Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park fits a plentiful array of attractions into its 720 square miles, whether you’re after a gentle forest walk or a putter around Loch Katrine on the 115-year-old steamship SS Sir Walter Scot. In one of the park’s less-visited corners, the Pilot Panther provides a reason to venture deep into the glens. This navy-blue showman’s wagon of 1950s vintage now serves as a unique addition to the Monachyle Mhor Hotel. Rescued from roadside abandon, it has been spruced up inside and out, and now comes with a double bed, double bunk room and kitchenette. The views from the wagon’s windows are perhaps the best part of all: a pair of lochs stretching for five miles along a forested and sparsely inhabited glen, mirroring the heights of the Trossachs. The wagon is a discreet minute’s walk from the hotel. Longer hikes in the area begin right on the wagon’s doorstep, and in the village of Balquhidder further down the glen, the churchyard is the resting place of national folk hero Rob Roy.
Loch Doine (in the foreground) flows into the larger Loch Voil just beyond – Monachyle Mhor overlooks the joining point
firee breakfast