End of year Drumbrae update
The University of Edinburgh purchased 430 hectares of land at Drumbrae, which includes part of Dumyat and Sheriffmuir. Drumbrae is on the western edge of the Ochil hills, near Bridge of Allan in Stirling. This is their end of year update from Julie Wilson the Community Ranger…..
Tree planting at Drumbrae
As Christmas approaches, it is a good time to reflect. It has been a busy year at Drumbrae, with over half a million trees planted, signage and interpretation panels installed, and lots of people giving up their time to volunteer. From planting trees, to maintaining the Dumyat path, planting wildflowers, helping with archeological digs, and surveying the meadow area, volunteers have given a fantastic 890 hours to help at Drumbrae. You can see some of our recent highlights in a news article on our website: Community Round Up | Sustainability | Social Responsibility and Sustainability
New interpretation panel
Annual Meeting and Community Survey
In November, we held our second annual community meeting in Bridge of Allan. It was great to share what we have been doing and what to expect in the coming year. If you weren't able to make it along then you can view the presentation via this link: Drumbrae Community Meeting 2025.pdf
At the meeting we launched a community survey for people who live in the local area or visit Drumbrae. We would like your views on how Drumbrae is changing and being managed by the University of Edinburgh. We also wish to understand how to improve community involvement with the land and the best ways of informing people about events, activities, and management on the site.
The online survey will be open until Monday 12 January 2026 and should take about 5 minutes to complete. We would really appreciate your feedback and views. You can access the survey here: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/edinburgh/drumbrae-annual-community-check-in
Cocksburn Woods
Our planning application for the Outdoor Learning Facility at Cocksburn Wood has been submitted to Stirling Council. You can find out more on our website and also view the draft plans for the area. edin.ac/drumbrae
Looking forward
Over the winter months, our tree planters will be back out at Drumbrae replanting any trees that died. Our volunteering events will be back in early spring, and we hope to have a varied programme of volunteering and outdoor learning with schools in the area.
I hope you all have a great Christmas when it comes.
Festive wishes,
Julie
Image of proposed building on site
