Stirling, the Trossachs, and the West Highlands

Stirling lies at the centre of Scotland and at the centre of Scottish history. Stirling Castle, perched above the city, has seen the death of Kings and the birth of the Scottish nation, been captured by the English and besieged by the Scots. To the south, the town of Falkirk joins east and west central Scotland, and the new Falkirk Wheel bridges the Forth and Clyde Canals. Clackmannanshire to the North of the Forth estuary takes its name from the harbour village of Clackmannan - although the port has long since silted up and now lies over a mile from the water's edge.

Only twenty miles north-west of Glasgow and to the west of Stirling lies the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Under the shadow of Ben Lomond, Loch Lomond is a popular tourist and water sports centre.

In the Western Highlands and Islands, names such as Argyll, Tobermory, Oban, Mull, and Kintyre fire the imagination with notions of island retreats, romantic getaways, ancient Picts and Scots.