Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
The National Park encompasses around 720 sq miles (1,865 sq km) of some of the
finest scenery in Scotland.
It is an area of contrasts from rolling lowland landscapes in the south to high
mountains in the north, and has many lochs and rivers, forests and woodlands. It is
also a living, working landscape which has been influenced by people for generations
and is visited and enjoyed by many for its recreational value.
The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park became fully operational on 19
July 2002 and was officially opened by Princess Anne on 24 July 2002.
Did you know?
More than 70% of Scotland's population live less than an hour's travel time from Loch
Lomond & The Trossachs.
Facts and Figures

The Park is 1,865 sq km (720 sq miles) and has a boundary length of 350km
(220miles).

There are 20 Munros (mountains above 3,000ft) in the Park and the highest is
Ben More at 1,174m.

There are 20 Corbetts (mountains between 2,500ft and 3,000ft).

There are 22 larger lochs, with numerous smaller lochs and lochans.

About 50 rivers and large burns.

15,600 people live in the National Park (2001 census).


Two Forest Parks – Queen Elizabeth in the Trossachs and Argyll in Cowal.
70% of Scotland’s population live less than an hour’s travel time from the
Park.
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Formation of the landscape
Loch Lomond area sits astride a major boundary between two blocks, brought
together between 450 and 420 million years ago. The Highlands and lowlands are
separated in a nearly vertical Highland boundary fault, a large fracture that penetrate
deep into the earth’s crust separating different crustal blocks. The rocks found in the
Highlands form the older block of altered rocks.
The line of the Highland Boundary Fault can be seen clearly from Conic Hill on the
south-east shore, looking west across the islands of Inchcailloch, Torrinch, Creinch
and Inchmurrin.
The Dalradian
The Dalradian, as the rocks to the north of the Fault are called, began life as sand and mud on a
sea floor, over 600 Ma. As the continents which bounded the sea moved closer together, the
sands were buried tens of kilometres below the earths surface. Extreme pressure and
temperature 'cooked' the sediments into the hard schists and slates we see today, (metamorphic
rocks). they also folded and squeezed upwards, resulting in a mountain range that was once as
high as the Himalayas.
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The Midland Valley
South of the Fault lies a different terrain. It is
composed of sedimentary rocks -sand and coal
measures - formed around an ancient river system
some 300-400 Ma. The Midland Valley rocks
form a belt across central Scotland, interspersed
with volcanic intrusions (igneous rocks), like the
Kilpatrick Hills and the Campsie Fells to the south
and east of the Loch.
The Highland Border Complex
Between the Dalradian and the Midland Valley is
evidence of a third terrain - the Highland Border Complex. This is a mixture of rock types
formed in a marine environment after 540 Ma. Since the Dalradian rocks were being eroded at
that time. and the Border Complex contains no Dalradian sediments, geologists deduce that the
two terrains had not yet come together.
Task
Within the boundary of the National Park, use the book pages 15 – 16, to describe
the effect of glaciation on the landscape of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Give
examples of the glaciated features found in the area.
http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/geology/loch_lomond_stirling/loch.asp
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