Loch Venachar and Loch Drunkie
Date: 24 February 2024
Leader: Idris
Grade: B
Number on walk: 13
Length 18.5 km. Ascent 416 m.
Hills climbed: None
Click here for GPX track of the walk
We set off along the Rob Roy Way and passed this un-named lochan soon after starting
After leaving the Rob Roy Way we descended to Loch Venachar
Ben Venue at the far (west) end of the loch was enshrouded by cloud
Our morning break was taken at the Invertrossachs Boat House on Loch Venachar
The loch-side path provided pleasant walking after our break
We left Loch Venachar and climbed to Loch Drunkie
The name is derived from the Gaelic Drongaidh, meaning 'loch between the ridges'. An alternative, but sadly, less likely explanation of the name is that the loch got its name from the time of the excise men. It was illegal for people to make their own whisky without paying tax to the government. During a whisky run from Callander to Kinlochard, a group of excise men were spotted in the distance. As the locals could not be caught with the whisky, they rolled the kegs into the loch.
After reaching Loch Drunkie we had a pleasant walk, through oak woodland, alongside the loch
On our return we crossed the dam at the north end of Loch Drunkie
This is one of the two earth dams built in 1859 which were built to raise the height of the loch by 25 feet, as part of the Glasgow Corporation Waterworks Loch Katrine scheme. The water from here does not supply Glasgow. It, and Loch Venachar, into which water from here flows, supply the compensation water required for the maintenance of the flow into the River Teith, which was affected by the overall scheme.
Finally, we walked along the road on the south side of Loch Venachar back to the car park