Central Scotland - Scotland - page 383

Falkirk Wheel ( www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk ; adult/child £7.95/4.95; 10am-5.30pm daily Mar-Oct, 11am-4pm
Wed-Sun Nov-Feb) changed all that. Its rotating arms literally scoop boats up and lift them to the higher waterway −
it's an engineering marvel that makes a compelling visit.
Boat trips leave every 40 minutes (hourly in winter) and travel into the wheel, which delivers you to the Union
Canal high above. Boats then go through Roughcastle Tunnel before the return descent on the wheel. Anyone with
an interest in engineering should not miss this boat ride - it's great for kids, too. There's also a visitor centre and
cafe.
The Wheel is in Falkirk, a large town about 10 miles southeast of Stirling. Regular buses and trains link the two,
and also connect Falkirk with Glasgow and Edinburgh.
DOLLAR
POP 2877
Charming Dollar is about 11 miles east of Stirling in the lower Ochil Hills. Castle Camp-
bell (HS; www.historic-scotland.gov.uk ; adult/child £5/3; 9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Sep, to
4.30pm Oct, to 4.30pm Sat-Wed Nov-Mar) is a 20-minute walk up Dollar Glen , into the
wooded hills above the town. It's a spooky old stronghold of the Dukes of Argyll and
stands between two ravines; you can clearly see why it was known as 'Castle Gloom'.
There's been a fortress of some kind on this site since the 11th century, but the present
structure dates from the 15th century. The castle was sacked by Cromwell in 1654, but the
tower is well preserved. From the little car park near the castle there's a great ramble with
sweeping views over Castle Campbell and the surrounding country.
Regular buses run to Dollar from Stirling.
The Trossachs
The Trossachs region has long been a favourite weekend getaway, offering outstanding
natural beauty and excellent walking and cycling routes within easy reach of the southern
population centres. With thickly forested hills, romantic lochs and an increasingly inter-
esting selection of places to stay and eat, its popularity is sure to continue, protected by its
national-park status.
The Trossachs first gained popularity as a tourist destination in the early 19th century,
when curious visitors came from all over Britain, drawn by the romantic language of Wal-
ter Scott's poem Lady of the Lake , inspired by Loch Katrine, and Rob Roy , about the
derring-do of the region's most famous son.