Area History
It is thought that folk first came to Loch Lomond about 6000 years ago. Accommodation was mostly self-catering – ideal for hunter-gatherers.
Next came the first farmers with their herds, leaving only their chambered tombs as evidence. About ten of these Neolithic burial sites have been found in the lower part of the Loch Lomond area.
Today, south of Dungoyne, West Highland Way walkers pass close to the Duntreath Standing Stones. Though disturbed and excavated, the stones here align with a notch in the Campsie Hills close to where the sun rises at the equinox. Marking the seasons was as important for Neolithic farmers as it is today.
There are also later Bronze Age burial sites known around Loch Lomond, as well as mysterious cup and ring markings (if you know where to look!) near Inverarnan. However, we do understand that the presence of cup and ring markings may not be crucial in deciding where to go for your next holiday. But we thought we’d just mention it.
Duns date from Iron Age times. These small forts or ramparts that once protected hilltop settlements can be found above Craigton in the Endrick Valley, Dunmore Hill above Strathendrick and Carman Hill by the River Leven. Strathcashell Point on the east bank of Loch Lomond is a fortified headland, also dating from the Iron Age.
Romans, Vikings and Rob Roy Macgregor.
Close to the West Highland Way, on the little road between Drymen and Gartness, is a level area that was once a Roman fort. Sometimes known as the Drumquhassle Fort Platform, don’t blame us if you can’t see anything. The Romans demolished it themselves around AD86 after occupying it only for a few years. But it’s worth visiting the site just to see how it commands a wide view towards loch and mountain.
Next came the Dark Ages, when Britons, Picts and Scots gradually merged. The Britons’ headquarters was at Dumbarton Rock, their territory stretching along Loch Lomond but no further. The Picts were to the north-east, while to the west, the Scots (from Ireland!) expanded in Argyll. Legend says that all three territories met at Glen Falloch at the Clach nan Breatann (the Stone of the Britons).
Then Luss became a religious centre, through St Kessog, his mission recalled in Inchtavannoch or island of the monks. Inchcailloch – the island of the nuns – also echoes the religious theme. These religious settlements in turn bore the brunt of later successive Viking raids, the most famous of which was in 1263, when the lochside and islands were put to fire and sword. This was the first recorded visitor management issue, sorted out at the subsequent Battle of Largs, after which Vikings were banned from Loch Lomond (and everywhere else in Scotland).
The Earls of Lennox later became powerful in the area. Their stronghold formerly stood in today’s Balloch Country Park, though they had a network of smaller castles, the most important of which was on the island of Inchmurrin. As well as Lennox, Graham, Colquhoun, Buchanan, Drummond, Lindsay, Galbraith and Napier are just some other family names associated with Loch Lomond. The Clan MacFarlane formerly held extensive territories west of Loch Lomond, around Loch Sloy, while the Campbells had Glen Falloch (and lots more land) to the north.
Perhaps the most famous Loch Lomond former resident was Rob Roy Macgregor. The Clan Gregor had been proscribed – banned by King James VI – after the Battle of Glen Fruin in 1603. There they had defeated a superior force of Colquhouns. However, almost a century later, during which time they were ‘rehabilitated’, the Macgregor clan chief sold on a portion of land at Craigrostan on the east bank to the soon-to-become famous Rob Roy. By 1696, Rob had acquired extensive land in the area. However, as history and Hollywood tells, it all went horribly wrong – Rob lost his estates and the government built a barracks at Inversnaid to keep an eye on his unruly kinsfolk. The remains of the building can still be seen today. The woods that Rob Roy once knew are an RSPB nature reserve.
Loch Lomond and its islands – facts and folklore
Nobody knows for sure the meaning of the ancient saying about Loch Lomond having ‘a wave without a wind, a fish without a fin, and a floating island’. Some say the wave is a ‘seiche’ – a scientific term meaning a standing wave in an enclosed body of water. (Think of it as a ‘slosh’.) The fish without a fin could be the river lamprey, which is found in the loch. The floating island has been explained by the mats of vegetation which can break off from the banks after waves or storms.
As for Loch Lomond’s islands - the ones that don’t float – they have for long been places of refuge and settlement. Clairinch, off Balmaha, became the war-cry of the Clan Buchanan, while the yew trees on Inchlonaig, opposite Luss, are said to have been planted King Robert I (‘the Bruce’) as a supply of wood for the bows for his archers. Another Scottish patriot is recalled in Wallace’s Isle in the north, though the historical connection is unclear.
The Macfarlanes had strongholds on the island of Inveruglas and the equally tiny Island I Vow. The Galbraiths’ fortified the islet south of Luss that still bears their name – Inchgalbraith.
Island I Vow may be small but it is also where a species of early flowering daffodil is found. Rather charmingly, it is said originally to have been grown by priests for Easter decoration of the island’s chapel. This same island inspired William Wordsworth – who first passed through in 1803, touring with his sister. He set two of his poems here: ‘The Brownie’ and ‘The Brownie’s Cell’. (No, we haven’t read them either.)
Wildlife around Loch Lomond – red deer and golden eagle
Red deer are found in the wilder grounds on both sides of Loch Lomond. Though most often seen on high moorland in the open, red deer occupy woodland when they are allowed to! This is Britain’s largest land mammal. The roaring of stags in the autumn rut is one of the great natural sounds of Scotland. Listen out if walking on high ground – it’s a real Highland experience. The roe deer is smaller than the red, with short antlers. It is quite widespread in woodland and farmland.
The golden eagle is a symbol of Highland Scotland. It requires a large territory for hunting, so nowhere is it common. That’s why a sighting is special. There are golden eagles in the National Park. But there are lots more buzzards. If you drive past an eagle sitting on a fence post then it’s definitely a buzzard. (That’s why we sometimes call buzzards ‘tourist eagles’.) Seriously though, the golden eagle is much bigger, usually appears darker, has a longer tail, squarer wings, slightly longer neck. OK, we admit it - none of these suggestions may help if you see a faraway speck in mountain habitat! Yes, it could be an eagle......
More Loch Lomond wildlife to look out for…..
We have other spectacular birds too. Ospreys are around the lochs of the area in summer – and our local ranger service keeps an eye on them. Ring ouzel, peregrine, hen harrier and (on the very highest tops) ptarmigan are just some of our other specialities. The very scarce capercaillie, another of Scotland’s iconic species, is found on some of the larger loch islands. Amongst the larger mammals, both red squirrel and pine marten are present, though seldom on the same branch at the same time, as the latter eats the former.
The powan may sound like a bird, but it’s a fish and another Loch Lomond speciality. It was originally found in Scotland in only one other place: Loch Eck to the west. Recently, other fish species introduced by anglers – mostly ruffe – found young powan very tasty. Now under threat, even local schoolchildren have lent a hand hatching powan eggs. By law, anglers must return any powan they catch.
If the powan sounds exotic, how about a wallaby? Red-necked wallabies were introduced to Inchconnan island by Lady Colquhoun. They love it there, making them one of the few viable wallaby colonies outside Australia. Other exotica in the area include fallow deer (the spotty ones with the palmate or flattened antlers) and also the scarcer sika deer.
