Tragic discovery of body at rural Stirling beauty spot amid safety fears

Daily Record

23-05-2025

The Finnich Glen area has been the subject of rescue attempts in recent years - with the latest incident taking place on Wednesday.
Tragedy struck at a rural Stirling beauty spot this week after a man died in the water at Finnich Glen near Killearn.
The Devil's Pulpit, made famous by the TV show Outlander, has become a popular tourist attraction for walkers and nature lovers.
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But safety concerns have been raised at the site, with multiple rescues carried out by emergency services and mountain rescue teams in recent years.
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The latest incident saw police and other teams called out to the area at around 1.30pm on Wednesday afternoon.
Surrounding roads – including the A809 from Croftamie to Finnich Toll and the B834 at the junction to the A81 – were closed to allow emergency services' access to the area, with locals also reporting on community pages that an air ambulance had been spotted in the area.
It was sadly announced on Wednesday evening that the body of a man had been recovered from the water at the Devil's Pulpit.
A Police Scotland statement added that the man was pronounced dead at the scene and that there were 'no suspicious circumstances' arising from the death.
They said: 'Around 1.30pm on Wednesday, May 21, we received a report of a concern for a person at Finnich Glen, Stirlingshire.
'Emergency services, including Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and a mountain rescue team, attended and the body of a man was recovered from the water at Devil's Pulpit.'
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A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
Finnich Glen was most recently involved in a rescue attempt in January this year when a dog, Margo, plunged down the 100 foot drop at the gorge - sparking a major mission.
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The dog was hauled to safety courtesy of the efforts of Lomond Mountain Rescue Team and emergency services who employed a winch system.
In 2022, a walker messaged his family 'to say goodbye' after slipping down a steep gorge and into freezing water at the beauty spot.
Dan Crank, a farmer from the Preston area of England, admits he 'would have died' if it wasn't for emergency services and mountain rescue volunteers saving him.
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Dan stopped to take a picture when he slipped and fell into the icy Finnich Glen water.
Before then, the Devil's Pulpit had come under scrutiny for safety after Lomond MRT were called out to the area four times in the space of three weeks in 2021.
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One incident required a technical rescue of two men who were stuck in the gorge who couldn't move forward nor retrace their steps due to the slippiness of the rock and depth of the many pools in the gorge.
A rescuer had to be lowered down on ropes to the two casualties and then hoisted each back up to the cliff top.
The two men dressed in t-shirts, shorts and trainers were effectively 'canyoning' and were missing the wet suit and flotation device that those who pursue such activities routinely wear.
Visitors to the beauty spot were also criticised last summer after piles of rubbish and drug paraphernalia were discovered in the scenic waters.
The litter had been dropped from the top of the bridge overlooking the gorge - with a local tour guide labelling the behaviour as 'selfish'.