Loch Katrine Things to Do

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The last of the three lochs is Loch Achray with its great views over towards Ben Venue and Ben An. I loved the view with this little church in the foreground and the mountain rising behind it. There were people camping right down on the shoreline of the loch.

About half way along the loch the Forest trail ends and you rejoin the main Trossachs Trail. At the far end of the loch you can turn off to either Ben Venue or to the car park at Loch Katrine. On my most recent trip to the area I couldn't actually get parked as there is limited parking and it was all full up :/

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A lot of the road is through forestry which was lovely on a beautiful sunny day with the suns rays bursting through the gaps in the trees! The trail can also be used [in both directions] by cyclists and I also passed a lot of people hiking.

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I just love this because of the name, lets face it! The road winds down through the forest and eventually you get a fantastic view of Loch Drunkie. The first car park you reach sits up above it giving a nice angle for photos but there are several more lay bys and car parks around the loch where you can get nearer the edge. The road follows the contours of the Loch for quite a way and gives different vantage points and views.

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Following the trail you reach the first loch, Loch Reoidhe, pretty quickly. Its a small loch which sits pretty high up in the hills. There are a couple of laybys along the side of the loch and fishing permits [as with all of the Lochs I assume] are available from the David Marshall centre.

I liked this loch, and the view from here. It was very relaxing somehow!

If you turn off the main Trossachs Trail road through Dukes Pass you can follow a trail through the Achray Forest, called the Three Lochs Trail. You have to drive through a car park area before entering the trail itself which is one way, single track. Don't be put off by signs saying it costs £2 as those must be out of date. Barriers had been removed so its now free

This is the view looking south from the Visitor Centre. There is a kind of patio area there with benches/picnic tables etc and really this photo doesn't do the view justice. Although saying that, the best scenery is to the east and north. Why not just stop a while and soak it all up?

There are also a couple of marked trails from beside the visitor centre, of varying distances., that you can follow if you have the time and energy!

After leaving the town of Aberfoyle the road begins to twist and climb up into the hills and mountains behind. About half way up you reach the David Marshall Visitor centre.

Believe it or not this is the view of the car park at the visitor centre! If only all car parks were THIS pretty! My car was parked on the other side of this mini loch in the centre.

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To reach Loch Katrine from Glasgow you have to drive through Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and into the Trossachs. The last town you hit before driving up into the Trossachs themselves is Aberfoyle. Its quite a touristy place but worth a quick stop. You can see the beautiful scenery rising up behind the town while you do a bit of shopping, visit the tourist information, get some money from the ATM or pick up some food for a picnic lunch as I did [see my shopping tip]. Or you could take a bit longer there and visit the Scottish Wool Museum which seemed quite popular.