The Trossachs (; Scottish Gaelic, Na Trosaichean) itself is a small woodland glen in the Stirling council area of Scotland. 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 Lake of Menteith, in the strictest sense Scotland's only natural lake, lies about six miles (10 km) to the south east of the glen, on the edge of the Trossachs area.
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The scenic charms of the area came to popularity with Sir Walter Scott's 1810 poem The Lady of the Lake, extending his romantic portrayal of Scotland's past from border ballads to poems of a medieval past rich in chivalry and symbolism. The poem gives a roll call of Trossachs place names, the lady herself being found on Loch Katrine. Scott followed up with his 1817 historical novel Rob Roy romanticising the outlaw cattle thief Raibert Ruadh born by Loch Katrine and buried at nearby Balquhidder.
The effect of this romantic literature was to draw tourists to the area and make there a need for a hotel for them to stay in, so the Trossachs Hotel was built on the north bank of Loch Achray. This still exists today as the An Tigh Mor Trossachs holiday apartments.
Loch Katrine itself changed in 1859 when a dam was built at the eastern end and connecting aqueducts built to bring a new main water supply to Glasgow. At the expense of the Glasgow water company Queen Victoria had a holiday house built for her overlooking the loch. The house, 'Royal Cottage', was never used for the purpose and ended up as accommodation for Scottish Water's employees. A steamer service started, and the 1900 SS Sir Walter Scott is still going, giving visitors a delightful way to enjoy the scenery while adding to the picturesque view. The area is now in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, remaining popular with walkers and cyclists, and for the motorist the winding roads have a certain charm.
The leading Victorian art critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) and the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (1829–1896) spent the summer of 1853 together at Glenfinlas in the Trossachs.[1] Millais started a painting of John Ruskin during the visit, which he finished the following year. The painting is held in a private collection, but was on show at a exhibition on the Pre-Raphaelites at Tate Britain in London during 2004.[2] John Ruskin himself was especially interested in the rock formations in the area and undertook his own studies of these.
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