LOCH LOMOND AND THE TROSSACHS

Lochs tussle with mountains for space, and high roads and low roads meet on the stomping ground of a Scottish hero.

Situated in central Scotland, Loch Lomond and the wooded and mountainous area known as the Trossachs will constitute the first of the nation’s new national parks. Stretching from the banks of Loch Lomond in the west to the town of Callander in the east, the park will encompass several other smaller lochs, the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and a string of hills and mountains.

Perhaps most famous for the immortal song inspired by Lomond’s ‘bonnie banks’, the area also profoundly influenced the novelist Walter Scott. The antics of the Trossachs’ favourite son, 18th century outlaw Rob Roy, had a particular fascination for the Lowland writer. A cherished stretch of the West Highland Way, the long-distance walk from Milngavie north to Fort William, passes through the area.

Scotland’s national parks It is ironic that Scotland has been so late in embracing the national park movement – it was only in 1997 that the government decided to designate areas – for it was a Scotsman, John Muir, who through his oratory and article writing in America at the end of the 19th century, laid the foundations for the first such environmental movements.

The countryside of Scotland is, of course, an obvious candidate for protected status and many areas are already under the eye of organisations such as the National Trust for Scotland, or are designated national forests. National parks, however, are to give specific areas even more control over their conservation.

Loch and forest It is the blend of lochs, forests, hills and mountains, all at the meeting point of the Highlands and Lowlands, that gives the region its individual quality. The banks of Loch Lomond are shrouded in oak trees which in spring are lit up by sheets of wild hyacinths. The Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, home to Loch Ard forest, Achray forest and Strathyre forest, is also notable for its old oak woodlands which contrast with the modern conifer plantations. Flitting between the lochs and the woods are great crested grebes, great spotted woodpeckers, oystercatchers, ospreys and peregrines. On the ground, chief inhabitants of the hills are the roaming roe deer and red deer.

Cycling Winding through woods and along the banks of lochs, with Munros – peaks over 3,000 feet – forming an impressive backdrop, there are hundreds of kilometres of cycle tracks in the Trossachs. For families, there are plenty of gentle byroads and side tracks in the south, while mountain bikers can take on the challenges of the hilly north.

Loch Katrine, where Walter Scott set his 1810 novel Lady of the Lake, is an engaging setting. After cycling north along the banks of the loch to Stronachlachar, cyclists can return on the S.S. Sir Walter Scott, Scotland’s only passenger steamer still in service. Another option is the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, which covers 20,000 hectares and offers 250km of tracks. At the centre of the park is its visitor centre which has audiovisual presentations, displays, exhibitions and resident craftsmen.

Angling and water sports Through the combination of the River Endrick feeding in at the southern end, and the colder inlets further north, Loch Lomond has cultivated a healthy variety of fish species. It is notable for its pike and coarse fishing, whilst its tributary, the Endrick, offers roach, dace and bream. For game fishing, Lochs Ard, Lubnaig and Katrine are marked spots for brown trout, while the Teith, which flows through Callander, is good for river angling.

With so many surrounding lochs, water sports are naturally another option in the Trossachs, with boating, water skiing and sailing all available. The partnership of lochs with rivers also means that canoeing at various levels of difficulty is possible. For relaxed outings the lochs are ideal, as is the Teith. More adventurous canoeists can find a challenge west of Crianlarich in the slightly faster Lower Orchy, or in the whitewaters of the Middle Orchy.

Exploring Trossachs history The Trossachs are forever associated with Rob Roy MacGregor (1671–1734), the notorious Scottish daredevil and cattle outlaw. Sir Walter Scott’s novel, Rob Roy, written in 1817, gave weight to the national admiration for the adventurer, which is carried on today through the Rob Roy and Trossachs Visitor Centre in Callander. It provides an introduction to the history and folklore of the area as well as a chance to learn more about Scott’s hero.

Callander is also the ideal starting point from which to explore the rest of Rob Roy’s domain. He was raised to the west of the town, while to the north, in the village of Balquhidder on the banks of Loch Voil, is his simple grave. A network of paths, which span the triangular area between Callander, Balquhidder and Aberfoyle, makes the countryside accessible to visitors.

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