Loch Lomond Travel Guide

Introduction

Loch Lomond is the largest of Scotland's lochs. The center of the ancient district of Lennox, it was possessed by the Stewart (Stuart) family, to which Lord Darnley (second husband of Mary Queen of Scots) belonged. The ruins of Lennox Castle are on Inchmurrin, one of the loch's 30 islands; Inchmurrin has ecclesiastical ruins and is noted for its yew trees, planted by King Robert the Bruce to ensure a suitable supply of wood for the bows of his archers. The loch is fed by at least 10 rivers from west, east, and north and is about 39km (24 miles) long; it stretches 8km (5 miles) at its widest point. On the eastern side is Ben Lomond, which rises to a height of 968m (3,192 ft.).

The song "Loch Lomond" was supposedly composed by one of Bonnie Prince Charlie's captured followers on the eve of his execution in Carlisle Jail. The "low road" of the song is the path through the underworld that his spirit will follow to his native land after death, more quickly than his friends can...