Land of legends

Thanks to a mixture of myth, Sir Walter Scott and Hollywood, the Trossachs in central Scotland is indelibly linked with the name Rob Roy MacGregor.

The Trossachs has been described as the Highlands in miniature with all the majestic peaks, teeming forests, shimmering lochs and picturesque villages of mountainous northwest Scotland, located within a 30-40 square-mile area about 30 minutes drive north of Stirling.

The main highlights of the area can be reached by taking the Trossachs Trail which is a sign-posted road route that takes you on a round trip of the area's highlights.

We began our trip north of this route in the heart of the Highlands among the hauntingly beautiful glens of Breadalbane. The centre of Breadalbane is Killin which boasts the Falls of Dochart at the head of Loch Tay.

The whole area abounds with Celtic legends and the Breadalbane Folklore Centre, right next to the roaring falls, is worth a visit.

You can see the 1300-year-old healing stones left behind by the 7th Century Celtic monk Saint Fillan, an Irish prince and early Christian magician. Make up your own mind whether to believe the tales of miracle cures. The MacGregor name crops up here and you can learn the full story of how they became the banned clan.

The whole Breadalbane area abounds with Munros - mountains over 3,000ft - for those with a head for heights, otherwise there are plenty of more gentle walks in the glens of Dochart, Lochay and Lyon, fishing for brown trout and salmon, a nine-hole golf course, horse-riding and watersports.

South of Killin lies what Queen Victoria described as Scotland's Khyber Pass - Glen Ogle. From Lochearnhead, you can walk on a disused railway line up along the glen for a breathtaking view across Loch Earn.

South of Lochearnhead, next to tranquil Loch Voil, is the grave of the famous Rob Roy MacGregor (1671-1734) - emblazened with the legend "MacGregor despite them". And for the finest-cooked steak you may ever taste in your life, try an evening meal at the 18th Century Monachyle Mhor hotel at Balqhidder.

Once you've taken in the physical remains of the legend, a visit to the Rob Roy & Trossachs Visitor Centre in the holiday town of Callander will give you the history behind the myth through audio visual displays. You'll hear how a feud over money Rob Roy owed the Duke led to his being outlawed, his lands seized, and his houses plundered. The outlaw was saved by the fickle political climate of the time which saw his eventual reprieve and the re-acceptance of his clan when the Duke of Montrose fell from favour.

If all that history is a bit much for you and you fancy something completely different, just follow the Trossachs Trail down from Callander, past Doune Castle, and you will arrive at a tiny piece of Africa in the centre of Scotland - the Blair Drummond Safari Park.

Particular highlights are perfecting your aim in tossing bananas into the elephants' cavernous mouths; cuddling lion cubs and viewing the chimpanzees on Chimp Island.

In a less exotic vein, but just as enthralling for the younger tourist, is the Farmlife Centre, a few miles further around the Trossachs Trail near Thornhill.

Here children can take part in collecting chicken eggs, feeding pigs, going on pony and tractor rides, handling rabbits, kittens and guinea pigs or just go mad in the barn converted into an all-weather safe play area.

Continuing around the Trossachs Trail, heading towards Aberfoyle, you pass historic Inchmahome Priory where Mary Queen of Scots was kept for safety reasons at the age of four. The Priory ruins stand majestically on an island in the middle of the Lake of Menteith and for a dinner with a memorable setting try the Lake Hotel in the Port of Menteith where you can feast your eyes as well as your stomach.

At Aberfoyle the most unexpected highlight of the Trossachs is the Scottish Wool Centre's Sheep Spectacular which gives you the history of Scotland through the evolution of its sheep. Cast aside all preconceptions because this really is worth seeing thanks to the show's entertaining host Fergus Wood, a local farmer, entrepreneur, musician and raconteur par excellence.

Surrounding Aberfoyle is the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park which covers more than 50,000 acres with spruce, birch, fir, larch, oak and Scots pine. From the visitor centre there are a variety of walks, taking in waterfalls and lochs. The forest is home to red and roe deer, capercailie, red squirrels and woodpeckers.

The Trossachs has been a tourist destination since tourism really took off, in the reign of Victoria, and the oldest popular attraction in the region - and the inspiration for poets and painters from even before this time - is the ruggedly beautiful Loch Katrine.

The birthplace of Rob Roy, this Loch's fame mainly stems from Sir Walter Scott's description of it in the poem The Lady of the Lake.

It became so popular as a beauty spot that the Duke of Montrose constructed a short pass from Aberfoyle to the lochside. It is still one of the most pleasing journeys of natural wonder you are likely to experience anywhere.

To experience the full wonder of the Loch, buy a ticket aboard the SS Sir Walter Scott which has been ferrying folk up and down the waters since 1899.

You can hire a bicycle at the pier and take it on board to cycle back from Stronachlachar, where the boat stops halfway through the journey.

The sheer beauty of the scenery will take your breath away - if the chill off the water hasn't already, so wrap up warm if you intend to stay on deck.

The Trossachs is an ideal holiday spot for individuals or families. Its mixture of stunning Highland and Lowland landscapes, outlaw history and Celtic myth make it a place you will want to return to again and again.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.