. A massive increase in the rents led to a rent strike by many of the hutters and court action was initiated to evict them. Against a background of recriminations and accusations, not to mention unsolved arson attacks on huts belonging to members of their association, the Carbeth community are determined to preserve their unique foothold in the countryside. They are vigorously campaigning for public support and petitioning the Scottish Parliament in the hope that legislation can be passed to preserve this unique piece of Scottish social history and heritage.

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