Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ROB ROY
A member of the outlawed Macgregor clan,
Rob Roy
was born in 1671 in Glengyle, just north of
Loch Katrine, and lived for some time as a respectable cattle farmer and trader, supported by the
powerful duke of Montrose. In 1712, Rob Roy absconded with £1000, some of it belonging to the
duke. He took to the hills to live as a brigand, his feud with Montrose escalating after the duke
repossessed Rob Roy's land and drove his wife from their house. He was present at the Battle of
Sheriffmuir during the Jacobite uprising of 1715, ostensibly supporting the Jacobites but probably as
an opportunist: the chaos would have made cattle-raiding easier. Eventually captured and sentenced
to transportation, Rob Roy was pardoned and returned to
Balquhidder
(see p.299), where he
remained until his death in 1734. His status as a local hero in the mould of Robin Hood should be
tempered with the fact that he was without doubt a bandit and blackmailer. His life has been
much romanticized, from Sir Walter Scott's 1818 novel
Rob Roy
to the 1995 film starring Liam
Neeson, although the tale does serve well to dramatize the clash between the doomed clan
culture of the Gaelic-speaking Highlanders and the organized feudal culture of lowland Scots,
which effectively ended with the defeat of the Jacobites at Culloden in 1746. His
grave
in
Balquhidder, a simple affair behind the ruined church, is mercifully free of the tartan trappings that
plague parts of the Trossachs, predictably dubbed “Rob Roy Country” by the tourist board.
7
Island of Inchmahome
Lake of Mentieth • Daily: April-Sept 9.30am-4.30pm, Oct 9.30am-3.30pm • £5.50 including ferry; HS
From the northern shore of the lake, you can take a little ferry out to the
Island of
Inchmahome
to explore the ruined Augustinian abbey. Founded in 1238,
Inchmahome
Priory
is the most beautiful island monastery in Scotland, its remains rising tall and
graceful above the trees. he masons employed to build the priory are thought to be those
who built Dunblane Cathedral (see p.286); certainly the western entrance there resembles
that at Inchmahome. he nave of the church is roofless, but in the choir are preserved the
graves of important families from the surrounding area. Most touching is a late thirteenth-
century double e
gy depicting Walter, the first Stewart earl of Menteith, and his countess,
Mary, who, feet resting on lion-like animals, turn towards each other and embrace.
Five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots was hidden at Inchmahome in 1547 before being
taken to France, and there's a formal garden in the west of the island, known as Queen
Mary's Bower, where she played, according to legend. Visible on a nearby but
inaccessible islet is the ruined castle of
Inchtalla
, the home of the earls of Menteith in
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Queen Elizabeth Forest Park
David Marshall Lodge visitor centre daily: March-June, Sept & Oct 10am-5pm; July & Aug 10am-6pm; Nov & Dec 10am-4pm; Jan Sat &
Sun 10am-4pm; Feb Thurs-Sun 10am-4pm • Car park £3 •
T
01877 382258
North of Aberfoyle, the A821 road to Loch Katrine winds its way into the
Queen
Elizabeth Forest Park
, snaking up
Duke's Pass
(so called because it once belonged to the
duke of Montrose). You can walk or drive the short distance from Aberfoyle to the
park's excellent
visitor centre
at David Marshall Lodge, where you can pick up maps of
the walks and cycle routes in the forest, get background information on the area's flora
and fauna or settle into the
café
with its splendid views out over the tree tops.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
ABERFOYLE AND AROUND
10am-5pm; Nov-March Sat & Sun only;
T
08707
200604) has full details of local accommodation, sights
and outdoor activities.
ABERFOYLE
By bus
Regular buses
from Stirling pull into the car park on
Aberfoyle's Main St.
Destinations
Callander (late June to mid-Oct 4 Thurs-
Tues; 25min); Port of Menteith (late June to mid-Oct 4
Thurs-Tues; 10min).
Tourist office
The tourist office (April-Oct daily
LAKE OF MENTEITH
By bus
Take First Edinburgh bus #11 from Stirling to the Lake
of Menteith.
