Loch Katrine, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Highlands.
Few places can rival Loch Katrine as a destination for tourists in the Highlands. Situated not far from Glasgow, it offered a taste of the finest Highland scenery that could be easily digested in a day or two.
Another reason for its choice as a destination was the popularity of the works of Sir Walter Scott, in particular The Lady of the Lake. Before they were published the area seems hardly to have been known. The geologist John MacCulloch, who explored much of Scotland in the early years of the 19th century in connection with his scientific work, thought he was "the very first absolute stranger to visit Loch Cateran [Katrine]", and complained that it wasn't even marked on his map.
With the publication of Scott's The Lady of the Lake in 1810, the situation changed dramatically: visitors flocked to the region in their hundreds. Henry Cockburn recorded in his Journal (1838) that, at a hotel that was hopelessly overcrowded, he saw "three or four english gentlemen speading their own straw on the earthen floor of an outhouse....the pigs were as comfortably accommodated." But the draw of the place was irrestistable: one anonymous visitor from Dover exclaimed in ecstasy that when "standing on Ellen's Isle, one almost became a convert to the belief of the natives of the district, that the incident related in Scott's charming dramatic poem really occurred."
A postcard published in Stirling by Robert Shearer.
Other authors popularized the area, such as Jules Verne, who set his story The Underground City almost entirely underneath Loch Katrine.
Steamers carried day-trippers up and down the lake
By the end of the 19th century, with excellent railway connections at Aberfoyle, Stirling, Callander, etc., tour operators were able to offer a complete "The Lady of the Lake and Trossachs Tour."
Boats like the SS Rob Roy....
Two postcards showing travel by coach to Loch Katrine, the lower one dated 1932.
This was one of the hotels used by the visitors, Stronachlachar, with Rob Roy's prison & Ben Venue. A photo by G.W. Wilson. Note the lovely hay ricks on the right.
At the Trossachs pier, the visitor could expect to be met by a piper....
"The Trossach's Tea Rooms, Loch Katrine."
....and enjoiy the delights of a lavish Highland tea.
But it is the early images of this wonderful spot that I believe capture the essence of the place, not least the remarkable boathouse that was replaced sometime early in the 20th century.
I think this is titled "Ben Awn" bottom left. The mountain is now known as Ben A'an. It lies in the heart of the Trossachs. A watercolour said to be by J.H. or M. Boggis.
"View of the Head of Loch Katrine, W. Highlands, Scotland by Nicholson" [Titled on the back].
Scott published the Lady of the Lake in 1810. Guide books from this time were keen to steer tourists to the Trossachs with details and maps. This map appeared in Thomson's 'Travellers Guide Through Scotland in 1814. The map is dedicated to Sir Walter Scott.