Dollar
Dollar is a village in Clackmannanshire in the Central Belt of Scotland. The scenic glen leading up to the castle is the reason to visit.
Dollar has no connection to the unit of currency - that word derives from silver mined in Joachimsthal in Bohemia, hence silver thalers. The village name may mean dolorous or gloomy - the ravine of the glen can certainly be a dark and draughty place in winter. Nearby Stirling likewise has no connection with £ sterling.
Get in
By car: follow A91 which runs between Stirling to the west and Cupar (Fife) to the east. From Edinburgh leave M90 at jcn 6 to join A91, you can't exit at jcn 7.
Bus: Stagecoach Fife Bus 23 runs four times M-Sat from Stirling to Dollar, continuing to Kinross, Cupar and Auchtermuchty to St Andrews.
Get around
Dollar is a very small town and everything is easily within walking distance.
See
- 1 Castle Campbell, Dollar FK14 7PP (Walk up glen or cycle / drive up steep lane), ☏ +44 1259 742408. Apr-Sept daily 09:30-17:30, Oct-Mar Sa-W 10:00-16:00. 15th C Towerhouse originally known as Castle Gloom, but the Campbells of Argyll got an Act of Parliament passed to change the name - now that's power! But it was destroyed by the Royalists in 1654 when the 8th Earl of Argyll supported the Covenanters and Parliamentarians. He was beheaded after the Restoration and his son the 9th Earl abandoned the ruin, instead building Argyll's Lodgings in Stirling. Adult £6, child £3.60, conc £4.80.
- 2 Dollar Museum, Castle Campbell Hall, 1 High Street, FK14 7AY. Easter-Xmas Sa 11:00-13:00, 14:00-16:30, Su 14:00-16:30. Volunteer-run museum, showing the history of the town, Dollar Academy independent school, the Devon Valley Railway and temporary exhibitions. Free.
- You can't fail to go to a place called 3 Yetts of Muckhart. Actually it's just a road junction, but A823 through Glen Devon is one of the most charming glens of Scotland, especially when the gorse and heather are in bloom. You can cycle or walk up the side track to Frandy Farm but cars aren't allowed. Further north, A823 descends steeply down Gleneagles: famous name but not as scenic, and nowhere to pull over.
Do
- Walk up 1 Dollar Glen. The path up the glen is well-maintained, with gangways over the ravine. The autumn colours are gorgeous.
- Alva Highland Games are held in that nearby village on the second Saturday in July. The 2020 event was cancelled so the next is probably Sat 10 July 2021, tbc.
Buy
Eat
- 1 King's Seat, 37 Bridge St, ☏ +44 1259 742274. Daily 12:00-00:00. Restaurant and bar.
- Tulip Indian Restaurant next door is open M-F 16:00-23:00. Takeaways on Bridge St are Mo's Plaice (fish & chips, daily 16:30-21:30) and Lee's (Chinese, W-M 16:30-22:00).
Drink
Sleep
- Just a couple of B&Bs in the village.
- Castle Campbell Hotel, 11 Bridge St, Dollar FK14 7DE. Closed - the place was sold in April 2018, it's not known if the new owners wish to run it as a hotel.
Go next
- Stirling for the Castle, and Bridge of Allan for the Wallace Monument.
- Dunfermline for the Abbey, Andrew Carnegie's Birthplace and Pittencrieff Park; nearby visit the well-preserved old village of Culross.
- Perth for Scone Palace.