 A
vibrant blend of historical interest, unspoilt natural beauty
and rural life animates the Trossachs
for today's visitor. Countless writers, poets and artists
have been drawn to its loch shores, fascinated by the tales
of Rob Roy MacGregor and perhaps by the mystery of the 'children
of the mist' the clans who lived amidst these wild hills. William
and Dorothy Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, James Hogg and John
Ruskin all savoured its incomparable atmosphere. |
 In
more distant ages, this natural frontier was where many ancient
cultures met. Britons, Scots,
Picts and Romans all left their mark. However, it is
the clan leader Rob Roy the highland Robin Hood who has most
captured the imagination, not only of his eighteenth century
contemporaries but of many who have followed in his footsteps. Hero
or villain, rogue or rebel, tales of his irrepressible exploits
still reverberate among the Trossachs glens and passes to this
day. |
 The
very routes once followed by Rob Roy's cattle drovers in time
became the arteries which now
carry our modern traffic. Nineteenth century tourists
lurched over the famous Duke's Pass in heaving horse-drawn
carriages, whereas today's visitors wend their way through
pine forests or through the sheep-dotted glens in greater comfort. |
| Tourism
a natural progression, perhaps, of the traditional 'highland
hospitality' goes back
further in the Trossachs than almost anywhere in Britain. Forestry
and farming are the are the other main industries here and
you can certainly gain a revealing insight into these rural
livelihoods as you visit the Trossachs today. You are
also assured of bountiful wildlife, of stunning landscapes
steeped in echoes of the colourful past, of plenty of things
to do and places to visit. Above all, you are assured
of that warm, highland welcome. The Trossachs Discovery
Centre in Aberfoyle is the ideal place to start. |
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