|
 Lochearnhead
lies at the western end of Loch Earn.
Loch Earn, and Lochearnhead village
in particular, is a centre for both fishing and water sports: water
skiing, canoeing and sailing.
Loch Earn is unusual in having it's
own 'tidal system'. In fact these are not true tides but is seiching. (A
true tide is driven by the sun and moon). As a result of the persistent
prefailing wind blowing along the Loch there is stress applied to the water
surface. This causes a slight slope on the Loch! As with all damped mechanical
systems, applied pressure can result in an oscillation which in the case
of a body of water is called a seiche. In Loch Earn this has a period of
16 hours. The water moves back and forth along the Loch - not in a raging
torrent, of course - but the effect can be observed and measured. The currents
can result in complex turbulance as an upper warmer layer of water mixes
with the lower cooler water near the Loch bottom. Other fresh water bodies
which experience this effect ie. seiches, are Lake Geneva, Lake Garda, Lake
Erie and Lake Baikal.
Lochearnhead began as little more than
a junction between the main north-south road from
Callander to
Killin and the road along Loch Earn from
Perth (tracks might have been a better description).
In 1761 the military road passing through from Stirling to Fort William was
completed and this improved communication for the village. In 1800 a post
office opened.
The Callander to Oban railway, taking
the same route over Glen Ogle as the military road, arrived in 1870. In 1904
the railway was extended along the Loch from Crieff
& St Fillans to join at Lochearnhead. The
railways brought tourists to the beauty of Loch Earn and a number of small
hotels were built around 1900. The St Fillans rail link closed in 1951 and
the main line in 1965.
Just east of the village on the south
side of Loch Earn is Edinample Castle
built by 'Black' Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy
in the 17thC.
Above is Ben Vorlich (985m) a steep
sided pyramid shaped peak. This is a popular climb and the views from the
top are spectacular. |
