Lochearnhead
Encyclopedia
Lochearnhead is a village on the A84
Stirling
to Crianlarich
road at the foot of Glen Ogle
, 14 miles (23 km) north of the Highland Boundary Fault
. It is situated at the western end of Loch Earn
where the A85 road
from Crieff
meets the A84.
Loch Earn is 317 ft above sea level, with the settlement running from its shores up to higher ground on the hills at the mouth of Glen Ogle. Lochearnhead lies within the Breadalbane
area of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
.
arrowheads found in Glen Ogle
by former local policeman Tom Gibbon, and his son Donald. (http://www.archaeolink.co.uk/Mesolithic-Age.html). A settled population is in evidence in the Neolithic
period, from a burial chamber at Edinchip, and from the cup-marked stones which lie between the Kendrum Burn and the Craggan Road, in what is known locally as the Druid Field. There is another site with cup and ring marks at the head of Glen Ogle.
There are two crannogs still visible on Loch Earn
, one at the west end of the loch in Carstran Bay, below Edinample Castle, the other at the east end of the loch, at St Fillans, known as Neish Island. (Other submerged possible crannog sites also exist, and recent surveys by the Scottish Crannog Centre and others suggest the known number may increase if the archaeology is enabled to go ahead). These man-made islands probably date from the Bronze Age
, although Neish Island was inhabited (latterly by the Clan Neish, for whom it is now named) until 1612.http://www.clanmacinnes.org/septs/macneishes.html
, the kingdom of the incoming Scots from Ireland, Dundurn at the east end of the loch being a Pictish frontier fort. This lends weight to the argument that the name Earn therefore comes from Eireann, in other words “the loch of the Irish”.
The siege, by the Scots, of the Pictish Fort of Dundurn in 683 AD is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster
. Giric, (sometimes called Grig), King of Picts and Scots, is said to have been killed at Dundurn in 889, and is buried in Iona
.
in the first half of the 12th Century. Feudalism
proved the backdrop for local history for several centuries, not least in land ownership patterns. The ownership map of the land around Loch Earn changed as land owning families came and went, and the shape of estates fluctuated, partly through the politics of inheritance. Three family names associated with Lochearnhead are McLaren, Stewart and McGregor. The first of these is recorded in 1296, when Lauren of Ardveich had his name entered into the Ragman Roll. The McLaren burial ground at Leckine was last used in 1993.
By the time the Stewarts came to Ardvorlich in 1582, the Reformed church, under the guidance of John Knox
, had been adopted in Scotland for more than two decades.
It was nearly two centuries later that the MacGregors acquired Edinchip, in 1778, building the current Edinchip House in 1830.
of the Stirlingshire area, rather than Standard English.
By 1837, the New Statistical Account tells us that in the area, “Gaelic is the language generally spoken, but it has been rather losing ground within the last forty years”. At the time of the 1881 Census, when a question about Gaelic was included for the first time, there were still more than 70% in the parish with Gaelic as their first language, and even some with Gaelic as their only language.
Regular church services were held locally in Gaelic up until 1930, Today the generation which remembers native Gaelic being spoken is fast dying out, and any Gaelic speakers are likely to be either learners or incomers from Gaelic-speaking heartlands. To this day, though, "Church Gaelic" is based on the Perthshire Gaelic dialect. The first Gaelic Bible was translated by Balquhidder minister Robert Kirk.
, inhabits Loch Earn, having been chased, in some variants of the legend, out of Loch Tay and across the hills by Fingal. This creature would entice people to ride on its back, but the rider’s hands would stick to the creature’s neck, and the unfortunate soul would be dragged under water by the Each Uisge to drown.
The unpredictable currents in Loch Earn
may have given a ring of truth to this legend.
, sìth or siodhe refers to earthen mounds that were thought to be home to the fairy folk.) In less cynical times, people attuned to the supernatural were said to report green light emanating from it, or to hear the strains of fairy music coming from within. (See: Fairy Knolls in Scotland)
has several legends attached to it. The best-known is that 'Black' Duncan Campbell, a man known for his fury and his ornery nature, had asked the architect to build the castle with a parapet, but on discovering that there was not one threw the hapless architect off the roof to his death. His ghost is said to haunt the castle, wandering around the roof where the parapet should have been.
The building and its inhabitants are also said to be cursed. Depending on which version is told, this curse is either a result of a witch’s malediction, or because gravestones were used as building materials.
Yet another legend has it that the 6th Century holy man, Saint Blane
, cursed the lands and the previous building said to have stood on the spot.
It was the custom to provide hospitality to anyone who asked for food and shelter. If the guest was not a friend, they were still put up, but instead of a cooked meal were given cold meat (this is where the phrase “given the cold shoulder” comes from). In accordance with this custom, Lady Margaret Stewart at Ardvorlich, pregnant at the time, gave hospitality to some travelling MacGregors. However, they had just come from murdering her brother, John Drummond of Drummonderinoch
, and while she was out of the room placed his severed head on a silver platter, and placed in his mouth some of the cold victuals she had served them. She was so distraught that she ran out to the hills and gave birth to James Stewart, later known as Mad Major. The lochan she gave birth by is known as Lochan na Mna, the Loch of the Woman, on the side of Beinn Domhnuill. Major Jamie Stewart is one of the great historical characters of the Covenanting Wars and is the hero of Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Legend of Montrose", in which he changed James Stewart's name to Allan Macauley. This name is actually engraved on the foot of Major Stewart's gravestone in the Stewarts of Ardvorlich old kirk of Dundurn just outside the village of St Fillans on the shores of Loch Earn.
, and the more prosperous farms associated with the estates. The first part of the old Lochearnhead Hotel was built in 1746, taking advantage of the improving communications. Before that, the area had been served by the much smaller and more primitive Lochearnhead Old Inn, which stood opposite where the village shop is now, and whose ruins were still in evidence until they were demolished in the 1980s, due to their dangerous condition.
The military road was built in the aftermath of the Jacobite Rebellions, and its coming, along with the hotel, gave focus to the village centre, until then little more than a few houses at the junction between the old roads that ran along the routes of the current A84 and A85. One of the original drove routes south ran down Glen Ogle and along the northern side of Loch Earn
to Crieff
. When the market was switched to Falkirk
in around 1700, the main route ran south from Lochearnhead. (See: The Highland Drovers)
A minute of the Scottish Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, dated 3 April 1714, sets aside monies for the founding of a school at Lochearnhead. This is the old school, now a dwelling, which stands on the roadside by what was known as the Loanie, a track running beside the old Raven’s Croft. The Loanie was blocked off when the houses comprising what is now Ravenscroft Road were built in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
In 1750, work began on the military road from Stirling to Fort William. This ran by Callander, Lochearnhead and Tyndrum and when it was completed, the village rose in prominence. A Post Office was opened in 1800.
According to the Minute Book of the Deacons Court of the Free Church, between the founding of the Free Church of Scotland, as a result of the Disruption of 1843
, and the starting of the minute book in 1846, Lochearnhead had a Free Church, a Church School and a Manse. The church passed back to the Church of Scotland after the reunion of 1929, and fell out of use in the 1970s. It is now a dwelling house. The Manse is now the Mansewood Country House Hotel. The school referred to is the current school, situated on School Lane, behind the village hall.
It was the coming of the railways that had the greatest effect on the village. In 1870, the Callander and Oban Railway
, was completed and in 1904 the railway was extended along Loch Earn to St. Fillans and Crieff
, making Lochearnhead an easy place to visit (while the railway junction was actually at Balquhidder
, 3 km to the south, until the opening of Lochearnhead station on the new line, Balquhidder station was called Lochearnhead). With the rise in Scottish tourism in Victorian times, the town became a popular destination from which tourists could enjoy the tranquility of Loch Earn
. A number of small hotels were built around 1900. A motor vessel, the Queen of Loch Earn, plied the loch from 1922 until 1936, after which she was moored at St Fillans and used as a houseboat. The railways were short-lived and with the rise of motor transport, the St Fillans rail line closed in 1951. Although Beeching cuts
included for the closure of the main line in 1965, it was actually closed because of landslides in Glen Ogle
shortly before the planned closure date. The rockfall can still be seen above and below the railway line. (See: The Scotsman article on the railway line)
August 2004 saw more landslides, this time across the glen from railway line. The road was engulfed in mud, after unusually heavy and prolonged rain, trapping several motorists, and bringing the attention of the national and international media as the world debated climate change
and "wild weather".(See: Glen Ogle mudslide)
is particularly known for its water skiing
and championships are held there. The old Lochearnhead Hotel, which was situated opposite the village green at the junction of the A84 and A85, was burned down in the early hours of November 5, 1982. The Cameron family then bought and renamed the Craigroystan hotel, which overlooks the loch. This new Lochearnhead Hotel has since changed ownership.
(1866–1946), and Mary Findlater
(1865–1963), were daughters of the Free Kirk Manse, and grew up in what is now the Mansewood Hotel. They wrote novels and short stories separately and together, and were very popular in their day. Jane’s novels include “The Green Graves of Balgowrie” (1896), and her collections of short stories include “Seven Scots Stories” (1912). Mary wrote six novels, including "The Rose of Joy" (1903). Her short story “Void of Understanding” was broadcast as a BBC Radio Scotland production in the early 1990s. Both had stories included in the 1987 Polygon anthology “The Other Voice: Scottish women’s writing since 1808” (M Burgess, ed).
Neither sister married, and they lived together until Jane died in 1946. (See: The Findlater Sisters)
s on Loch Earn side, Ben Vorlich
and Stuc a’Chroin. For more family-friendly walks, there is the Glen Ogle
trail and Glen Ample.
Glen Ogle Trail
. You then need to return on the same path, or arrange transport from Ardchullerie. There are 2 burns which need careful crossing after heavy rain. The walk is 14 km, taking about 4½ hours.
(OS Map Landranger 51 and 57 / Explorer 365 and 368, Grid ref: NN 602225).
A84 road
The A84 is a major road in Scotland, United Kingdom. It links the city of Stirling with Lochearnhead, running an approximate .-Road safety:The A84 between M9 Junction 10 and Lochearnhead has a poor road safety record, according to EuroRAP...
Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
to Crianlarich
Crianlarich
Crianlarich is a village in the Stirling district and registration county of Perthshire, Scotland, about six miles north-east of the head of Loch Lomond...
road at the foot of Glen Ogle
Glen Ogle
Glen Ogle extends 7 miles north westwards from Lochearnhead to Lix Toll, where it opens into Glen Dochart....
, 14 miles (23 km) north of the Highland Boundary Fault
Highland Boundary Fault
The Highland Boundary Fault is a geological fault that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east...
. It is situated at the western end of Loch Earn
Loch Earn
Loch Earn is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling...
where the A85 road
A85 road
The A85 is a major road in Scotland. It runs east from Oban along the south bank of Loch Etive, through Lochawe and Tyndrum, Crianlarich, Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Crieff before passing through Perth, where it crosses the River Tay via Perth Bridge. Its name between the latter two locations is...
from Crieff
Crieff
Crieff is a market town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich and also lies on the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins onto the A823 which leads to Dunfermline....
meets the A84.
Loch Earn is 317 ft above sea level, with the settlement running from its shores up to higher ground on the hills at the mouth of Glen Ogle. Lochearnhead lies within the Breadalbane
Breadalbane, Scotland
Breadalbane —from Scottish Gaelic Bràghad Albainn, "the upper part of Alba"—is a region of the southern/central Scottish Highlands in Atholl. The Breadalbane hydro-electric power scheme lies within the region.Clan Campbell has a Breadalbane branch...
area of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond, and includes several ranges of hills, the Trossachs being the most famous...
.
Early history
The first evidence of people in Lochearnhead comes from MesolithicMesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
arrowheads found in Glen Ogle
Glen Ogle
Glen Ogle extends 7 miles north westwards from Lochearnhead to Lix Toll, where it opens into Glen Dochart....
by former local policeman Tom Gibbon, and his son Donald. (http://www.archaeolink.co.uk/Mesolithic-Age.html). A settled population is in evidence in the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period, from a burial chamber at Edinchip, and from the cup-marked stones which lie between the Kendrum Burn and the Craggan Road, in what is known locally as the Druid Field. There is another site with cup and ring marks at the head of Glen Ogle.
There are two crannogs still visible on Loch Earn
Loch Earn
Loch Earn is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling...
, one at the west end of the loch in Carstran Bay, below Edinample Castle, the other at the east end of the loch, at St Fillans, known as Neish Island. (Other submerged possible crannog sites also exist, and recent surveys by the Scottish Crannog Centre and others suggest the known number may increase if the archaeology is enabled to go ahead). These man-made islands probably date from the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, although Neish Island was inhabited (latterly by the Clan Neish, for whom it is now named) until 1612.http://www.clanmacinnes.org/septs/macneishes.html
The Pictish frontier
Loch Earn was on the frontier between Pictland and Dalriada, or Dál RiataDál Riata
Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland...
, the kingdom of the incoming Scots from Ireland, Dundurn at the east end of the loch being a Pictish frontier fort. This lends weight to the argument that the name Earn therefore comes from Eireann, in other words “the loch of the Irish”.
The siege, by the Scots, of the Pictish Fort of Dundurn in 683 AD is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
. Giric, (sometimes called Grig), King of Picts and Scots, is said to have been killed at Dundurn in 889, and is buried in Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
.
Feudal estates
Although Norman nobles had been obtaining land in Scotland for a century beforehand, the coming of the feudal era is attributed to David I of ScotlandDavid I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
in the first half of the 12th Century. Feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
proved the backdrop for local history for several centuries, not least in land ownership patterns. The ownership map of the land around Loch Earn changed as land owning families came and went, and the shape of estates fluctuated, partly through the politics of inheritance. Three family names associated with Lochearnhead are McLaren, Stewart and McGregor. The first of these is recorded in 1296, when Lauren of Ardveich had his name entered into the Ragman Roll. The McLaren burial ground at Leckine was last used in 1993.
By the time the Stewarts came to Ardvorlich in 1582, the Reformed church, under the guidance of John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
, had been adopted in Scotland for more than two decades.
It was nearly two centuries later that the MacGregors acquired Edinchip, in 1778, building the current Edinchip House in 1830.
Language
Lochearnhead is a post-Gaelic speaking area. According to the Old Statistical Account of 1799, Scottish Gaelic was the language of the “common people” of the area, although it also tells us that in the spring the young men would go herding in the “low country” (around Stirling), where they would “have the advantage of acquiring the English language”. This would in fact have been the Scots languageScots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
of the Stirlingshire area, rather than Standard English.
By 1837, the New Statistical Account tells us that in the area, “Gaelic is the language generally spoken, but it has been rather losing ground within the last forty years”. At the time of the 1881 Census, when a question about Gaelic was included for the first time, there were still more than 70% in the parish with Gaelic as their first language, and even some with Gaelic as their only language.
Regular church services were held locally in Gaelic up until 1930, Today the generation which remembers native Gaelic being spoken is fast dying out, and any Gaelic speakers are likely to be either learners or incomers from Gaelic-speaking heartlands. To this day, though, "Church Gaelic" is based on the Perthshire Gaelic dialect. The first Gaelic Bible was translated by Balquhidder minister Robert Kirk.
Each uisge
It is said that a Water Horse, or Each UisgeEach uisge
The each uisge is a mythological Scottish water spirit, called the Aughisky in Ireland. It is similar to the kelpie, but far more dangerous.The Each Uisge, a supernatural water horse found in the Highlands of Scotland, is supposedly the most dangerous water-dwelling creature in the British Isles...
, inhabits Loch Earn, having been chased, in some variants of the legend, out of Loch Tay and across the hills by Fingal. This creature would entice people to ride on its back, but the rider’s hands would stick to the creature’s neck, and the unfortunate soul would be dragged under water by the Each Uisge to drown.
The unpredictable currents in Loch Earn
Loch Earn
Loch Earn is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling...
may have given a ring of truth to this legend.
Fairies
The hillock in the Games Field, known as Chieftains’ Mound or the Shian (an Sitheann), is said to be a fairy knoll. (SídheSídhe
The aos sí are a supernatural race in Irish mythology and Scottish mythology are comparable to the fairies or elves. They are said to live underground in the fairy mounds, across the western sea, or in an invisible world that coexists with the world of humans...
, sìth or siodhe refers to earthen mounds that were thought to be home to the fairy folk.) In less cynical times, people attuned to the supernatural were said to report green light emanating from it, or to hear the strains of fairy music coming from within. (See: Fairy Knolls in Scotland)
Edinample Castle, haunted and cursed
Edinample CastleEdinample Castle
Edinample Castle is a late 16th century castle on the southern shores of Loch Earn near Balquhidder in the Stirling council area of Scotland....
has several legends attached to it. The best-known is that 'Black' Duncan Campbell, a man known for his fury and his ornery nature, had asked the architect to build the castle with a parapet, but on discovering that there was not one threw the hapless architect off the roof to his death. His ghost is said to haunt the castle, wandering around the roof where the parapet should have been.
The building and its inhabitants are also said to be cursed. Depending on which version is told, this curse is either a result of a witch’s malediction, or because gravestones were used as building materials.
Yet another legend has it that the 6th Century holy man, Saint Blane
Saint Blane
Saint Blane was a Bishop and Confessor in Scotland, born on the Isle of Bute, date unknown; died 590. His feast is kept on 10 August. He was a nephew of St. Cathan, and was educated in Ireland under Sts. Comgall and Kenneth; he became a monk, went to Scotland, and was eventually bishop among the...
, cursed the lands and the previous building said to have stood on the spot.
Ardvorlich severed head
The following gruesome tale is factual, but is included here in a section on legends since it is recounted for its sensational nature, and because it provided the inspiration for Sir Walter Scott’s tale, "The Legend of Montrose".It was the custom to provide hospitality to anyone who asked for food and shelter. If the guest was not a friend, they were still put up, but instead of a cooked meal were given cold meat (this is where the phrase “given the cold shoulder” comes from). In accordance with this custom, Lady Margaret Stewart at Ardvorlich, pregnant at the time, gave hospitality to some travelling MacGregors. However, they had just come from murdering her brother, John Drummond of Drummonderinoch
Drummonderinoch
DrummonderinochThe origin of the name Drummonderinoch in Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland, comes from the tragic episode of the Massacre of Monzievaird on October 21, 1490....
, and while she was out of the room placed his severed head on a silver platter, and placed in his mouth some of the cold victuals she had served them. She was so distraught that she ran out to the hills and gave birth to James Stewart, later known as Mad Major. The lochan she gave birth by is known as Lochan na Mna, the Loch of the Woman, on the side of Beinn Domhnuill. Major Jamie Stewart is one of the great historical characters of the Covenanting Wars and is the hero of Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Legend of Montrose", in which he changed James Stewart's name to Allan Macauley. This name is actually engraved on the foot of Major Stewart's gravestone in the Stewarts of Ardvorlich old kirk of Dundurn just outside the village of St Fillans on the shores of Loch Earn.
Development of communications
Like many highland communities, until the coming of the military road, Lochearnhead consisted of little more than a scattered collection of cottages, croftsCroft (land)
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer.- Etymology :...
, and the more prosperous farms associated with the estates. The first part of the old Lochearnhead Hotel was built in 1746, taking advantage of the improving communications. Before that, the area had been served by the much smaller and more primitive Lochearnhead Old Inn, which stood opposite where the village shop is now, and whose ruins were still in evidence until they were demolished in the 1980s, due to their dangerous condition.
The military road was built in the aftermath of the Jacobite Rebellions, and its coming, along with the hotel, gave focus to the village centre, until then little more than a few houses at the junction between the old roads that ran along the routes of the current A84 and A85. One of the original drove routes south ran down Glen Ogle and along the northern side of Loch Earn
Loch Earn
Loch Earn is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling...
to Crieff
Crieff
Crieff is a market town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich and also lies on the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins onto the A823 which leads to Dunfermline....
. When the market was switched to Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
in around 1700, the main route ran south from Lochearnhead. (See: The Highland Drovers)
A minute of the Scottish Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, dated 3 April 1714, sets aside monies for the founding of a school at Lochearnhead. This is the old school, now a dwelling, which stands on the roadside by what was known as the Loanie, a track running beside the old Raven’s Croft. The Loanie was blocked off when the houses comprising what is now Ravenscroft Road were built in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
In 1750, work began on the military road from Stirling to Fort William. This ran by Callander, Lochearnhead and Tyndrum and when it was completed, the village rose in prominence. A Post Office was opened in 1800.
According to the Minute Book of the Deacons Court of the Free Church, between the founding of the Free Church of Scotland, as a result of the Disruption of 1843
Disruption of 1843
The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the established Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland...
, and the starting of the minute book in 1846, Lochearnhead had a Free Church, a Church School and a Manse. The church passed back to the Church of Scotland after the reunion of 1929, and fell out of use in the 1970s. It is now a dwelling house. The Manse is now the Mansewood Country House Hotel. The school referred to is the current school, situated on School Lane, behind the village hall.
It was the coming of the railways that had the greatest effect on the village. In 1870, the Callander and Oban Railway
Callander and Oban Railway
The Callander and Oban Railway company was formed in 1864 with the objective of linking Callander, Scotland to the west coast port of Oban over challenging terrain, particularly at Glen Ogle and the Pass of Brander at Loch Awe. Callander had been reached in 1858 by the Dunblane, Doune and Callander...
, was completed and in 1904 the railway was extended along Loch Earn to St. Fillans and Crieff
Crieff
Crieff is a market town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich and also lies on the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins onto the A823 which leads to Dunfermline....
, making Lochearnhead an easy place to visit (while the railway junction was actually at Balquhidder
Balquhidder
Balquhidder is a small village in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It is overlooked by the dramatic mountain terrain of the Braes of Balquhidder, at the head of Loch Voil. Balquhidder Glen is also popular for fishing, nature watching and walking...
, 3 km to the south, until the opening of Lochearnhead station on the new line, Balquhidder station was called Lochearnhead). With the rise in Scottish tourism in Victorian times, the town became a popular destination from which tourists could enjoy the tranquility of Loch Earn
Loch Earn
Loch Earn is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling...
. A number of small hotels were built around 1900. A motor vessel, the Queen of Loch Earn, plied the loch from 1922 until 1936, after which she was moored at St Fillans and used as a houseboat. The railways were short-lived and with the rise of motor transport, the St Fillans rail line closed in 1951. Although Beeching cuts
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
included for the closure of the main line in 1965, it was actually closed because of landslides in Glen Ogle
Glen Ogle
Glen Ogle extends 7 miles north westwards from Lochearnhead to Lix Toll, where it opens into Glen Dochart....
shortly before the planned closure date. The rockfall can still be seen above and below the railway line. (See: The Scotsman article on the railway line)
August 2004 saw more landslides, this time across the glen from railway line. The road was engulfed in mud, after unusually heavy and prolonged rain, trapping several motorists, and bringing the attention of the national and international media as the world debated climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
and "wild weather".(See: Glen Ogle mudslide)
Recent developments
The village has maintained its tourist status and has become a centre of water sports including water skiing, kayaking, canoeing, dinghy sailing and scuba diving. Loch EarnLoch Earn
Loch Earn is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling...
is particularly known for its water skiing
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
and championships are held there. The old Lochearnhead Hotel, which was situated opposite the village green at the junction of the A84 and A85, was burned down in the early hours of November 5, 1982. The Cameron family then bought and renamed the Craigroystan hotel, which overlooks the loch. This new Lochearnhead Hotel has since changed ownership.
The turbulent past
The town has been witness to Scotland's turbulent past. A kilometre along the South Loch Earn road is Edinample Castle, (Edinample Castle in winter) built by 'Black' Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy in 1630., Some three kilometres to the east is Ardvorlich House, home of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich since 1580. Near here is a tombstone for seven Macdonalds of Glencoe who were killed while attempting a raid on Ardvorlich House in 1620.Highland Games
The Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, and Strathyre Highland Games and Gathering celebrated its 200th Anniversary in 2007. The Games is held in Lochearnhead on the second last Saturday of July. Events include the hill race, track and field events, heavy events like the caber and weight throwing, piping and pipe bands and highland dancing competitions. It is an opportunity for friends and family who may have left for other parts to return to the village and catch up. (See: Lochearnhead Highland Games)The Findlater Sisters
The Findlater Sisters, Jane FindlaterJane Findlater
Jane Helen Findlater was a Scottish novelist whose first book, The Green Graves of Balgowrie, started a successful literary career: for her sister Mary as well as for herself. They are known for their collaborative works of fiction as well as their own individual writing...
(1866–1946), and Mary Findlater
Mary Findlater
Mary Williamina Findlater was a Scottish novelist.Born in Perthshire as the daughter of a minister of the Free Church of Scotland, Findlater wrote novels and poetry both alone and together with her sister...
(1865–1963), were daughters of the Free Kirk Manse, and grew up in what is now the Mansewood Hotel. They wrote novels and short stories separately and together, and were very popular in their day. Jane’s novels include “The Green Graves of Balgowrie” (1896), and her collections of short stories include “Seven Scots Stories” (1912). Mary wrote six novels, including "The Rose of Joy" (1903). Her short story “Void of Understanding” was broadcast as a BBC Radio Scotland production in the early 1990s. Both had stories included in the 1987 Polygon anthology “The Other Voice: Scottish women’s writing since 1808” (M Burgess, ed).
Neither sister married, and they lived together until Jane died in 1946. (See: The Findlater Sisters)
Sheep Shearing
The annual sheep shearing competition, Lochearnhead Shears, was established in 1993, growing to become one of the largest sheep shearing competitions in the United Kingdom. The event attracts international competitors, who come to attempt to win the “Scottish Blackface Shearing Champion” title. Blackface sheep are the areas' main breed, these mountain sheep requiring the competitors to use particular skills. The competition is held in June, and normally culminates in a ceilidh dance. Lochearnhead ShearsHertfordshire Scouts Activity Centre
In 1962, Hertfordshire Scouts opened their first activity centre in the former Lochearnhead station. After extensive refurbishment of the derelict site the station buildings were converted to include the facilities they required, including a kitchen and dining room. The centre was aptly named the Lochearnhead Scout Activity Station. Entrance to the station is just north of the village on a private slip road, with a large sign proclaiming the site of the station. The Glen Ogle trail runs on the northern side of the station and the station is clearly visible. The original subway entrance to the station now backs onto a modern housing estate on the A84/A85 junction and is used as storage for camping gear and etc. A pathway through the housing estate to the junction provides foot access to the station with a small gate in the surrounding fenceline. Recently, the main station buildings have benefited from further refurbishment and now a collection of Scandinavian style log cabins surround the platform to the south, additional cabins provide further accommodation on the platform and surrounding areas while improvements in water and drainage connections have allowed improved washroom facililities. The current facilities provide comfortable accommodation for 82 people, with the Station building containing the Station Master's Office, commercial quality kitchen, large dining room, adjoining sun lounge, showers and toilets. The site also includes a second shower and toilet block as well as a dedicated sick bay, drying room and stores. While the main activities run from the station are mountain based, Hertfordshire Scouts also have the use of a small jetty on Loch Earn which is used during the summer holiday for dinghy sailing and kayaking activities. The station is in constant use throughout all the English school holidays, but the remainder of the time it is available for hire by other people.Walks
There are two MunroMunro
A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...
s on Loch Earn side, Ben Vorlich
Ben Vorlich (Loch Earn)
Ben Vorlich is a mountain located in the southern part of the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in an area of land bounded to the north by Loch Earn, and to the west by Loch Lubnaig. The town of Callander lies to the south....
and Stuc a’Chroin. For more family-friendly walks, there is the Glen Ogle
Glen Ogle
Glen Ogle extends 7 miles north westwards from Lochearnhead to Lix Toll, where it opens into Glen Dochart....
trail and Glen Ample.
Glen Ogle Trail
Glen Ogle can be walked as a circular route, starting on the Lochearnhead stretch of Millennium Cycle Route 7, along the Western side of Glen Ogle on the old high level railway, and returning down the floor of the glen. Alternatively, you can simply retrace your steps on the cycle route. Many of the guides suggest starting from the Scout station, but that requires a very steep climb to the Cycle Route. A gentler start is from the Episcopal church at the bottom of Craggan Road. Following this single track road brings you to an old railway bridge, where the cycle route can be followed south towards Callander or north towards Killin. Turning towards Killin takes you onto the Glen Ogle section.Glen Ogle Trail
Glen Ample Walk
Starting at Edinample Falls, on the south shore of Loch Earn, this is a ramble on a well established route, which varies from stony tracks to grassy paths, and takes you through Glen Ample to Ardchullerie on Loch LubnaigLoch Lubnaig
Loch Lubnaig is a small loch near Callander in the Stirling council area, Scotland. It lies in the former county of Perthshire....
. You then need to return on the same path, or arrange transport from Ardchullerie. There are 2 burns which need careful crossing after heavy rain. The walk is 14 km, taking about 4½ hours.
(OS Map Landranger 51 and 57 / Explorer 365 and 368, Grid ref: NN 602225).
Books
- AA Illustrated Road Book of Scotland (1974 edition) The Automobile Association
- A. R. B. Haldane (1952) The Drove Roads of Scotland, David & Charles, Newton Abbot
- A. R. B. Haldane (1962) New Roads through the Glens, David & Charles, Newton Abbot