Lonely Planet Scotland Guide
Lonely Planet Scotland guide with 2 colour text and improved maps throughout. Extended colour section to inspire travel. 3D illustrations of Edinburgh's Royal Mile, Stirling Castle and Rosslyn Chapel. Better and more focused maps than the competition. New easy-to-use two-colour format. More info..

OS Scotland Map
If you are on holiday in Scotland and looking for a simple map containing all the information you need to make the most of your visit, this map is for you. These easy-to-read maps are packed with essential tourist information, town plans and scenic areas in addition to roads, rail, cycle routes and ground height information. More info...

Stirling, Loch Lomond and Perth

Originally a Stone Age settlement, Stirling has been strategically significant since at least the Roman occupation of Britain, due to its naturally defensible crag and tail hill (latterly the site of Stirling Castle), and its commanding position at the foot of the Ochil Hills on the border between the Lowlands and Highlands, at the lowest crossing point of the River Forth. Major battles during the Wars of Scottish Independence took place at the Stirling Bridge in 1297 and at the nearby village of Bannockburn in 1314 involving Scottish freedom fighters William Wallace and Robert the Bruce respectively. Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, a volcanic crag. It is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Stirling Castle commands views of seven battlefields, including Bannockburn, in a panorama across Scotland that encompasses Ben Lomond, the Trossachs and the Ochil Hills.


Stirling Castle

Perth is located around 50 miles north of Edinburgh and enjoys a beautiful position on the banks of Scotland's longest river - the Tay (at 119 miles). With a rich and influential history that stretches back over 8000 years, Perth has served as its country's capital and has always been one of the most important political, judicial and commercial centres in Scotland. Perth is also a key transport hub for journeys by road and rail throughout Scotland. Today, Perth is a bustling town of around 50,000 inhabitants. It offers a range of entertainment, shops, cafes and restaurants.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Loch Lomond is a freshwater loch is around 39 kilometres and has a maximum depth of about 190 metres. Of all lakes in Great Britain, it is the largest by surface area, and the second largest by water volume. Traditionally a boundary of Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire, Loch Lomond is located in the current council areas of Stirling, Argyll and Bute, and West Dunbartonshire, and its southern shores lie approximately 23 kilometres north of Glasgow. Loch Lomond is now part of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Ben Lomond is on the eastern shore: 974 m in height and the most southerly of the Scottish Munro peaks. A 2005 poll of Radio Times readers named Loch Lomond as the 6th greatest natural wonder in Britain. Settlements are sparse around Loch Lomond and Luss, a conservation village, has many picturesque cottages and there is a Kiltmaker and a Bagpipe Works.


Loch Lomond with Ben Lomond in the Distance seen from Luss

The Trossachs itself is a small woodland glen in the Stirling council area. It lies between Ben A'an to the north and Ben Venue to the south, with Loch Katrine to the west and Loch Achray to the east. However, the name is used generally to refer to the wider area of wooded glens and braes with quiet lochs, lying to the east of Ben Lomond. The scenic charms of this area came to popularity when Sir Walter Scott extended his romantic portrayal of Scotland's past from border ballads to poems of a medieval past rich in chivalry and symbolism, with his 1810 poem The Lady of the Lake giving a roll call of Trossachs place names, the lady herself being found on Loch Katrine. This was followed up by his 1817 historical novel Rob Roy romanticising the outlaw cattle thief Raibert Ruadh born by Loch Katrine and buried at nearby Balquhidder. Scotland's only lake, the Lake of Menteith, lies about 6 miles (10 km) to the south east of the glen, on the edge of the Trossachs area.

 Further Information:


The Scottish Highlands | Sutherland and Caithness | Moray - Speyside | Aberdeen and Grampian | Wester Ross | Inverness, Loch Ness and Nairn | Badenoch and Strathspey | Morar, Rum, Lochaber and Fort William | Argyll and Bute | Stirling, Loch Lomond and Perth | Angus and Dundee | Fife and St Andrews | Glasgow and West Central Lowlands | Dumfries and Galloway | The Scottish Borders | Edinburgh and Lothian