Kiss Me, [Loch] Kate! (Loch Katrine)

Name: TheChocolateLady

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Product:	Loch Katrine
Date:	06/12/05 (578 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely scenery, lovely walk, just lovely

Disadvantages: We missed the boat !

August, 2004 was our first visit to Scotland, and frankly, despite the midges, and partially because of the rain, we found it to be simply lovely. One of the more picturesque places we visited was Loch Katrine, and since no one else here has bothered to tell anyone about it, I thought I might give it a try.

Where and What is Loch Katrine?
Loch Katrine is located almost smack dab in the middle of Scotland's most lovely Trossachs National Park, on the north-western edge of the Trossachs' Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, and nestling to the north of Ben Venue (729 meters high) and Ben Bhreac (700) on its eastern tip, and to the south of Meall Mor (747) and Stob a'Choin (865) on its most western point. On the map, this is a backwards tilde shaped loch (a tilde is this symbol ~, for those who don't know), or - if you will - a reclining, lazy S shaped loch. According to my Michelin Green Guide, it is 10 miles long and, at its widest point, is 2 miles wide, and is apparently the main loch that supplies water to Glasgow. I thought that slightly strange since it is hardly a rival to its impressively large neighbour to the west, Loch Lomond. But what it lacks in size, it certainly makes up in many different ways, which I'll tell you more about later.

How do you get there?
If you're walking or cycling the West Highland Way, you could stop for the night on Loch Lomond at Inversnaid Hotel, and then walk or ride east the next day on the road to Stronachlachar, which comes out on the western side the loch. I suppose if you're boating on Lomond, you might also be able to moor at that point and also walk or cycle - which I approximate is about 6 miles long and which goes all along Loch Arklet. But if you're driving like us, there are a few ways to reach Loch Katrine. Where the A81 meets up with the A821 at Aberfoyle, you can take the tiny B829 through the forest along Loch Ard and Loch Chon, and you'll meet up with the above mentioned path just about a mile from Stronachlachar. Or you can continue, as we did, all the way to Loch Katrine Pier from the A821. If you're in a bit of a hurry, and you find yourself on the A84, north-west of Callander, the other end of the A821 comes out at Kilmahog, and you can ride that along the Loch Venachar and Loch Achray through the forest - which is how we went back.

What is special about Loch Katrine?
There are many things about this loch that make it special. Firstly, it is featured in Sir Walter Scott's poem, "The Lady of the Lake". I also understand that Glen Gyle, which is on Loch Katrine, is the birthplace of Rob Roy. More importantly, and most interestingly, is that Loch Katrine is haunted - or rather, there are lots of goblins, elves, fairies and monsters on or around the loch. Unfortunately, we cannot vouch for this, since we didn't witness any of these showing up during our visit (and luckily we were mostly midge free while visiting as well), but just the idea of the fantasy makes this spot all the more attractive.

What can you do there?
Essentially, there are only two things you can do when you reach Loch Katrine. You can take the SS Sir Walter Scott boat (link below) from either Stronachlachar to Loch Katrine Pier (or visa versa), or you could park your car and walk or cycle around the loch.

Since we arrived after the last sailing, we decided to take a walk and were rewarded with some of the most lovely views we'd had during our whole trip. For instance, just past the car park area, only about three minutes into our walk, was a hidden waterfall (and with all the rains during our trip, it was very active). As you wind around the loch, you'll be greeted with lush forest views on the steep banks with the mountains peaking up from behind. While the maps make this lock out to be a pretty plain shape, you'll find that there are many inlets and tiny islands on this loch to add to the interest. The banks are covered in pines and oaks and other types of trees (sorry, my horticultural skills are a bit weak, but I do know a pine and an oak when I see one) to add to the dappled feel with the different shades of green that they provide.

While the further you walk, the more forest you'll encounter (and the more likely you'll get bitten by midges - if you're going in July or August), much of the loch-side path seemed very breezy for us, and since it twists around the edges of the loch's shore, you'll find yourself about half of the time in the sun and half in the shade. For the bikers, the path is very wide - but none of it is marked out for just them, sadly. This could be a little bit of a problem, but since we got there late-ish, we didn't really have many crowds or bikers with us. We only walked for about 15 minutes and then returned, but we were given to understand that one can actually walk around the whole loch, if one wanted to - and good luck to those who want to give it a try, since that would be about 20-25 miles all told.

But most of all, I have to mention that by mid-September this whole walk will be totally lined to overflowing with ripe blackberries - which I think you call brambles. We were lucky enough to find a few that had ripened before the rest, and what a treat they were - succulent and sweet and tart all at the same time - just perfect!

What's My Verdict:
For the berry-picking lovers out there, this will be a dream world if you get there in the early fall. And for those who just like a free treat with their exercise and views, this could be just the thing. We were sorry that we didn't make it in time for the boat ride, which comes highly recommended, and doesn't seem too terribly dear (for example, Adult return for the morning sailing would have cost us £7.25 and for the afternoon sailing which we missed, would have been £6.25). But even if boats aren't your thing, you'll certainly find this to be a charming walk for as long as you take it, and we found it to be just the stroll we needed before a long-ish car trip back to our B&B. All in all, highly recommended.

Thanks for Reading!

Davida Chazan © August, 2004 (for Ciao) - revised, December, 2005 for DooYoo.

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Technical Stuff:
Information on the SS Sir Walter Scott boat trips can be found at http://www.incallander.co.uk/steam.htm (where you'll find current tarrifs for the boat ride) or phone 01877 376316.

For more information about this area and ways to visit it, this is a good site http://www.incallander.co.uk/trossachs_katrine.htm

And for the cultural, you can read a bit of the poem, The Lady of the Lake here - http://www.lenymede.demon.co.uk/history/lady_of_th e_lake.html

Note: The car park at the pier is "pay and display" until (we believe) 18:00, so if you want a long visit there, do keep this in mind. At the pier there is a restaurant as well as a gift shop (of course) but we weren't tempted - mostly because they were closed by the time we arrived! Good for our pocketbooks, that was.
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Summary: A beautiful, historical and, apparently, magical Loch - perfect for walking, biking or boating.