The
Trossachs (Scottish Gaelic,
Na Trosaichean) itself is a small woodland
glenA glen is a valley, typically one that is long, deep, and often glacially U-shaped; or one with a watercourse running through such a valley. The word comes from the Irish language/Scottish Gaelic language word gleann, or glion in Manx. In Manx, glan is also to be found meaning glen...
in the Stirling council area of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It lies between Ben A'an to the north and
Ben VenueBen Venue is a mountain in the Trossachs area of Scotland. The name Ben Venue is derived from the Scottish Gaelic words meaning "the small mountain". The summit lies approximately 2 kilometres south-west of the pier at the southern end of Loch Katrine...
to the south, with
Loch KatrineLoch Katrine is a freshwater loch in the district of Stirling, Scotland. It is roughly 13 kilometres long by 1 kilometre wide and runs the length of Strath Gartney...
to the west and
Loch AchrayLoch Achray is a small freshwater loch 11 kilometres west of Callander in Stirling district, Scotland.The loch lies between Loch Katrine and Loch Venachar in the heart of the Trossachs and has an average depth of 11 metres. The south side of the loch is wooded and well served by woodland tracks and...
to the east. However, the name is used generally to refer to the wider area of wooded glens and braes with quiet
lochA loch is a body of water which is either:* a lake or;...
s, lying to the east of
Ben LomondBen Lomond , , is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. It is east of Loch Lomond, and is the most southerly of the Munros....
.
The scenic charms of this area came to popularity when
Walter ScottSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet, popular throughout Europe during his time....
extended his romantic portrayal of Scotland's past from
border balladThe English/Scottish border has a long and bloody history of conquest and reconquest, raid and counter-raid . It also has a stellar tradition of balladry, such that a whole group of songs exists that are often called "border ballads", because they were collected in that region.Border ballads, like...
s to poems of a medieval past rich in chivalry and symbolism, with his 1810 poem
Lady of the LakeThe Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the Arthurian legend. These characters' roles include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father. Different writers and copyists give her name...
giving a roll call of Trossachs place names, the lady herself being found on Loch Katrine.
The
Trossachs (Scottish Gaelic,
Na Trosaichean) itself is a small woodland
glenA glen is a valley, typically one that is long, deep, and often glacially U-shaped; or one with a watercourse running through such a valley. The word comes from the Irish language/Scottish Gaelic language word gleann, or glion in Manx. In Manx, glan is also to be found meaning glen...
in the Stirling council area of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It lies between Ben A'an to the north and
Ben VenueBen Venue is a mountain in the Trossachs area of Scotland. The name Ben Venue is derived from the Scottish Gaelic words meaning "the small mountain". The summit lies approximately 2 kilometres south-west of the pier at the southern end of Loch Katrine...
to the south, with
Loch KatrineLoch Katrine is a freshwater loch in the district of Stirling, Scotland. It is roughly 13 kilometres long by 1 kilometre wide and runs the length of Strath Gartney...
to the west and
Loch AchrayLoch Achray is a small freshwater loch 11 kilometres west of Callander in Stirling district, Scotland.The loch lies between Loch Katrine and Loch Venachar in the heart of the Trossachs and has an average depth of 11 metres. The south side of the loch is wooded and well served by woodland tracks and...
to the east. However, the name is used generally to refer to the wider area of wooded glens and braes with quiet
lochA loch is a body of water which is either:* a lake or;...
s, lying to the east of
Ben LomondBen Lomond , , is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. It is east of Loch Lomond, and is the most southerly of the Munros....
.
The scenic charms of this area came to popularity when
Walter ScottSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet, popular throughout Europe during his time....
extended his romantic portrayal of Scotland's past from
border balladThe English/Scottish border has a long and bloody history of conquest and reconquest, raid and counter-raid . It also has a stellar tradition of balladry, such that a whole group of songs exists that are often called "border ballads", because they were collected in that region.Border ballads, like...
s to poems of a medieval past rich in chivalry and symbolism, with his 1810 poem
Lady of the LakeThe Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the Arthurian legend. These characters' roles include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father. Different writers and copyists give her name...
giving a roll call of Trossachs place names, the lady herself being found on Loch Katrine. This was followed up by his 1817 historical novel
Rob RoyRob Roy is a novel by Walter Scott about Frank Osbaldistone, the son of an English merchant who goes to the Scottish Highlands to collect a debt stolen from his father...
romanticising the outlaw cattle thief
Raibert RuadhRobert Roy MacGregor, usually known simply as Rob Roy or alternately Red MacGregor, was a famous Scottish folk hero and outlaw of the early 18th century, who is sometimes known as the Scottish Robin Hood. Rob Roy is anglicised from the Scottish Gaelic Raibeart Ruadh, or Red Robert...
born by Loch Katrine and buried at nearby
BalquhidderBalquhidder 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...
. Scotland's only lake, the
Lake of MenteithThe Lake of Menteith , or, until the 20th century, the Loch of Menteith, is a loch in Scotland, located on the Flanders Moss, the flood plain of the upper reaches of the rivers Forth and Teith, upstream of Stirling. The only settlement of any size on the Lake of Menteith is Port of Menteith.The are...
, lies about 6 miles (10 km) to the south east of the glen, on the edge of the Trossachs area.
The effect of this romantic literature was to draw tourists to the area and make the Trossachs Hotel well known. Loch Katrine itself changed in 1859 when a dam was built at the eastern end and connecting aqueducts built to bring a new main water supply to
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Queen VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
had a holiday house built overlooking the loch. A
steamerA steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels....
service started, and the 1900
SS Sir Walter ScottThe SS Sir Walter Scott is a small white painted steamship that has provided cruises and a ferry service on Loch Katrine in the scenic Trossachs of Scotland for over a century, and is the only surviving screw steamer in regular passenger service in Scotland....
is still going, giving visitors a delightful way to enjoy the scenery while adding to the picturesque view. The area is now in the
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National ParkLoch 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...
, remaining popular with walkers and cyclists, and for the motorist the winding roads have a certain charm.
External links