Crowds have flocked to a new scenic tower at a site credited with being 'the birthplace' of Scottish tourism.
The three-storey scenic tower and lookouts is located on the headland above Trossachs Pier at Loch Katrine, in the heart of The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
Since it opened to the public two months ago, over 8,000 people have made the short climb to the tower and lookouts, which offer dramatic scenic views of Loch Katrine and the surrounding hills.
The Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust, which is responsible for preserving Loch Katrine's historic 124-year-old Steamship Sir Walter Scott for public enjoyment, installed the tower, with viewpoints connected by elevated boardwalks on a giant rock outcrop above Trossachs Pier.
The tower is reached by a hand-built 200-metre stone path, reinstating a route that had been overgrown for decades.
READ MORE: 'Stunning' scenic tower opens at 'birthplace of Scottish tourism'
The viewpoint (site of the tower & lookouts) was home to two wicker huts built in the late 1780s by Lady Drummond of Perth for artists and writers to stay and be inspired by the magic of the Trossachs’s changing landscape. A new road blasted out of rock made the huts more easily accessible by horse and carriage at that time.
Many leading Victorian artists and writers such as Keats, the Wordsworths and Sir Walter Scott all visited it and published popular works.
Loch Katrine and Scotland were placed firmly on the tourist map following the phenomenal success of ‘The Lady of the Lake’ poem, written by Sir Walter Scott.
According to Scott’s biographer Edgar Johnson, Loch Katrine was visited by 297 carriages within the first six months following the publication of The Lady of the Lake poem in 1810 as it became more fashionable to see the Trossachs than to make the Grand Tour of Europe.
James Fraser, CEO and Lead Trustee of the Steamship Trust, revealed that visitors are not only enjoying the outstanding views but are also interested about the rich historical stories associated with the new landmark.
He said: "We have recently added some evocative quotes to the tower and lookouts taken from Sir Walter Scott's blockbuster poem The Lady of the Lake, published in 1810, and inspired by his visit to this exact spot.
"One of the quotes is especially relevant now with the arrival of the vivid autumnal colours -' One burnished sheet of living gold, Loch Katrine lay beneath him rolled' (Sir Walter Scott, The Lady of the Lake).
"The new scenic tower and lookouts have helped us reinforce our strong connection with Sir Walter Scott. Our charitable trust operates the Loch Katrine site to preserve and protect the historic steamship launched in 1900 and named after the hugely successful novelist, poet and historian.
"Thanks to her recent £850,000 restoration, she continues to sail, and next year will celebrate her 125th anniversary. In her first full year after returning to service, it has been wonderful to welcome guests from all over the world who have sailed on her.
"Visitors to the tower are also interested in hearing stories about Rob Roy MacGregor, who was born at the other end of Loch Katrine. In the early 1700s, when the notorious outlaw and clan chief was pursued by Red Coats, seeking his arrest, Rob's contemporaries used the rock at this vantage point to signal warnings to him so he could hide and evade capture.
"We are delighted that the tower and lookouts have proved to be so popular. We are looking forward to welcoming many more visitors during the October school holidays to enjoy Loch Katrine's stunning autumnal colours."
Loch Katrine continues to be a popular visitor destination in the heart of the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs with a range of cruise options, cafes, eco lodges, campervan bays, gift shop, cycle hire and shoreline walks and trails.
Since 1859, Loch Katrine has supplied millions of gallons of water daily to Glasgow and much of west and central Scotland. The Loch Katrine site is part of the Great Trossachs Forest and is in the ownership of Scottish Water.
Entry to the three-storey scenic tower and lookouts is free. It is a short walk up a 180-meter stone path from the Trossachs Pier car park.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel