The Devil’s Pulpit

The large circular (from above) rock in the image below is known as the Devil’s Pulpit. It sits at the bottom of Finnich Glen, a narrow gorge with 15 - 20 meter high walls.

It’s definitely not the easiest place to find - I marked the location on GPS and drove as close as roads would take us, then we walked through a farmer’s field and through a wooded area before finally finding the stream that runs out of the glen. We crossed the stream and climbed up the other bank, went over a couple more fences, until we finally got to the steps leading down, (see image below).

We actually might not have found it at all if it wasn't for a couple of locals we ran into who had just came out of the glen. They were walking through the woods in wetsuits (a surreal sight), as you have to wade through about a half meter of water to reach the pulpit, and they had traveled from further down stream, (back where we had crossed), and I am assuming had to go through much deeper water.

Yes, those steps going down to Finnich Glen are as steep (and muddy) as they look -  if you look close, you can see ropes tied to the (dead) trees, as it gets even more vertical at that point.

Setting up a shot. (Photo credit: Shannon Blanke) 

There is a lot of myth surrounding this place - i read on one website that the devil himself would give sermons from the top of the pulpit -  though my guess is that the rock got it’s name from the blood-red water. In any event, it was quite a spectacular place.