What’s the story behind the strange Fife outcrop known as John Knox’s Pulpit?

It’s like stepping into a world imagined by JRR Tolkien, with enchanting pools, tinkling waterfalls and bizarre rock formations.

And it’s here, tucked beneath the Lomond Hills in a deep gorge, that you can find one of Fife’s true hidden gems – John Knox’s Pulpit.

Reaching the strangely-eroded grey sandstone outcrop is fairly easy going, via a 45 minute walk up magical Glen Vale.

I find the starting point by punching in ‘Glen Vale car park’ to Google maps. From here, I march down the quiet country road and turn left on to a wooded path.

The route winds along the banks of the tinkling Glen Burn, through native woodland, and then up on to heather moorland.

The higher you climb, the better the views of West Lomond and Bishop Hill you’re afforded.

A popular path – but peaceful

It’s a popular path, but rugged and remote. I spot only two other people as I walk, but that might be to do with the fact it’s a very chilly -3C and late afternoon on a week day.

After about half an hour, I reach a path that veers off to the left.

A sign warns of potential rock falls, and I’d have hesitated to carry on up this track had I not been assured by a local that it’s “safe enough”.

As I stroll resolutely up this path, I’m treated to my first glimpse of the famous ‘pulpit’.

It’s pretty impressive, despite the fact a huge chunk of it collapsed in 2004.

So what exactly is John Knox’s Pulpit?

Essentially, it’s an exposed piece of eroded sandstone bedrock shaped by the elements into a small covered ‘platform’ resembling a pulpit.

Did John Knox preach from the pulpit?

Legend has it that the famous 16th Century Scottish reformer John Knox – who was the leader of the Protestant Reformation – preached from this very spot.

There’s no proof Knox actually ever did visit, but the curious outcrop was thought to have certainly been used as a location for secret church meetings.

It would have been an even more impressive spot in those days, before the major rock fall.

This resulted in a cave at the foot of the cliff being vastly diminished in size, and the path below was closed for public safety while demolition work was carried out.

It’s perhaps ill-advised to try to reach the cave, but if, like me, you choose to do so, please be extremely careful.

Various paths lead up and around the ‘pulpit’, and, once I’ve pulled on my brave pants, I manage, quite easily, to reach the cave.

What did I see inside the cave?

There’s not a great deal to see here, other than some piles of sheep poo, a few old birds’ nests and some graffiti carved into the rock, but it’s an exhilarating feeling to actually stand here.

I can well imagine Knox, who was said to be physically “small in stature”, feeling like the big man – if and when he preached from this airy vantage point.

The spot looks down on a sort of natural amphitheatre, an ideal meeting spot for Presbyterian Covenanters who held covert church services here in the late 17th Century.

Keep your eyes peeled for thin layers in the rock face called ‘pin stripes’ which are characteristic of sand deposited by wind in an arid environment.

The non-geologists among us (me included) might well wonder why these stripes exist.

It’s apparently down to the fact that the outcrop of sandstone was laid down as desert sand dunes in the late-Devonian period – 410 to 353 million years ago – when this part of the Earth lay close to the Equator.

Take the time to explore the waterfalls

From the pulpit, it’s another 10 minutes or so to reach Glen Vale waterfalls.

This is an absolutely glorious spot, perfect for a picnic, or perhaps for a refreshing dip in the plunge pool beneath the falls in warmer weather.

From here, you can carry on uphill to climb West Lomond, but with the weak winter sun on the verge of setting, I decide to leave that adventure for another day.

It’s an area rich in geology and folklore, and if you’re keen to check out other bizarre-looking rock formations, you’re not too far from The Devil’s Burdens and Carlin Maggie.

Area steeped in myth and legend

You can find The Devil’s Burdens, a scattering of large boulders strewn across the hillside, by carrying on towards the summit of West Lomond and taking a detour on faint trails.

Legend has it that a local witch, Carlin Maggie, made the grave mistake of shrieking at and taunting Satan when he passed with a great load of rocks on his back.

Infuriated, he threw a lightning bolt at Carlin and turned her into a 10m pillar of stone. This sits on the lower slopes of Bishop Hill just over the glen.

It’s said that she must remain there “until wind and weather” set her free.

I’m happy to chill for a while at the base of Glen Vale waterfalls, although when I say ‘chill’, I mean it quite literally. It’s perishing!

A bewitching walk

I cross the burn and mosey on down the path at the other side of the glen as the light is fading, pausing to check out distant patches of snow high on the hills and some surviving purple heather flowers.

Back down in the shelter of the woods, a skein of geese fly overhead, the distinctive honking echoing out across the glen.

The tarmac road leading back to the car park is lined with beech trees and moss-covered dry stane dykes.

It really is one of the most bewitching walks I’ve done in a while and I highly recommend it.

• This is a rugged landscape where weather conditions can change quickly so go armed with appropriate clothing, footwear and food. And be very careful if you do decide to climb up to the cave at John Knox’s Pulpit!