Menteith: The only lake
Did you know that there is only one lake in all of Scotland? I know that may be hard to believe, but it’s true. (There are, however, more than 31,000 lochs scattered about the country.) And did you know that in the middle of Scotland’s one-and-only lake is a wee island that houses an ancient priory ruin? Well, I knew both of those things, and have finally got around to actually investigating them both.
Inchmaholme Priory sits on an island in the middle of the Lake of Menteith, about 15 miles from Stirling. It’s managed by Historic Scotland and you access it via a small ferry boat at the Port of Menteith. The island has plenty of open grassy areas for picnics, trails for walking on, and water for splashing in – all of which were taken advantage of when I went there with my friend, her mum, and her two children today.
We plopped down not far from a shallow paddling area to enjoy a picnic lunch, then I spent some time splashing about in the water with my friend’s daughter before all of us took a walk around the trails – and found trees to climb in. Later, I wandered around the priory ruins before sitting in the shade whilst the children finished splashing around.
But I’m not going to bore you with information about the lake, island, or priory; if you want to know more about them I’m sure you’ll click the hyperlinks provided. But I will say it’s a fabulous place and it’s well worth a visit – and it’s a great place for a picnic if you’re so inclined!
And now, on to the photos!
Wow! The photos are wonderful. I’m glad you managed to find your way to the lake and island. I really enjoyed looking at the photos.
Mum, it really was lovely there and I’m pleased I made it. Definitely worth a return visit!
Wow! What a wonderful record of our day Frances, thanks for coming with us, O couldn’t wait to tell her dad you caught a fish! Here’s to our next adventure 🙂
Thank you for inviting me along. It was great fun! Especially the part where all of the kids were fascinated with my ability to catch a fish in my hands!
(Note to others reading: It was just an itty-bitty baby fish that I scooped from a school of fingerlings in the shallow water. Nothing worthy of a frying pan.)