Callander is the gateway to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Nature Park and is a very beautiful part of Scotland and certainly worth visiting. We stayed at the family run Keltie Bridge Camping Park which has a quiet riverside location.
The site is excellently laid out and organised for all forms of camping with modern, clean facilities. There is a bus stop just outside the site with direct services to Callander and Stirling.
Our activities were rather restricted by the weather, is was wet a lot of the time, so unable to get about as much as we wanted to.
Our first chance to get out was to Bracklinn Falls which can be reached by a footpath direct from the camp site. Bracklinn is a series of dramatic waterfalls on the Keltie Water. Located in a deep wooded gorge, Its been a popular destination since Victorian times. One of its unique features is the footbridge made of weathering steel that was opened in 2023 and allows exceptional vantage points of the water falls.
The following day it was decided to take a chance and get the bikes unloaded and cycle the 2 mile pathway into the town of Callander. We also managed to dodge the rain and walk into the town using the same route. another day.
Callander is known as the Gateway to the Highlands and has been a bustling tourist town since the 19th century. Its Victorian main street has plenty of independent shops and traditional tearooms. We frequented the Alrium Restaurant which is located above the very well stocked outdoor clothes shop CCW Clothing. For lunch we visited the Mhor Bakery for some giant rolls.
As i said before you can get the Bus 59 from outside the site which we used to travel to Doune village to visit the famous Doune Castle which is a remarkably well preserved 14th century medieval fortress managed by Historic Environment Scotland .
The castle was built in the late 1300s by Robert Stewart the Duke of Albany. He was the the son of King Robert 2nd and is said to have ruled Scotland as regent during the reigns of three monarchs. Unlike a good many other castles Doune remains largely complete. It features a striking gatehouse, an expansive great-hall with a timber roof, and a very impressive kitchen tower designed to withstand long sieges.Its modern claim to fame, and something that brings in the tourists, is its use as a filming location. It doubles as nearly every castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, stood as Winterfell in the pilot episode of Game of Thrones, and portrayed Castle Leoch in Outlander.
From the castle grounds there are some very pleasant walks including one down to the River Teith and back along the river side.
Making our way back to the Buttercup Restaurant for lunch we walked passed the Mill of Doune. A historical traditional water powered corn and grain mill that has been in existence for some 500 years. The mill finally closed its doors in 1939.
Considering the weather we still had a very enjoyable time break.
No comments:
Post a Comment