Aberfoyle (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Phuill) is a village in the region of Stirling, Scotland, 27 miles northwest of Glasgow. The population stands at 635 as of the 1998 census. Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... A village is a human settlement commonly found in rural areas. ... Stirling is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland with a population of about 85,000. ... Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ... A compass rose with Northwest highlighted Northwest is the ordinal direction halfway between west and north on a compass. ... Glasgows location in Scotland Glasgow or Ghlaschu is Scotlands largest city, on the River Clyde in west central Scotland. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ...

The town is situated at the base of Craigmore (1271 foot high) and on the Laggan, a head-water of the River Forth. 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. A foot (plural: feet) is a non-SI unit of distance or length, measuring around a third of a metre. ... Height is a measurement of the distance from the bottom to the top of something which is upright. ... The River Forth meanders over fertile farmlands near Stirling The River Forth, 47 km (29 miles) long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland. ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The title of Duke of Montrose was created in the peerage of Scotland in 1488 for David Lindsay. ... The Trossachs (Scottish Gaelic, Na Trosaichean) itself is a small woodland glen between Ben An to the north and Ben Venue to the south, with Loch Katrine to the west and Loch Achray to the east, but the name is used generally to refer to the wider area of wooded... Loch Katrine is a freshwater loch in the district of Stirling, Scotland. ... Public is of or pertaining to the people; belonging to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community; opposed to private; as, the public treasury, a road or lake Public also refers to the general body of mankind, or of a nation, state, or community; the people... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Forestry Commission is a government body in the United Kingdom. ...

Loch Ard, about 2 miles west of Aberfoyle, lies 105 feet above the sea. It is 3 miles long (including the narrows at the east end) and 1 mile 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 90 feet above the sea, 1.25 miles long, and about half a mile broad. It drains by the Avon Dhu to Loch Ard, which is drained in turn by the Laggan. A mile is any of several units of distance, or, in physics terminology, of length. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... Drainage is the natural or artifical removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area. ...

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. In 1880 a railway line from Glasgow, via Dumgoyne, to Aberfoyle was established. However, due to the Beeching Axe, the line was closed in 1959. Alternate meanings in Slate (disambiguation) Slate Slate is a fine-grained homogeneous sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash which has been metamorphosed (foliated) in layers (bedded deposits). ... A small cinder quarry A dimension stone quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. ... Events and Trends Nationalistic independence movements helped reshape the world during this decade: Greece declares independence from the Ottoman Empire (1821). ... Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... Events and Trends Manufacture of the earliest surviving pianos. ... Glasgows location in Scotland Glasgow or Ghlaschu is Scotlands largest city, on the River Clyde in west central Scotland. ... Many railway lines were closed The Beeching Axe was an informal name for the British governments attempt in the 1960s to control the spiralling cost of running the British railway system by closing what it considered to be little-used and unprofitable railway lines. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The above industries have since died out, and Aberfoyle is supported mainly by the forestry industry and tourism. A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ...

Tourism

Visitors were first attracted to Aberfoyle and the surrounding area after the publication of The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott in 1810. The poem described the beauty of Loch Katrine. Aberfoyle describes itself as 'The Gateway to the Trossachs', and is well situated for visitors to access attractions such as Loch Lomond and Inchmahome Priory at the Lake of Menteith. Aberfoyle is also part of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. In an Arthurian legend, the Lady of the Lake gave King Arthur the sword known as Excalibur. ... For the first Premier of Saskatchewan see Thomas Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott (August 14, 1771 - September 21, 1832) was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet popular throughout Europe. ... Loch Katrine is a freshwater loch in the district of Stirling, Scotland. ... The Trossachs (Scottish Gaelic, Na Trosaichean) itself is a small woodland glen between Ben An to the north and Ben Venue to the south, with Loch Katrine to the west and Loch Achray to the east, but the name is used generally to refer to the wider area of wooded... Loch Lomond (pronounced LOW-mond) is a Scottish loch (or lake) located in both the western lowlands of Central Scotland and the southern Highlands. ... Menteith or Monteith, a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the Teith and the Forth. ... Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland. ...

Historical Figures

Aberfoyle has connections to many historical figures such as Rob Roy and Mary Queen of Scots. Robert Roy MacGregor was born at the head of nearby Loch Katrine, and his well known cattle stealing exploits took him all around the area surrounding Aberfoyle. There currently stands a tree in the village that MacGregor was reputed to have climbed and hid in to escape the clutches of the law. Also, Mary Queen of Scots visited nearby Inchmahome Priory often as a child, and during her short reign. She also used the priory during her short reign, particularly in 1547, where she felt safe from the English Army. Rob Roy can mean different things: Rob Roy is a colloquial name for Scottish hero Robert Roy MacGregor, who has been described as the Scottish Robin Hood. ... Mary I of Scotland; known as Mary, Queen of Scots Mary I of Scotland (Mary Stuart or Stewart) (December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587), better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, was the ruler of Scotland from December 14, 1542 – July 24, 1567. ... Robert Roy MacGregor, usually known simply as Rob Roy, was a Scottish folk hero and outlaw of the 18th century. ... Loch Katrine is a freshwater loch in the district of Stirling, Scotland. ... Mary I of Scotland; known as Mary, Queen of Scots Mary I of Scotland (Mary Stuart or Stewart) (December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587), better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, was the ruler of Scotland from December 14, 1542 – July 24, 1567. ...

However, the most local historical figure is the Reverend Robert Kirk, born in 1644. It was the Rev. Kirk who provided the first translation into Gaidhlig of the Book of Psalms, however, he is better remembered for the publication of his book "The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies" in 1861. Kirk had long been researching fairies, and the book collected several personal accounts and stories of folk who claimed to have encountered them. It was after this, while Kirk was minsiter of Aberfoyle parish, that he died in unusual circumstances.

Kirk had long believed that the local Doon Hill (or Fairy Knowe as it is more commonly known), was the gateway to the 'Secret Commonwealth', or the land of the Fairies. It was a place that Kirk visited often, taking daily walks there from his manse. The story goes that the Fairies of Doon Hill were angry with the Rev. Kirk for revealing their secrets, and decided to imprison him in Doon Hill - for one night in May 1692, the Rev. Kirk went out for a walk to the hill, in his nightshirt. Some accounts claim that he simply vanished, however he suddenly collapsed. He was found and brought home, but died soon afterwards. He was buried in his own kirkyard, although local legends claim that the fairies took his body away, and the coffin contains only stones. The huge pine tree that still stands at the top of Doon Hill is said to contain Kirk's imprisoned spirit.

Kirk's cousin, Graham of Duchray, was then to claim that the spectre of Kirk had visited him in the night, and told him that he had been carried off by the Fairies. Having left his widow expecting a child, the spectre of Kirk told Graham that he would appear at the baptism, whereupon Graham was to throw an iron knife at the apparition, thus freeing Kirk from the Fairies' clutches. However when Kirk's spectre appeared, Graham was apparently too shocked by the vision to throw the knife, and Kirk's ghost faded away forever.

Today, visitors to Doon Hill write their wishes on pieces of white silk, or other white cloth, and tie them to the branches of the trees for the Fairies to grant. It is also said that if you run around the great pine tree at the summit seven times, then the Fairies will appear.

External links

• Grid reference NN525005 (http://www.rhaworth.myby.co.uk/oscoor_a.htm?NN525005_region:GB_scale:25000)