10 fascinating facts about… Callander

Central Scotland has a fascinating history, with many places and people having shaped it into the area we know today.

Here we present ten facts about Callander, Aberfoyle and Port of Menteith in Stirlingshire.

In the 1770s, Callander became Scotland’s first planned rural town.

Early visitors to the town included poets William Wordsworth and Sir Walter Scott.

The railway arrived in Callander in 1858, bringing with it a rush of visitors.

Local banker Donald McLaren’s trust funded the construction of the McLaren High School in 1892.

Rob Roy MacGregor, a folk hero who fought during the 1715 Jacobite Rising, is buried at Balquhidder kirkyard.

Inchmahome Priory, on an island in Lake of Menteith, was founded in 1238 by the Earl of Menteith.

In 1859, Loch Katrine was enlarged to become the first reliable source of piped clean water for people in Glasgow.

Callander’s annual jazz and blues festival regularly attracts star performers, with this year’s events taking place on 3-5 October.

The Duke’s Pass on the A821 is a popular road with many motorcyclists but is often closed during the winter by heavy snow.

The chambered cairn at Auchenlaich is the longest known Neolithic burial site in Scotland, measuring 322 metres.

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