Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 20 on 10/04/2005.

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Where all of Scotland meets

Dominic Roskrow argues that the area between Loch Lomond and Stiirling encapsulates all facets of Scotland

If you were given just 24 hours to get a taste of Scotland where would you go? Where best would you be able to experience everything that makes Scotland special to you? The history? The beauty? The intriguing mix of warmth and rebelliousness, the blend of Highland and Lowland, of city and countryside?

You could do a great deal worse than head off to Stirling as a starting point, and to wander across to Loch Lomond, taking in the Trossachs on the way. This area has it all – and then some.

We should state at the off that we’re cheating a bit – it’s a vast area sitting like a great stomach above Edinburgh and Glasgow. But if those two cities are most people’s ‘in’ points to Scotland, the area above is the true gateway to the country’s treasures.

And in this area you’ll find all the spirit and drama of historic Scotland, the very best in beauty and landscape, and a healthy dose of modern Scotland too, with some of Scotland’s best shopping. The whisky industry is wellrepresented too. How could you resist?

For a sense of the dramatic, travel to Stirling Castle, stand upon the ramparts and gaze down to the river, the bridge and the Wallace Monument and swear that you aren’t taken back through the centuries to the years of conflict, defeat and triumph.

Few views better encapsulate the strategic importance of the region, and you need no imagination at all to picture the movement of armies as they sought to effectively control Scotland from here.

The geography has changed little .....

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By Dominic Roskrow

Section : Regional Focus

Page number : 34