A weekend in Callander, Scotland

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If you have been reading my latest blog posts, you will notice that they are day trips to different locations in Scotland. However, this one is not a day trip but a weekend trip, specifically a weekend in Callander. The Photographic Society of the University of Edinburgh organises each semester a weekend trip for its members, but since most students have a low budget, it had to be a destination where cheap accommodation was available as well as cheap transportation. Callander, a small town on the edge of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park satisfied all the above.

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Getting there

Getting to Callander with public transport may be a bit tricky as you need both a train and a bus, but it is still quicker to get there from Edinburgh than to other National Parks in Scotland. To get there you need to take a train to Stirling and then take bus 1 or 59 from there to get to Callander. Trains leave from both train stations in Edinburgh (Edinburgh Waverly and Haymarket) and the bus leaves from Stance D which is opposite Stirling train station. The bus stops at Callander town centre, just make sure to get off at the War Memorial stop. The total trip should take no more than two hours.

Note: If you want to spend a day extra in Stirling, then check out this blog post: A day trip to Stirling from Edinburgh.

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Things to do

Callander mostly offers nature-based activities such as walking, cycling and fishing. For us, walking was our focus point and we decided to follow two walking tours (one per day) that would take us to Bracklinn Falls (the first one) and to Ben Guillipen (the second one). On day 1 we followed this walking route and on day 2 this one. Both routes offer fantastic views!


Weekend in Callander – Photo Diary

Day 1

Yellow Flowers in Callander
Starting our Day 1 walk to Bracklinn Falls. To our surprise, although it was already March, we found some snow there!
Bracklinn Falls Bridge
This is Bracklinn Falls Bridge.
Bracklinn Falls
My best attempt on taking a long exposure of Bracklinn Falls. I only brought with me my mini tripod and I was trying to balance in on the wet bridge handrail, so not ideal conditions…
Forest in Callander
The walk continued into the forest.
Callader Forest
We are officially walking on snow!
View over a river and some hills
All that walk into the forest let us in front of this beautiful view! Definitely, the highlight of our day!
View of the forest
On our way back to the town centre, having the forest we entered before on our side.

Day 2

Morning River View
It is a new day today and time to explore the other side of the town.
View of day 2 walk
It was a sunny Sunday morning!
Route of day 2 walk
We followed a lovely route through the snowy forest.
Views of day 2 walk
The views started appearing before even reaching the highest point of our walk.
View of Callader day 2 walk
From one point onwards the route became a bit steeper and walking in the snow didn’t help.
View from Ben Gullipen
We made it to Ben Gullipen (414 m) and it is now time to enjoy this gorgeous view!
View from Ben Gullipen
The snow at the top of Ben Guillipen almost covered my whole hiking boot.
View from Ben Gullipen
It is said than on a clear day you will be able to see 7 different lochs from the top.
Unfortunately, during the return leg of our route, most of the snow had already started melting…
Views from Callander
We made it back to our accommodation. This is the view from the back yard of the Callander Hostel [AD] that we were staying.
Callander Town Centre
Bye Callander! Time to return back to Edinburgh! Should I mention that we barely feel our feet?

All photos were taken using the camera Sony ILCE-5100 [AD] and the 16-50mm [AD] or 55-210mm [AD] lense unless otherwise specified.


P.S. This was my first time staying in a hostel, and it wasn’t a terrible experience! Not sure if I will do it again though…

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Elina Michaelidou

Elina is a computer science graduate and a traveller enthusiastic. Read everything about her travel experiences here.

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This Post Has 17 Comments

  1. Bella

    This looks so beautiful! I’m stuck in London and am so missing landscapes and hills!

  2. Caroline @ PACKTHESUITCASES

    Beautiful photos, especially the snow on the gorse. Scotland is one of my favourite places on earth.

  3. Katy

    Aw, I love Callander. I grew up 30 mins from there and used to go with my grandma at weekends. Great place!

  4. Bianca

    Such beautiful landscape! Lovely post!

  5. cass

    These photos are so incredibly beautiful. The snow has really added something here too.

  6. Ophelie

    This area is so beautiful! I am amazed at the nature: the landscapes are amazing!

  7. Beautiful photos!! I’ve passed through Callander once and I’ve been meaning to go back, it seemed so charming and beautiful with the views of the mountains behind it. Also I love hostels, you should definitely give them a chance. 🙂

    1. Callander indeed was very charming and only a breath away from the mountains!