THE TROSSACHS TRAIL - WALKING SHORT BREAK
Explore the Lochs, Glens and Mountains of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park on
foot. The Trossachs Trail explores the most picturesque area of the Trossachs, an enchanting
area of lochs, mountains, rivers and forest rich in both scenic beauty and historical interest. The
Trossachs inspired Sir Walter Scott to write “Lady of the Lake” and “Rob Roy”, both of which
popularised the Highlands of Scotland as a popular destination.
Your walking break starts in Callander, a bustling town often called the gateway to the Highlands. You
begin with a wander along Loch Venachar and then climb over the Menteith Hills to Aberfoyle, enjoying
wonderful views to the South. Turning north you walk through the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and over
the Duke’s Pass to the hamlet of Brig o’ Turk. The route continues through Glen Finglas and to
Balquhidder, a beautiful glen famous as the site of Rob Roy’s Grave. If you have chosen the shorter break
this is where your journey ends, for those continuing to Callander you have a magical final day’s walking
down Strathyre to look forward to.
Hand-picked overnight accommodation in high quality Hotels, B&B’s and guesthouses., daily door to door
baggage transfer, maps, route notes and emergency telephone support are included in your walking
break.
Enjoying some of Scotland’s best views.
Discovering the history of “Rob Roy Country”.
Walking in remote Glen Buckie and Glen Finglas, the old hunting grounds of the
Stewart Kings.
Welcoming and friendly country inns and B&B’s handpicked by us.
WHY CHOOSE A SELF GUIDED SHORT BREAK WITH US?
Macs Adventure is a small, energetic company dedicated to delivering adventure excellence. We are
passionate about delivering outstanding walking holidays where every last detail is taken care of. From
your first contact with Macs Adventure you will deal with a local specialist who knows the region intimately
and we ensure that we tailor make your trip so that your precious time away is hassle free and you can
focus on relaxation and fun.
A short break walking holiday in the Trossachs is the perfect way to discover this special corner of the
Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Free to travel at your own pace and wander off the beaten
track, you will discover the hidden secrets and quiet places that make the Trossachs so special.
THE TROSSACHS TRAIL
WALKING SHORT BREAK
SUMMARY
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
Accommodation: Hand-picked B&B’s, small hotels, country inns & guesthouses.
Meals: A hearty breakfast included. Lunch and dinner not included but always
available at accommodation or nearby.
Baggage Transfer: Door-to-door
baggage transfer.
Information Pack: 1:50 000 OS Map and
detailed route notes
IS IT FOR ME? If you only have a few days available for walking in Scotland, the Trossachs Trail will help you discover some of the very best Highland scenery. The walking is on good trails, forestry tracks, and footpaths.
Tour: The Trossachs Trail
Code: WSSTT1-2
Price: See website
Single Supplement: See website
Available: Daily, March to October
Walking Days: 3 or 4
Nights: 4 or 5
Start: Callander
Finish: Balquhidder or Callander
Distance: 31.5 or 43.5 miles
Grade: Easy to Moderate HIGHLIGHTS
Arrive Starting Point: Callander
Callander is a bustling little highland town
situated at the gateway to the Scottish
Highlands. It takes 1h30 or 2h00 to travel to
Callander from Glasgow and Edinburgh
respectively.
Callander to Aberfoyle —9 Miles
Leaving Callander on the Invertrossachs Road
you quickly reach tranquil Loch Venachar and
then head to Aberfoyle via the Menteith Hills. A
lovely day of walking through forests, along lochs
and across open moorland to Aberfoyle passes
all too quickly.
Aberfoyle is popular with day trippers from
Glasgow and has several tourist shops,
restaurants and an award winning local butcher
who offer tasty packed lunches.
Aberfoyle to Brig o’ Turk — 8.5 Miles
Today's walk starts off in the Queen Elizabeth
Forest Park, part of Scotland’s first National
Park. In autumn it is a riot of colour and you will
enjoy expansive views to the south as you climb
over the Duke’s Pass. Descending to Brig o’ Turk
you pass a number of small tranquil lochs and
the views of Bens Venue, Ben A’an and Ben Ledi
are spectacular. If you are lucky you may spot
Red or Roe deer, Red squirrels and even
Capercaillie.
Brig o’ Turk is a small hamlet, nestled in the
heart if the Trossachs, which has an excellent
local pub. Due to a lack of preferred
accommodations at this location, you shall be
provided with short return transfers to a nearby
property,
Brig o’ Turk to Balquhidder—14
Miles
Today’s walk is mainly out in open mountain
country, walking through glens and skirting the
base of heather clad hills. The first section leads
you up to Glen Finglas, the old hunting grounds
of the kings of Scotland, now an important
reservoir. You soon reach Glen Meann, which
leads you through some rugged, big sky country
and down to Balquhidder.
Balquhidder is famous as the site of Rob Roy’s
Grave and enjoys a picturesque location at the
head of Loch Voil. You will either stay in
Balquhidder or the nearby Kingshouse Hotel.
If your walk is ending in Balquhidder you can
take a bus (30 minutes) or taxi (20 minutes) back
to Callander and then onwards.
Balquhidder to Callander—12 Miles
The walk from Balquhidder through Strathyre,
along Loch Lubnaig and to Callander is a
personal favourite. Beautiful scenery, good trails
and great chat mean the miles fly past and you
are back in Callander all too soon.
Depart Callander
Regular buses depart from Callander to Stirling or Bridge of Allan and connect to train services to all Scottish destinations. We offer the Trossachs Trail as a three or four
day walking break. The three day walking option
finishes in Balquhidder, while the four day break
takes you full circle to Callander.
Description: This 3 day walk is ideal for a
long weekend or as part of a longer tour or
Scotland.
Walking Days: 3
Nights: 4
Average Daily Distance: 10.5 Miles
Grade: Easy to moderate
Description: Complete the circle with a lovely
walk down Strathyre to Callander.
Walking Days: 4
Nights: 5
Average Daily Distance: 10.5 Miles
Grade: Easy to moderate
Day Route Miles
1 2 3 4 5
Arrive Callander Walk to Aberfoyle Walk to Brig o’ Turk Walk to Balquhidder Onward Travel
9
8.5 14
Total Distance 31.5
THE TROSSACHS TRAIL
A WALKING SHORT BREAK
ITINERARY: WSSTT1 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
ITINERARY: WSSTT2
Day Route Miles
1 2 3 4 5 6
Arrive Callander Walk to Aberfoyle Walk to Brig o’ Turk Walk to Balquhidder Walk to Callander Onward Travel
9
8.5 14 12
Total Distance 43.5
Navigation
Sections of the trail are way marked, whilst at
other points you will have to follow directions and
map, although the route finding is easy and you
are walking on defined trails and tracks
throughout.
Grade
This walk is graded easy because the daily
distances are around 10.5 miles, although the
first three days do involve between 100m and
300m of ascent and descent.
Accommodation
One of the highlights of this tour is the high
standard of the accommodation. We specifically
choose the hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s
to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your
stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers,
traditional hospitality and delicious local food.
Solo Walkers
This short break is available to solo walkers but
we charge a solo walker supplement to cover the
additional baggage transfer costs.
Single Rooms
If you require single rooms within your party we
will always try and accommodate your request,
although there will be a single supplement
payable.
Meals
A hearty breakfast is included each morning to
get you ready for a days walking. Lunch and
dinner are not included so you are free to choose
from the available options. Most of your
accommodations will be more than happy to
provide a packed lunch on request and this can
be booked on arrival.
Alternatively your info pack includes details of
local shops and convenient lunch stops on the
way. Dinner is available either at your
accommodation or nearby pubs and restaurants
and your info pack will of course have details.
Baggage Transfer
Your bags will be transferred from your
accommodation as per your itinerary and moved
onto your next overnight accommodation. We
ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to
15kg per person.
Equipment
Your information pack has a detailed equipment
list which includes standard walking gear such as
good walking boots or shoes, warm and
waterproof clothes and a day pack.
Dogs
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate
walkers with dogs as many of the
accommodation providers do not accept pets.
Getting to/from Callander
Callander is well served by public transport and
has plenty of parking. It takes 1h30 and 2h00 to
reach Callander from Glasgow or Edinburgh
respectively. (Train & Bus)
From Glasgow there are frequent departures
from either Queen Street Rail Station or
Buchanan Bus Station. You can find further
details for this section of the journey by going to
www.citylink.co.uk/ for buses or
www.scotrail.co.uk/ for trains.
Once in Stirling you simply take the number 59
Bus from the bus station which takes you to
Callander. By either method, the whole journey
takes around 1.5 hours.
Should you be driving to Callander there is only
on street parking available and depending on
where you stay we can try to organise you to
leave your car with your accommodation
provider.
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend taking out travel
insurance to cover cancellation or curtailment of
your trip.
Minimise Impact & Maximise Benefit
Our operating policies, office policies, holidays
and tours are all designed to minimise impact
and maximise benefit to the environment and
local communities.
Action & Advocacy
We believe that by engaging our team and
clients in environmental and community projects
we can make a real difference.
Carbon & Communities
Travel and our business activity does of course
contribute to carbon output and climate change.
We have put several policies in place to minimise
our carbon footprint.
TRIP INFORMATION
TRAVEL INFORMATION
THE TROSSACHS TRAIL
A SHORT WALKING BREAK IN THE TROSSACHS
M.A.C.S RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
Sensitive & Sustainable
Macs Adventure has worked hard to ensure that
our holidays are sensitive to the community you
are visiting and sustainable over the long term.
More about M.A.C.S. Responsible Travel
Policy...
Availability
You can start the Trossachs Trail on any day
between March and October. The Trossachs are
a popular destination so we recommend booking
as far in advance as possible.
Price
Detailed up to date prices for all our Trossachs
Trail trips are available on our website.
Included
Hand picked B&B, guesthouse or small hotel accommodation in ensuite rooms.
Door to door baggage transfer.
A detailed info pack, route notes and map for the group leader.
Emergency telephone support from our office in the event of a problem.
Excluded
Travel to the start or from the finish of the walk.
Lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks.
Travel Insurance.
Personal Equipment.
Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage.
Once you have read all the information in this
factsheet or on our website and decided on your
preferred itinerary, visit our website or give us a
call to confirm availability. You can then book by
any of the following methods:
Book Securely Online: www.macsadventure.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 141 530 8886
Please don’t hesitate to contact us by phone on
+44 (0) 0141 530 8886 or email:
[email protected] if you have any
queries and one of our expert customer service
team will be happy to help.
Financial Security
We are a member of ABTA which means
you have the benefit of ABTA’s assistance
and Code of Conduct. We provide full
financial protection for your money.
ABTA Member Statement
Macs Adventure Holidays
is a Member of ABTA.
ABTA and ABTA Members
help holidaymakers to get
the most from their travel and assist when things
don’t go according to plan. We are obliged to
maintain a high standard of service to you by
ABTA’s Code of Conduct. For more information
on ABTA, the Code of Conduct and the
arbitration scheme available to you if you have a
complaint, contact ABTA, 30 Park Street, London
SE1 9EQ, tel 020 3117 0581 www.abta.com
PRICE & AVAILABILITY
HOW TO BOOK
THE TROSSACHS TRAIL
A SHORT WALKING BREAK IN THE TROSSACHS
BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE