History of the Vale of Leven Page 1 The Vale of Leven lies in
West Dunbartonshire about 20 miles north west of Glasgow between
Loch Lomond and the River Clyde, lying on a predominantly north-
south axis. It takes its name from the River Leven, Scotland's
second fastest-flowing river (after the River Spey), which flows
from Loch Lomond to enter the River Clyde at Dumbarton, just at
the foot of Dumbarton Rock. The valley is about 5 miles in
length, but because of the twists and turns of the river, it is
about seven and a half miles long. The image at the top of the
page shows the Vale with the river Leven snaking its way to the
Clyde at Dumbarton. The hills on the west side of the valley
rise to about 900 feet and are considered to be the tail end of
the Grampians. On the east side the hills are lower and are the
western end of the Kilpatrick hills. While it's a cliché to say
that all history is a product of geography, like most clichés it
has a strong element of truth, particularly so in the case of
the Vale. G