1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Trossachs, The

TROSSACHS, THE (Gaelic, “the bristled country,” a crude allusion to its physical features), a defile in the south-west of Perthshire, Scotland. It is a narrow, beautifully wooded glen, of no great depth, extending from Loch Achray to Loch Katrine, and continued thence by a strip on the north-eastern shore to a point above the now submerged Silver Strand opposite to Ellen’s Isle—a total distance of 21/2 m. It is situated 8 m. W. of Callander and 5 m. N. of Aberfoyle, with both of which places there is daily communication by coach during the tourist season. It lies between the steep green slopes of Ben Venue (2393 ft.) on the S.W. and the precipitous craig of Ben A’an (1750 ft.) on the N.E. Characterized by lovely scenery, owing to its harmonious blending of wood, water, rock and hill, the region has been famous ever since the appearance of Sir Walter Scott’s The Lady of the Lake and Rob Roy. Before the construction of the road that now winds through the pass, Sir Walter says that the only access to the lake was by means of a ladder formed out of the branches and roots of trees. A rustic pier has been built at the Trossachs end of Loch Katrine for the convenience of tourists, and a large hotel stands on the northern shore of Loch Achray, near the beginning of the pass.