The
Ochil Hills (; - from a Celtic word root, compare
Old Welsh uchel meaning 'high') is a range of hills in
Scotland north of the
Forth valley bordered by the towns of
Stirling,
Alloa,
Kinross,
Auchterarder and
Perth. The only major roads crossing the hills pass through Glen Devon/
Glen Eagles and
Glenfarg, the latter now largely replaced except for local traffic by the
M90 Edinburgh-Perth motorway cutting through the eastern foothills. The hills are part of a
Devonian lava extrusion whose appearance today is largely due to the
Ochil Fault which results in the southern face of the hills forming an
escarpment. The plateau is undulating with no prominent peak, the highest point being
Ben Cleuch at 721 m The south-flowing burns have cut deep
ravines including
Dollar Glen,
Silver Glen and Alva Glen, often only passable with the aid of wooden walkways.