What to do and see in Stirlingshire, Scotland: The Best Free Things to do

This beautiful region consists of clear pure water, interrupted by a generous sprinkling of green islands with gently rolling pastures and rugged highland peaks; a perfect place for hiking, bird watching or just communing peacefully with nature.

Balloch Information Centre is located in the beautiful red sandstone Old Station Building in the centre of Balloch, directly opposite Balloch Central train station. Balloch is a charming town located at the southern edge of Loch Lomond and is a great base for exploring the beautiful Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. For those that enjoy the great outdoors, Balloch is a great place to get active both on land and on water with a wide range of activities on offer throughout the year. A warm welcome awaits you at Balloch VisitScotland Information Centre where the knowledgeable staff will assist you in how to spend the perfect day in Balloch, providing you with a local map and many suggestions as to what you can do. You can also purchase discounted tickets for local attractions to include the Loch Lomond Sealife Centre and the Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre. There is also a wide selection of Scottish gifts that can be purchased from the Information Centre, such as Harris Tweed bags and purses, shortbread and a wide selection of guide books and maps. Getting to Balloch couldn't be easier! Trains leave frequently from Glasgow city centre directly to Balloch and Scottish Citylink coaches pass Balloch as they travel north. Balloch is well connected by road by the A82 and A811.

The Visitor Gateway is open every day from 10:00am till 4:00pm between April and October. We close for the winter months (October till April) but you can still experience the sights and sounds of the Great Trossachs Forest NNR, by walking the way marked trails to see beautiful scenery and iconic wildlife. A range of paths from 30 minutes to 7 hours hillwalking are available, something for everyone. The Woodland Trust Scotland's Visitor Gateway at Glen Finglas estate features a range of information about our work to restore native woodland habitat. You can download an app to your tablet or smartphone to help you explore the area, find out more about our work on the estate, and pick up leaflets about other attraction in this stunning part of Scotland. Glen Finglas forms part of The Great Trossachs Forest NNR, one of the most significant woodland regeneration projects to take place in a generation, which stretches from just outside Callander to the shores of Loch Lomond.

The largest fresh-water loch in the United Kingdom.

Dunblane Cathedral is in a Level 4 COVID protection area and is closed. Find out more about our COVID response at historicreopening.scot. Dunblane Cathedral is a beautiful medieval church in Dunblane which dates as far back as the 12th century. Dunblane Cathedral receives high but well earned praise for a building smaller than some English parish churches, lacking the architectural flourishes and cohesion of most other cathedrals; and one which only narrowly survived the threat of demolition to make way for the railway. The tower is from the late 11th century, offset, and slightly squint on the south. Admire the Romanesque arched windows in the lower storeys, the upper stage and parapet which date from 1500, bearing the arms of Bishop Chisholm, which may originally have been freestanding. The Nave, dating back to 1240 is possibly the finest part of the cathedral.