The pictures on these pages are either Local or Holiday pictures that do not appear in the walks.
We were staying in a caravan on a site just south of Aberfoyle and having seen Loch Katrine and the steamship Sir Walter Scott on a TV programme we had decided to go there for a sail and walk. The Sir Walter Scott as been sailing on Loch Katrine for over 100 years and coincidentally this weekend (27-28 October 2007) will be the last time that she will use coal as the primary source of fuel. For further information on this wonderful ship and the Loch Katrine area click HERE. (It will open in a new window)
The Steamship "Sir Walter Scott".
We had decided to sail to Stronachlachar and then to walk back to The Trossachs pier a distance of about 12 miles
We had arrived early and booked our places. It is a very popular sailing and quickly fills up particularly on beautiful days like this.
This gave us time for a cuppa and a snack at the cafe from where this picture is taken
Soon the ship was filled with a mixture of tourists, walkers and cyclists and on its way up the Loch
The name derives from the Gaelic "cateran" meaning an Highland robber the most famous of which was Rob Roy MacGregor who was born at the northern end of the Loch.
Sir Walter Scott's best selling poem "The Lady of the Lake" published in 1809 popularised the Loch. The poets Coleridge and Wordsworth were also inspired with the area although Wordsworths sister Dorothy described it as "A barren Ullswater"
The Loch is actually a reservoir and a major source of water for Glasgow since 1859
On arrival at Stronachlachar most passengers disembarked to return either on foot, by cycle or in the case of one group by coach
First we had to walk to the head of the loch before returning down the other side. It was a tarmacced road but traffic tree , apart from the cyclists
Looking along the loch from near its head
The banks were full of bluebells
The views across the loch were fantastic, just a pity I took so few pictures
Looking across to Stronachlachar
Arriving back at Trossachs pier and the steamship beat us back!!!!