Full Steam Ahead at Loch Katrine

Historic Steamship comes back into daily service.

The curtain is being raised on the main tourist season at Loch Katrine this Saturday (23rd March) with the reintroduction of three daily sailings of the 124-year-old Steamship Sir Walter Scott, back for her first complete season in five years. 

The iconic Steamship resumed sailing in the middle of last summer after a major restoration. The Save our Steamship Appeal, organised by the charitable Trust that preserves this national maritime treasure for public benefit, was launched in 2021 to raise funds to replace cracked boilers, install new decking, and complete other major hull repairs.

The appeal was successful in generating generous public donations and support from a range of grant funders, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, who recognised the ship’s historical importance and the very positive contribution it makes to the public enjoyment of Loch Katrine with the provision of a fully accessible water-based visitor experience and pier to pier transport links for cyclists and walkers.

Steamship Sir Walter Scott has two-hour sailings twice daily between Trossachs Pier and Stronachlachar at 10.30am and 2.30pm and a one-hour circular cruise from Trossachs Pier at 1pm. The new timetable also has seven 45-minute circular cruises each day on Lady of the Lake, named after Scott's famous poem which is credited with being responsible the birth of Scottish tourism when it was published in 1810 and led to tourists flocking to the Trossachs.

As James Fraser, CEO and Trustee at Loch Katrine, explains, this is a landmark year for the popular Trossachs attraction. ‘'For the first time in a long time, we have the historic Steamship back for an entire season. There was a great response from the public when she returned after her restoration midway through last summer with good passenger numbers and, very encouragingly, advance bookings for this season from overseas and UK group tour organisers and individuals are well up on last year so we are hopeful this will be a busy season.

Ticket sales for the Steamship and other sailings will help bridge the shortfall between money raised by the appeal and higher-than-anticipated restoration costs. The initial repair estimate of £500,000 rose to a final figure of £850,000, and the Trust had to take out a significant bank loan to complete the restoration work. 

We have also invested £1 million over the past two years in improving the visitor facilities at either end of the loch with funding support from VisitScotland’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund. Improvements have included extending car parks and doubling disabled parking and campervan spaces, refurbishing and extending toilets, installing a new exhibition charting the 180-year history of steamships on Loch Katrine, and providing bike repair stations to cater for the growing popularity of the lochside for cycling.

Later this spring, we will open a reinstated footpath to a stunning new scenic tower and lookouts at the Rhoderick Dhu watchtower site immediately above Trossachs Pier. In the 1700s, this elevated site was used by clansmen to warn Loch Katrine-born outlaw and Clan Chief Rob Roy MacGregor of advancing Redcoats seeking his capture. In the late 1700s, two wicker huts were built here for writers, poets and artists to stay and be inspired by the outstanding panoramic views which is why the site is credited with being where Scottish tourism began.

We are proud to celebrate and share Loch Katrine's rich cultural and natural heritage with visitors here in the heart of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park with our

knowledgeable staff providing live commentaries on all cruises, bringing to life the stories of Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy MacGregor, the building and opening of Glasgow’s water supply infrastructure, the natural wonders of the loch and much more.

Cruises on one of Scotland’s most beautiful lochs can be booked at lochkatrinecruises.com. Cycle hire is available at Trossachs Pier, and Steamship Sir Walter Scott can carry bikes for those who wish to enjoy the popular combination of a cruise and a cycle. There are cafes at either end of the loch and a shop at Trossachs Pier with a good selection of gifts and souvenirs.

(ENDS)