The Trossachs hills mark the dividing 'Highland Line' and, though their peaks may be humbler than those further north, the Trossachs' green uplands still dwarf the Lowland plain to the south. The gateways to this startling landscape, rich in mythology and folklore, are the villages of Callander and Aberfoyle.
Callander has an abundance of craft and woollen shops and the centre of the town cradles the memories and exploits of legendary Highland rogue, Rob Roy MacGregor, local hero and outlaw. To the north of the town lies the more tranquil hamlet of Balquhidder, where the churchyard containing Rob Roy's grave can be found, etched with the stirring epitaph 'MacGregor Despite Them'.
Above Aberfoyle, the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park is a haven for walkers and trekkers, and the splendour of nearby Loch Katrine, the inspiration for Walter Scott's 'Lady of the Lake' and 'Rob Roy', can be enjoyed from the decks of the elegant SS 'Sir Walter Scott'.
Breadalbane, Gaelic for 'the high country', is where the Scottish Highlands truly begin. This is a place of grand majesty, with the Crianlarich and Ben Lawers mountain ranges - amongst the highest in Scotland - a wild landscape of deer and eagles. Yet Breadalbane is also a place to relax and boasts a raft of welcoming hostelries in beauty spots like the traditional villages like Killin, nestling amid magnificent scenery, the spectacular Falls of Dochart, Lochearnheads stunning loch-side setting and, in an ancient glacial valley, the Highland villages of Tyndrum and Crianlarich.