Had a super short stay for the first time here at the Lake
Menteith chalets. Chalet lovely, cosy and comfortable. Lovely
welcome. Lovely place to stay. Want to come back again. The ducks
were cute and funny!
Thank you.
Richard and Philippa Hall. Gilgarran, Cumbria.
4th November 2011.
Had a fantastic time, both work (65 hours) plus a week to relax
and unwind. The duck squad made the holiday tapping the window when
hungry. Best birthday I've ever had. One nice day (weather). No
mice. No spiders!! Fantastic.
Nina and Matt. Blackpool. 6-13th August 2011.
History
Lochend has been inhabited since long before the Iron Age, when the Lake of Menteith was home to about eight crannogs. Sitting right on the lake itself, and linked to the shore by underwater causeways known only to their inhabitants, these crannogs were circular houses built on stone bases or on wooden stilts, in which humans and animals co-habited for heat and safety. We have the prominent remains of one such crannog right here in the bay at Lochend, and there is nothing better than to swim out, about 150 meters, to the stones and plant yourself down on 1000's of years of history. You can even have somebody on the shore take a picture of you walking on water! A medieval pot was once found here, too, discovered in the 1950s by a friend, Gordon McGill, who had a caravan here and was snorkelling in the lake! The pot now sits in the Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling.
In 1238, with the help of the Earl of Menteith, Augustine canons founded a priory on Inchmaholme Island, the largest of the three islands on our lake. Loch Inchmaholme, as it was known then, would have been a busy trading point and what I always find extraordinary, is how much people got about at that time, considering what travelling conditions must have been like. One such traveller was Mary Queen of Scots, on the run from the English army, who sheltered here as a child in 1547. It is also around this time that 'Lochend' is first recorded as 'Steading call it the Lochend'! It is also recorded, in the 18th Century, that Robin Og, the son of the notorious Rob Roy, and as much of a rogue as his father, abducted an heiress, Jean Fey, and brought her to Lochend, where he was caught and taken to Edinburgh to be hanged.
Lochend was originally part of the very large Cardross estate, owned by the Erskines, the Earls of Mar. It was probably much bigger when it was entitled 'Lands of Lochend, the lees, loanings, manor places, houses, biggins, milns, yards, parks and pendicles'!
The Erskine's sold the much smaller estate in 1922.
SPITFIRE
During the Second World War, the military commandeered the lake
and it was used as an ammunitions dump. You can still see the
remains of jetties built by the army on the western area of the
lake, which is inaccessible by land.
On 3rd June 1943 Sgt. Pilot Thomas Hetherington was flying his MK1
Spitfire, Plane No. P8187, from O.T.U. No.58 RAF Grangmouth on low
flying exercise.
Sgt Pilot Hetherington is rumoured to have been showing off to the
land girls working in fields on the north side of the lake when his
wing touched the water and sent the spitfire crashing into the
lake. Hethering escaped unhurt and was later reprimanded by Group
Captain Cyril Wallace.
It is thought that the valuable Merlin engine was rescued from the
wreck but that the plane its self is still in the lake. Every now
and the diving teams come to look for it but without success.
The MK1 Spitfire is the Lake of Menteith's Nessy.
A history laden area. Click on thumbnails to see bigger picture.
