Folklore & legend

The Corrie of the Urisks

Coire nan Uruisgean (Goblin's Cave), Ben Venue

Traditional; recorded by the 1800s

The corrie is known under several names, including the Cove of the Goblin and the Den of the Wild Men, and its exact position is disputed. Older writers said urisks could be won over by kindness to do farm work. William Stirling connected their origin with the fairies of Menteith, granted the north shoulder of Ben Venue, and another theory made them the remnants of druids driven into the wilds and dressed in skins.

Scott's poem gave the place wide fame in the 19th century, and it is hard to separate the older belief from the literary tourism that followed. The marker on the map is for Ben Venue, since the cave's precise location is uncertain.

Evidence
Long-standing local tradition
Access
Public footpath only
Location
56.225, -4.462 (Parish-level only, treat as an area)

Sources: The Faery Folklorist, "Corrie of the Urisks, Trossachs" [other]; Strathard Heritage, "Stories of The Trossachs" by Louis Stott [other]

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