Festive Celebrations Success at Loch Katrine
Over 2,000 visitors and locals celebrated the festive season at Loch Katrine in the heart of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park by joining the special New Year and Christmas Steamship cruises or the themed Santa Sailings in the run-up to Christmas.
Visitors on the 1st and 2nd of January enjoyed a series of classic cruises on the historic Steamship Sir Walter Scott, toasting the arrival of 2024 in the company of the popular local traditional music band Drovers Road, led by Ian Barrie.
Also, over several weekends in December, families flocked to Loch Katrine to enjoy themed Santa Sailings, which included a boat trip on Lady of the Lake followed by a buffet meal and time with Santa in the Steamship Cafe, where children received an early Christmas gift.
James Fraser, CEO and Trustee of the Steamship Trust said: ''Our Festive Celebrations Programme proved to be a great success with positive feedback from many visitors who came along to enjoy the special themed cruises. It was particularly pleasing to see so many families from different parts of Scotland and further afield enjoying the festive season at Loch Katrine after a challenging year for us on many fronts.
The return of the 124-year-old steamship to service in June 2023 after an £850,000 restoration programme was a major achievement and would not have been possible without the support of the public who responded magnificently to the funding appeal and the help of funders such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Stirling Council, Pilgrim Trust, Hugh Fraser Foundation and Gordon Fraser Foundation.
We also completed the first phase of a £1.2 million visitor infrastructure improvement programme with assistance from VisitScotland, which manages the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. This included improving public toilets, extending car parks at either end of the loch, doubling parking provision for disabled visitors and motorhomes, improving cycling facilities, reinstating the path link to a historic viewpoint, and refreshing the 40-mile Trossachs Trail in partnership with the Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs and the Callander and Strathard Community Development Trusts.
This was all achieved despite almost four months of disruption and substantial trading losses due to lengthy road closures in the build-up to the World Cycling Championships and, subsequently, as Stirling Council tried to get on top of road repairs on feeder routes to Loch Katrine.
We are looking forward to a busier 2024 with some optimism due to the Steamship returning for a full season of sailings from late March to the end of October and the opening in early May of the iconic Scenic Tower and Lookouts at the site above Trossachs Pier which is credited with being the Birthplace of Scottish Tourism due to visits from, and the writings of, many famous writers and poets including the Wordsworth’s, Keating and, of course, Sir Walter Scott who wrote the blockbuster poem Lady of the Lake that was published in 1810.''
The visitor facilities and steamship at Loch Katrine are managed by the Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust, a charity set up to preserve the historic steamship for the nation and for the public's enjoyment.
Sailings on Lady of the Lake and Rob Roy III depart daily throughout the winter at 10.15am, 11.30am, 12.45pm and 2pm, with the full Spring/Summer schedule commencing on 31st March.
(ENDS)
