Lochearnhead
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Lochearnhead is a small town on the A84 Stirling to Crianlarich road at the foot of Glen Ogle. It is situated at the western end of Loch Earn where the A85 road from Crieff meets the A84.
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[edit] Development of communications
Before the days of the Jacobite Rebellions, the town was little more than a a few houses at the junction between the old roads that ran along the routes of the current A84 and A85. One of the original drove routes south ran down Glen Ogle and along the northern side of Loch Earn to Crieff. When the market was switched to Falkirk in around 1700, the main route ran south from Lochearnhead.
In 1750, work began on the military road from Stirling to Fort William. This ran by Callander, Lochearnhead and Tyndrum and when it was completed, the village rose in prominence. A Post Office was opened in 1800. But it was the coming of the railways that had the greatest effect on the town. In 1870, the Callander and Oban Railway, was completed and in 1904 the railway was extended along Loch Earn to St. Fillans and Crieff, making Lochearnhead an easy place to visit (the railway junction was actually at Balquhidder, 3 km to the south). With the rise in Scottish tourism in Victorian times, the town became a popular destination from which tourists could enjoy the tranquility of Loch Earn. A number of small hotels were built around 1900. The railways were short-lived and with the rise of motor transport, the St Fillans rail line closed in 1951. The Beeching cuts closed the main line in 1965.
[edit] Recent developments
Since then, the village has maintained its tourist status and has become a centre of water sports including water skiing, kayaking, Canadian canoeing, dinghy sailing and scuba diving. Loch Earn is particularly known for its water skiing and championships are held there. The old Lochearnhead Hotel was burned down in the 1970s — the new hotel of the same name was built on a different (lochside) site.
[edit] The turbulent past
The town has been witness to Scotland's turbulent past. A kilometre along the South Loch Earn road is Edinample Castle, built by Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy in 1630. Some three kilometres to the east is Ardvorlich House, home of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich since 1580. Near here is a tombstone for seven Macdonalds of Glencoe who were killed while attempting a raid on Ardvorlich House in 1620.
In 1962, Hertfordshire Scouts opened their first Scout Activity Centre in Lochearnhead. They utilised the remaining buildings from when the station in Lochearnhead closed, and it was aptly named the Lochearnhead Scout Activity Station. Recently, the main station buildings have been refurbished, and now a collection of Scandinavian style log cabins surround the platform to the south. Entrance to the station is just north of the village on a private slip road, with a large sign proclaiming the site of the station. The Glen Vogle trail runs on the northern side of the station, and the station is clearly visible. The original subway entrance to the station now backs onto a modern housing estate on the A84/A85 junction. This has recently been closed off due to Vandalism. A pathway through the the housing estate to the junction provides foot access to the station with a small gate in the surrounding fenceline. It is regularly used to access the jetty that Hertfordshire Scouts also own on Loch Earn. The station is in constant use throughout all school holidays, but the remainder of the time it is open to use for all other people. See the Hertfordshire Scouts website on Lochearnhead Station here [1]
[edit] Sources
[edit] Books
- AA Illustrated Road Book of Scotland (1974 edition) The Automobile Association
- A. R. B. Haldane (1952) The Drove Roads of Scotland, David & Charles, Newton Abbot
- A. R. B. Haldane (1962) New Roads through the Glens, David & Charles, Newton Abbot
