Home Report Menstrie

Menstrie is a small village of roughly 2800 residents in the Clackmannanshire council area of Scotland. It is one of the Hillfoot villages – Blairlogie, Alva, Tillicoultry, Devonside, Coalsnaughton, Dollar and Muckhart – situated at the western end of the Ochil Hills. It is roughly three miles northwest of Alloa and five miles east of Stirling. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the village specialised in woollens and specifically blankets. Today, the local industry is dominated by the yeast plant (Kerry Bio-Science) and Diageo’s distilling plant which provides work to many of the residents.

Many of the residents also commute however to nearby towns such as Stirling, Alloa, Alva, Bridge of Allan, Tullibody and Tillicoultry. They do this predominantly by road; the main A91 trunk road bisects the village and offers easy travel to the east and west of the village. Unfortunately, there’s no railway station in the town so residents travel to nearby Alloa, Stirling, or Bridge of Allan for train travel. However, there are regular bus services for residents travelling to the other Hillfoot settlements, Stirling and other nearby settlements. Bus services also run to Clackmannan and to Forth Valley Royal Hospital near Falkirk via Alloa.

In terms of amenities, the village centre offers the usual services, shops and eateries you’d find in a village of this size. Though, residents of Menstrie benefit greatly from proximity to Stirling and Bridge of Allan for lots more range and choice. Having said that, Menstrie is not without interest of its own. The 16th-century Menstrie Castle can be found in the village and was the birthplace of Sir William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling, who founded Nova Scotia in Canada. Additionally, the Glenochil Distillery founded in 1760 is here, and by the 1880s the distillery was one of the most productive in Scotland. However, the production of whisky stopped in 1929, but the distillery remains an important research institute for yeast production. The Ochil Hills, on the doorstep of the village, offer fantastic scenery as well as opportunities for hillwalking, nature spotting, and other recreational activities. Menstrie is part of The Hillfoots Way walking route which follows the old King’s Highway. The route goes from Logie Old Kirk in the west to Muckhart in the east, along the foot of the Ochils. A popular and well-attended village gala week is held annually early June with a gala itself held on the main park next to the Dumyat Centre on the Saturday.

In terms of local schooling, children in Menstrie are served by Menstrie Primary School. When reaching secondary age, pupils attend Alva Academy which provides secondary education to all the Hillfoot towns and villages.