A masterplan to create a more joined-up visitor offering for the area around Loch Venachar is set to be discussed at a conference later this year.
The one-day meeting has been organised by Callander Community Council for the end of October to discuss an initial way forward on the so-called ‘Venachar Experience’ – an attempt to improve and freshen up the informational and travel infrastructure near the tranquil loch waters.
Planned improvements for the lochside
Among the changes the organisers are hoping to see are improved signage for hotspots based around the loch, better coordination of cyclepaths and footways and better management of the waterway itself.
Richard Johnson, chairman of Callander CC, is behind the plans and told the Observer: “This has gradually evolved as an idea within the community in Callander and has now been taken forward as a project.
“The loch is a very tranquil area and we want to keep it that way, so the responses we had from dog walkers and those in the community was that the facilities are so nice but there is little information about the history and things aren’t very joined together.
“As a visitor, I can come to Venachar, the Rob Roy Way is there but hardly anyone knows about it and it isn’t signposted; there is the National Cycle Route up there and so much to visit.
“You can find out about that history and importance of the loch from websites and so on, but if you are out there with the dogs, then there’s isn’t much to tell you.
“There is a difference between Venachar and Loch Katrine nearby, but we want to keep things more quiet and tranquil, giving visitors an alternative to go to and letting residents retain all they enjoy.”
Groups to attend the invitation-only event
The aim of the invitation-only event is to bring various groups – including the community council, the Woodland Trust and the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park – together for the first discussions ahead of more formal plans being drawn up.
The rise of antisocial behaviour from some visitors to the lochside is also an issue set for discussion at the conference.
Mr Johnson continued: “We have come across the issue of bad behaviour in recent years, the usual thing of people arriving for a sunny afternoon on the loch’s shores, chopping down trees to create a fire on the beach and leaving litter and human waste behind.
“The LLTNP tried to address it by making south of Loch Venachar a camping management zone, but it is still proving an issue and some residents down there are being disturbed by visitors not behaving well.
“The conference is all about speaking with key groups, finding out what plans they have and whether we’re happy with those before opening out to community groups in Callander and Brig o’Turk.”
