Introduction

Context

The Highland Boundary Fault runs diagonally above Callander from west to north-east, making the town a gateway between Lowland and Highland Scotland. Above the fault are the dramatic hills of the Trossachs – hard, metamorphic rocks lifted and folded during the Caledonian Orogeny. Below, is a gentler landscape of sedimentary rocks overlain by material that glaciers ground from the hills. The Teith catchment of burns, rivers and lochs are the veins that connect these still-evolving landscapes.

This is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Callander’s western skyline is dominated by Ben Ledi, 6 km away on the other side of the Highland Boundary Fault, while the town centre abuts the forest and escarpment of Callander Crags. Glacial landform sequences, including eskers, drumlins and kame terraces, kettle holes and a terminal moraine, give the town its appealing, undulating topography. Wildlife abounds in a range of habitats, and far outnumbers the human population.

Callander’s rich landscape is cherished by locals, and valued by science. The river Teith is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC); Callander Moraine and a site on the Keltie Water are Geological Conservation Review (GCR) sites; the Pass of Leny Flushes is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); and Leny Quarry, the Mollands kettle-hole basin, and Tynaspirit peat bog are both SSSIs and GCRs.

The later glacigenic sites, from 12,600–11,500 years ago, are of exceptionally high quality and mark the extent of Scotland’s most recent glaciation, the Loch Lomond Stadial. Their sediments — and particularly the pollen and insect remains trapped within them — are widely studied to determine the impact of rapid climate change on life.

After the glaciers melted, plants and then animals slowly crept back to Callander. Archaeological evidence of human habitation stretches back to the Neolithic.

The town’s modern history began when Sir Walter Scott inspired English Romantics to brave the midges and near-incessant rain and see the Trossachs for themselves. Tourism has been the mainstay of the local economy ever since, providing employment and supporting trades and retailers. The economic impact of the recent shift from traditional hospitality to self-catering is not yet known.

Visitors are supported during the high season by our community-owned Visitor Information Centre which, like several local services, is staffed by volunteers.

Callander also acts as a hub for smaller neighbouring communities, providing primary and high school education; a medical practice, dental surgery and optician; a bank, post office and library; two small supermarkets and a leisure centre.