Aberfoyle & Around

Introducing Aberfoyle & Around

Crawling with visitors most weekends and dominated by a huge car park, Aberfoyle (population 576) is a hit with domestic tourists as it provides a convenient base to explore the beautiful Trossachs. It’s a fairly uninteresting place though, easily overwhelmed by daytrippers and we’d recommend staying in Callander or other Trossach towns.

The tourist office (0870 720 0604, 382352; Main St; 10am-5pm Apr-Jun & Sep-Oct, 9.30am-6pm Jul-Aug, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar; ) is in the Trossachs Discovery Centre, which details a history of the Trossachs and provides a soft play area for kids.

Three miles east is the Lake of Menteith. A ferry takes visitors from Port of Menteith village (on the lake) to the substantial ruins of Inchmahome Priory (HS; 385294; Inchmahome Island; adult/child incl ferry ride £4.50/2.25; 9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Sep). Mary, Queen of Scots was kept safe here as a child during Henry VIII’s ‘Rough Wooing’.

Half a mile north of Aberfoyle, on the A821, is the David Marshall Lodge Visitor Centre (382258; admission free, car-park fee £1; daily Mar-Jun & Sep-Dec, 10am-6pm Jul-Aug, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun Feb; ) in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, which has info about the many walks and cycle routes in and around the park (many departing from the visitor centre). The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has a display here on local bird life, the highlight being a live video link to the resident osprey family. The centre is worth visiting solely for the views.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009