The Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park is bringing unusual attention to one of Scotland’s natural treasures, an area that was the home of Rob Roy MacGregor and is now home to Home at First’s Central Highlands travel program. PART 1 told how to get to the region, and how casual walkers could best experience its scenic wonders. In Part 2 we suggest walks for the experienced, properly equipped day-hiker and long-distance hiker.

WHAT TO BRING:
    Remember to carry the following things, even if you plan a leisurely stroll:
        • Something to eat and drink
        • Raingear or (less helpful) an umbrella
        • Sun protection & sunglasses (let’s be optimistic!)
        • Layers to put on and take off: sweater, windbreaker, gloves, jacket or mackintosh
        • Maps: Ordnance Survey Pathfinder (1:25000) Series Sheets NN 41/51 and NN 21/31 or
            Landranger (1:50000) Series Sheets 50, 51, & 57 all apply, although not one map
            covers all the territory of western Balquhidder Glen. At the very least, refer to the map
            we’ve designed before heading out:

MORE THINGS TO BRING:
        Serious walkers will be in remote, high country, often without any clear trail to guide them. To further complicate matters, quick-moving weather systems sweep in from the North Atlantic across western Scotland and can turn a fair day into a zero-visibility gray-out almost without warning. Therefore, wilderness walkers and overnight hikers need to leave word behind of their planned route. And they need to bring along:
        • A compass (and know how to use it)
        • Full weather protection
        • Enough provisions for 48 hours
        • First-aid kit
        • A companion

STARTING OUT
        From Balquhidder village, drive west along the north bank of Loch Voil and Loch Doine, approximately 7 miles to the sign-posted car park at Inverlochlarig. The car park is the trailhead for several paths in this rugged hill country.
        Walk south from the car park, following a well-used, broad trail toward the river. After crossing a bridge, the trail becomes a rough, unpaved road, and takes off due west toward the hills at the end of the glen. In 5 minutes the road wanders through the farmhouses and barns at the Inverlochlarig Farm, then continues west, crossing a style, staying north of and parallel to the steam (River Larig). The farm and all the land of the western end of the valley once belonged to Scotland’s bad-boy hero Rob Roy MacGregor.
        Now every step leads further from civilization, the last outpost of which is the farm. The road clambers up and down, following the topography and following the stream, crossing numerous tributaries on its way west.

RESPECT FOR THE LAND AND PROPERTY
        Be kind to the environment, here. Stay to the road. Don’t bother or touch the animals. Take special care not to disturb the sheep during the lambing season in the spring. Take all litter home. Remember, you are guests on private land, which will be welcome to guests only if the guests respect the land and its owner’s property.

SERIOUS WALKING
        If the walking west of Inverlochlarig is fine for casual walkers, it is even better for the dedicated day hiker and the long-distance overnight hiker.

TRIP #1: SOUTH TO LOCH KATRINE & GLEN GYLE

        In 45-60 minutes the road is joined by a barely visible trail leading south, crossing the River Larig, then gaining elevation across meadowlands, then climbing steeply until crossing a saddle pass between two humpbacked mountains (Stub a’Choin peak is the eastern hill).

        In another 90-120 minutes you reach the pass, the divide between the Balquhidder Glen, which belongs to the southern Highlands, and Glen Gyle, in the Trossachs, to the shores of Loch Katrine, former home of young Rob Roy MacGregor and his family. This serpentine lake drains high-forested mountains on both sides and naturally sends its water east to the River Forth, the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh, and the North Sea. Now a long aqueduct alters nature, providing Glasgow with its excellent drinking water supply by carrying the water west into the Loch Lomond watershed, the Firth of Clyde and the Atlantic.

        Long-distance hikers will turn northwest along the north shore of Loch Katrine, leading ever further up Glen Gyle, following an unsightly string of power lines strung up and over the crest at the upper end of the valley. Expect this often boggy, unmarked route to take 3-4 hours before civilization is again reached at Inverarnan in Glen Falloch (see below).

Times: Inverlochlarig—Loch Katrine parking lot: 5-7 hours. Inverlochlarig—Loch Katrine—Glen Gyle—Inverarnan (Glen Falloch Lodge on Rt. A82 10km south of Crianlarich): 7-10 hours.

Difficulty Rating: 4-5 stars (out of 5-star maximum difficulty)

TRIP #2:
WESTERN BALQUHIDDER GLEN TO THE DIVIDE AND THE WEST HIGHLAND WAY

        Day-hikers will turn east here for the 2.5-3 hours back out to the Inverlochlarig car park and, perhaps, a stop at Monachyle Mhor Hillwalkers’ Bar and Restaurant for a just reward.

        Long-distance hikers will descend another 60-90 minutes into Glen Falloch, the long north-south valley connecting Glasgow with the Highlands. The west side descent enters Glen Falloch just north of the northern tip of Loch Lomond to the River Falloch near the hikers’ accommodations at Inverarnan. Here is the main north-south road, the A82, from Glasgow to Glen Coe and Ft. William. Here, too, is the railroad from Glasgow to Crianlarich and the western Scotland towns of Ft. William, in the shadows of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest peak, and Oban and Mallaig, on the sea. The nearest passenger rail station is at Ardlui on the west shore of Loch Lomond, about 1.5-2 miles south of Inverarnan.

        Here also at Inverarnan is access to the West Highland Way, the most famous long-distance trail in Scotland, and possibly in Britain, which leads, essentially, from Glasgow to Ft. William via drovers’ roads and old military tracks. Inverarnan is a key stop on the 5-day trek, as it is roughly two-fifths of the way from Glasgow to Ft. William.

Times: Inverlochlarig—Ridge Line (round-trip): 5-7 hours. Inverlochlarig—Ridge Line—Inverarnan (Glen Falloch Lodge on Rt. A82 10km south of Crianlarich): 6-9 hours.

Difficulty Rating: 4-5 stars (out of 5-star maximum difficulty)

NOTES: Home At First guests to Scotland receive the "Scotland Activity Guide", a 100-page guidebook full of information on what to see and do on holiday in Scotland, including day-trip suggestions, restaurant tips, information about museums, castles, distilleries, boat rides, Highland Games, and much more. Also included in our "Scotland Activity Guide" are dozens of fully-described walks — rated from 1 star to 5 stars — like the two described above.

For more information on visiting this part of Scotland,
visit our SCOTLAND CENTRAL HIGHLANDS page!