Scotland Road Trip: Fort William to Callander (Day 9)

UPDATED: 2/5/2023

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The ninth day of our road trip took us out of the Corpach/Fort William area, through Glencoe Valley, to the village of Luss on Loch Lomond in the Trossachs National Park and finally to the adorable town of Callander, the last stop of our trip and where we would stay for two nights.

Glencoe Valley

Misty mountains, somewhere along the roadside to Glencoe.

About 40 minutes from Corpach, we entered Glencoe Valley, a completely new kind of beautiful from the parts of Scotland we had been in already. Even for those uninterested in any hiking, Glencoe is a worthy drive to take in the vistas! Formed during the last Ice Age, the U-shaped valley was carved out by glaciers. Today, the River Coe flows through it, and it is a glen, voted the most beautiful in Scotland, hence the name Glencoe, sometimes written Glen Coe.

For those Harry Potter fans among you, part of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was filmed right across the street from Clachaig Inn (where we had lunch, which you can read about below) and is where Hagrid’s hut stood.

We stopped in at the visitor’s center near the beginning of the valley (coming from Skye). They had a large topographical map that showed different area hikes, and the people who worked there were helpful in giving tips and sharing advice on different hiking options. Because the area is in a valley, most hikes are uphill and some quite strenuous. It’s important, as anywhere, to be aware of the current state of the trails - whether they’re muddy or slippery based on recent rainfall.

We selected one of the shorter hikes - Signal Rock, which is 1.25 miles in total (up and back). This route took us about 55 minutes at a leisurely pace, taking photos along the way. The hike is called Signal Rock because at its highest point is an enormous rock that was said to be used as a meeting place for the MacDonalds if there was an emergency.

Signal Rock, slowly becoming overgrown as the forest reestablishes itself.

There is a parking lot from which you can begin the hike. The path initially traverses the River Coe, a relatively small but quickly moving rocky river. From there, you have the option for three different hikes, each marked with a different color. We selected the blue trail, which would take us uphill to Signal Rock. The others go through An Torr Woodland (black trail) and over to the Clachaig Inn (yellow trail), which is where we would eat lunch later on.

After River Coe, there was a slightly steep area as the trail to Signal Rock got underway but after that point, it was a pretty easy, albeit uphill, climb. The path was covered with pine needles and surrounded by beautiful trees, some quite gnarled. On our way up, we came upon a Roe Deer, clearly used to and unafraid of humans! At the top, the view from near signal rock looked out at other nearby hills.

From that point, it is a matter of turning around and following the same path back downhill. If you are looking for a longer time hiking, you could easily meet up with the two other trails and extend your time. There were a few other people on the trail when we were there but it was not at all crowded.

The well kept paths weaved their way through a well established forest in Glencoe Valley.

Not a species we see in America, this Roe Deer paid little attention to our presence.

Signal rock, a bit overgrown with moss, ferns, and young trees.

Moss usually grows on the north side of trees.

Glencoe valley sits between tall mountains and was shaped during the last ice age.

River water churns as it flows down a series of tiny waterfalls carving away the rock-face through the eons.

Lunch at Clachaig Inn in Glencoe

Glencoe is really quite rural so you’ll find yourself with relatively limited dining options. As always, try to plan ahead for this! Right down the street from our hike to Signal Rock was the Clachaig Inn. This restaurant was cute and had a friendly, hiker vibe. Inside, you can pick your own table and then order at the counter. As I mentioned earlier in this blog, right across the street from it is a spot that served as Hagrid’s hut in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban so HP fans may want to scope that out.

Dustin ordered a chipotle chicken sandwich, and I had a salmon sandwich. My in-laws had the salmon sandwich and fish and chips. There was a bar with a number of brews on tap so a few of us tried one called Loch Lomond from a local brewery. We enjoyed the respite from the slightly chilly day for a while before deciding it was time to hit the road.

This ridgeline is near the tail end of the Aonach Eagach Ridge. Hiking this ridge looks like an unforgettable experience.

For you geology buffs, this arched rock structure is called an anticline and is formed as rocks bend when they are forced together deep underground.

The Clachaig Inn sits in front of the tail end of the Aonach Eagach Ridge.

The Clachaig Inn had great ambiance and good food… although finding the front door took a minute.

This is potentially the most terrifying (and yet strangely amusing) wooden deer I’ve ever seen. You can find it in the Clachaig Inn, where he will watch you eat.

Glencoe Valley to Luss

While our ultimate destination for the night was the town of Callander, we decided to take a roundabout way to get there to go through the Trossachs National Park and check out the village of Luss, which is referred to by many as the “prettiest village in Scotland”. (You can check out our route in the map at the bottom of this blog.) The drive from lunch at Clachaig Inn to Luss was about 80 minutes in length. As we drove, it was clear by the scenery and hills around us that we were gradually leaving the Highlands. The Trossachs area is right near the division between the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands.

The gardens of Luss nearly spill out into the street.

Luss, “the prettiest village in Scotland”

Is Luss worth the fuss? Because it has become popularized as a quaint, photogenic village, Luss gets way more than its fair share of large tour buses. The town can be quite busy with people wandering through it. As travelers who try to minimize the number of places we visit that attract such crowds, that is not particularly appealing.

But. Luss is also very adorable, and if you wander away from the main areas, you can find a little more solitude. There are a number of different walking paths that start in the middle of town and if you have the time to do so, that is a nice way to explore the town and vicinity.

We found ourselves enjoying the Luss Parish Church, right on the banks of the extensive Loch Lomond. The church is picturesque and what I would describe as semi-gothic in design. The gravestones are interesting, and a number of them are covered in a bright orange lichen, something I haven’t seen before at a cemetery and which makes it even more interesting and unique.

From the church, you can wander on a path that is dotted with benches overlooking Loch Lomond. It’s a good spot to sit and enjoy the view, which we did for a little while.

Back in the main part of town, Dustin and I decided it was time for some afternoon ice cream, which we bought in what I’d describe as a ‘general store’. I got salted caramel and toffee fudge and Dustin got Scottish tablet (which sounds like medicine to me) and Belgian chocolate on a chocolate dipped cone. We weren’t going to let cool Scottish weather keep us from ice cream!

The church at Luss has gravesites that date back to the 12th century. The oldest grave is a Viking Hogback Stone.

You Take the High Road and I’ll take the Low Road…. On the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

This wide footbridge leads to paths that leave town.

Trossachs National Park to Callander

From Luss, we drove about an hour further, looping through the southern part of Trossachs National Park to the town of Callander, our last stop in the country and where we would spend two nights.

Trossachs is Scotland’s first national park and was established in 2002, which is always a bit astounding to me coming from the US with a longer history of national parks. The park has a number of lochs beyond Loch Lomond - including Loch Katrine and Loch Achray. There are a number of hiking and boating options in the area. One particularly long hike is the 48 km (30 mile) Great Trossachs Path, which opened in 2015, and spans from Callander to Loch Lomond, passing other lochs en route. Note that the distance is one-way so if you were to do it as a down-and-back, the distance would double. While we did not have time to take this path, which is recommended to do over 2-3 days with a total of 10-14 hours of walking, it looked like a beautiful place for a long-distance walk. You can read more about it and see a map here.

Callander

Population size about 3,000, Callander is a sweet little town. At slightly less than an hour from Edinburgh airport, this was a good option for our final stop of the trip, providing proximity to the airport without having to stay right near the airport itself.

Coffee and biscuits were a welcome sight after hours of driving.

We stayed at Westerton Bed & Breakfast, a Victorian home right along the main street of Callander, just beyond the center of town but very walkable to everything. Owners Mike and Lesley were fantastic. They greeted us upon arrival, showed us our rooms and what we needed to know to be comfortable, and then offered us an afternoon pick-me-up of tea or coffee. Presented artistically with white Wedgwood, we had coffee and shortbread cookies in the breakfast room of the house.

They were helpful in making suggestions for restaurants in town and recommended two places. Given the size of the town, reservations are required at most/all of the nicer places. Upon calling the first place, we learned it was booked for the evening and so were able to make a reservation for the second night but lucked out on our second try and booked The Pottingshed, literally the former potting shed that has been adorably made into a small restaurant on the grounds of Roman Camp Hotel. The Pottingshed seems to have minimal online presence, and we would never have found this place without the recommendation!

Our large and comfortable room at the Westerton B&B.

Fancy relaxing in a well groomed garden? Take a stroll out to the Westerton B&B’s backyard.

The Westerton Bed & Breakfast sits on the cute main street of Callander.

Our first thought about the Roman Camp Hotel… “Wow it’s pink!” In the foreground is a statue of what I think was a crocodile or like-minded creature.

We wandered a bit around town in the late afternoon and then later in the evening headed to The Pottingshed, about 0.7 miles from our B&B. Google Maps let us down, so we ended up getting directions from a helpful local when we found ourselves in a residential neighborhood. As is not uncommon in many countries, some restaurants are cash only, so we stopped by one of the several ATMs in town on our way to dinner.

On our way to the Pottingshed, we walked alongside the main Roman Camp Hotel , a light pink (unexpectedly!) stucco-facaded building (or at least it looked like stucco). This building dates to 1625 and was a hunting lodge. There are remains on its property of what is believed to have been a Roman camp, hence its name.

But we were not headed to the pink hotel that was somehow both stately and quaint at the same time. Right down the lane was the Pottingshed restaurant. While I didn’t count and table sizes can change as tables are put together or pulled part for different party sizes, the front of the restaurant probably housed about 4 tables, and the back probably had around the same or fewer. No wonder why reservations are required!

The decoration and ambiance of the restaurant alone makes it worth visiting, but the service and food were absolutely fantastic. We would absolutely recommend this place. It was here that Dustin, connoisseur of fish and chips, had his favorite ones of the trip. The other three of us all ordered the pesto salmon served on potatoes with spinach and Cabernet Sauvignon to wash it down.

When we finished dinner, it was twilight due to the late setting sun midsummer so far north. We took our sweet time returning back to the B&B - first taking photos and appreciating the beautiful setting of the Roman Camp Hotel and tree lined driveway to it, then walking through Callander and checking out store fronts.

Callander is one of those places where you just feel at home really easily. The next day would be our last of our trip. We spent it exploring and hiking right in Callander, not wanting to add extra car time with our return flights looming!