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Coldbackie Beach, Sutherland
Loch Lomond

Lake of Menteith

Scotland's one lake, a shallow sheet of water near Aberfoyle, with Inchmahome Priory on its island.

Welcome

The Lake of Menteith, a few miles east of Aberfoyle, is famous for its name: it is the only sheet of water in Scotland commonly called a lake.

The usual explanation is that the old Scots name, the Laich o' Menteith, meaning the low ground of Menteith, was misheard by Dutch mapmakers in the 1500s. It is a broad, shallow, gentle place, ringed by fields and woods, with the hamlet of Port of Menteith, once a burgh, on its shore.

The largest of its islands is Inchmahome, where the ruined priory of the 1200s once sheltered the child Mary Queen of Scots, and a small boat takes visitors across from the Port in summer. The lake is a well-known trout fishery, fished only by fly from boats. In the hardest winters, when the ice grows at least seven inches thick, it hosts the Grand Match, or Bonspiel, a great outdoor curling match; the last was held in 1979.

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The Daily for 3 November, from Scotland with love. Black cattle graze a fort mound above a river valley, a farmhouse and white cottages scattered among green fields and autumn woodland.
A little further outLoch LubnaigA long, quiet loch below Ben Ledi between Callander and Strathyre, with the Rob Roy Way along its shore.21 min by roadSee itLoch Lubnaig
Before you go

The lake is east of Aberfoyle, reached by the A81 and the B8034 to Port of Menteith, where the Inchmahome boat leaves in summer.

Where
Port of Menteith, east of Aberfoyle.
Island
Inchmahome, by boat in summer.

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Where it is

East of Aberfoyle.

Close byAt Port of Menteith.
  1. A wood-fired pizza with pepperoni, mozzarella and fresh basil on a wooden table at Nick's at Port of Menteith.Nick's at Port of MenteithUnder a mile as the crow flies
  2. The tall roofless walls and arched windows of the priory church.Inchmahome PrioryThe ruined island priory on the Lake of Menteith, where the child Mary Queen of Scots was hidden in 1547.1 mile 2 min by road
  3. Families with wheelbarrows picking pumpkins across the field at Arnprior under a grey October sky, with a painted photo frame in the foreground.Arnprior FarmA family farm on the A811 west of Stirling with a pick-your-own pumpkin patch in October, lambing days in April and a private indoor pool.4 miles as the crow flies
  4. A white cottage reflected in still water among dark trees near Aberfoyle.AberfoyleThe southern gateway to the Trossachs, a Victorian resort that grew from Scott's Lady of the Lake, with its slate quarries and fairy minister.5 miles 7 min by road
  5. Old gravestones in the kirkyard with the hills beyond.Aberfoyle Old Parish ChurchThe old kirkyard of Aberfoyle, with its iron mortsafes and the grave of Robert Kirk, the minister taken by the fairies.5 miles 9 min by road
  6. The Duke's Pass winding through autumn hills, the road curving away below.The Duke's PassThe winding road over the hills from Aberfoyle to Loch Achray, built by the Duke of Montrose, one of Scotland's best drives.6 miles 10 min by road
Directions
Paintings and chairs in the bright white rooms of the gallery.AttractionsThe Green Gallery6.9 miles
A loch winds through forested hills beneath a grey, cloudy skyAttractionsThree Lochs Drive7.1 miles
Coloured scarves, jewellery and wooden trays displayed on a rustic wooden table in a gift shopShoppingHeather McDermott Jewellery7.1 miles
A shopfront lettered 'MHOR Bread' displays loaves and pastries in the window, outdoor tables and chairs set beside the entrance.CafeMhor Bread7.2 miles
Galleria Luti's stone front on Ancaster Square, Callander.AttractionsGalleria Luti7.2 miles
The shopfront at 11 Main Street, Callander, with tables outside.CafeBen Ledi Coffee Company7.2 miles
A wooden footbridge over a burn in the green forest.AttractionsQueen Elizabeth Forest Park7.3 miles
Ancaster Square, its spire and cafés.AttractionsCallander7.5 miles
The forest drive winding past a loch through the woods, from above.AttractionsThree Lochs Forest Drive7.6 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the lake, and when each is next free.

A grand stone mansion with multiple gables and chimneys stands behind a lawn set with wicker chairs, seen through overhanging leaves.Cromlix
  • To stay
  • In Kinbuck
  • 13 miles from the lake
Check datesA Highland calf walks across a lawn before a pink harled house, a stone wall and outbuilding visible behind.Monachyle Mhor
  • To stay
  • In Balquhidder
  • 14 miles from the lake
Check datesSuie Hunting Lodge, Loch LomondSuie Hunting Lodge
  • To stay
  • In Luib
  • 18 miles from the lake
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Loch LomondAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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