|
 Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park is Scotland ’s first National Park and the area has drawn enthralled visitors since the Victorian age.
This area of outstanding natural beauty lies to the north of both Stirling and Glasgow and marks the boundary of where the Highlands meet the Lowlands . Rich in character with slender shimmering lochs, broad straths, mature forest, sweeping mountains, and a smorgasbord of Highland colours. This is Scotland’s ‘Lake District’, and a similarly inspiring place to that over the border in England .
 Carrick Castle
The Trossachs are the romantic backdrop to the classic outlaw legend Rob Roy MacGregor. This area stretches from the village of Aberfoyle in the south to Killin in the north and from Loch Katrine in the west to Callander in the east. Aberfolye and Callender are the areas main centres, with useful tourist information office and a hub of touristy shops and activity centres. The Rob Roy & Trossachs Visitor Centre is well worth a visit. It has a range of visual audio displays on the life and times of Scottish folk hero Rob Roy, a noble cattle drover and man of integrity who fell victim to the Machiavellian politics of the Jacobean era. It’s a romantic highland tale of revenge and intrigue of adventure and bravery made famous in Walter Scott’s historical novel.
To get a good feel for the region take the Trossachs Trail, a road route around Callander, along Loch Venachar, past the romantically titled Brig o’Turk, to the shores of Loch Katrine, up high through Duke’s Pass, the high and twisting track the Duke of Argyll used to get to his Trossachs hunting grounds, down into Aberfoyle and back to Callender via Port of Menteith and the ethereal Priory at Inchmahome .
Alternatively if you’re feeling adventurous you could hire a bicycle and take National Cycle Route 7 from Callander to Aberfoyle through the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. An excellent ride through densely forested paths and the perfect way to get off road and explore some beautiful countryside at your own pace.
 View of Callender from Crags
Loch Lomond is the largest single inland waterway in Britain and contains 37 islands. Stretching from the outskirts of Glasgow it runs parallel to the West Highland Way, one of the most popular walkways in Scotland running from Glasgow to Fort William. The ‘Bonnie Bonnie Banks o’Loch Lomond’ as the old Jacobean song went, are surrounded by inspiring peaks, the most jaw dropping being Ben Lomond which towers above the rest.
There are a handful of small villages dotted around Loch Lomond, the main one being Balloch, meaning ‘mountain pass’ which is a huge location for watersports and boat trips across the Loch especially in the summer. Fishing, walking and just enjoying the beautiful surroundings are activities that are popular all year round.
|
