Aberfoyle

Aberfoyle is a village in the Land Registration County of Perth and the local government district of Stirling, Scotland. The settlement lies 27 miles (43 km) northwest of Glasgow.

The town is situated on the River Forth at the base of Craigmore (420 metres high). Since 1885, when the Duke of Montrose constructed a road over the eastern shoulder of Craigmore to join the older road at the entrance of the Trossachs pass, Aberfoyle has become the alternative route to the Trossachs and Loch Katrine; this road, known as the Duke's Road or Duke's Pass, was opened to the public in 1931 when the Forestry Commission acquired the land.

Loch Ard, about two miles (3 km) west of Aberfoyle, lies 40 metres above the sea. It is three miles (5 km) long (including the narrows at the east end) and one mile (1½ km) broad. Towards the west end is Eilean Gorm (the green isle), and near the north-western shore are the falls of Ledard. Two miles northwest is Loch Chon, at 90m above the sea, miles (2.0 km) long, and about half a mile broad. It drains by the Avon Dhu to Loch Ard, which is drained in turn by the Forth.

In the past Aberfoyle was spelt alternatively as "Aberfoil".

Industry

The slate quarries on Craigmore which operated from the 1820s to the 1950s are now defunct; at its peak this was a major industry. Other industries included an ironworks, established in the 1720s, as well as wool spinning and a lint mill.