Steamship Sir Walter Scott

Steamship Sir Walter Scott sailing on Loch Katrine

Steamship Sir Walter Scott back sailing

Steamship Sir Walter Scott resumed sailing again on June 21st, 2023, having completed an £850,000 restoration.

An S.O.S. Save Our Steamship appeal was launched in 2021 to help raise funds to replace damaged boilers and other essential repairs.

Generous public donations boosted by grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Pilgrim Trust, The Hugh Fraser Foundation, Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust, and Stirling Council made the restoration possible.

As part of the restoration programme, a new exhibition about the history of Steamships on Loch Katrine has been introduced at Trossachs Pier. The Steamer will run on greener fuels to reduce CO2 emissions and enhance accessibility for disabled visitors.

The charitable trust that preserves the iconic Steamship for the nation still welcomes donations, which can be made at the Loch Katrine website.

Story of Steamships at Loch Katrine

Book a trip to Loch Lomond & the Trossachs or beyond.

124-Year-old Steamship

Launched back in 1900, Sir Walter Scott Steamship is named after the novelist and poet, born just over 250 years ago, whose 'Lady of the Lake' poem, published in 1810, put Loch Katrine and the Trossachs on the map, resulting in it becoming the 'Birthplace of Scottish Tourism’.

Crowds have continued to flock to Loch Katrine to sail on the Steamship and enjoy this unique part of Scotland in the heart of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, the source of Glasgow's main water supply.

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Steamship Sir Walter Scott, Loch Katrine

Trossachs Pier, Loch Katrine

Steamship History

Sir Walter Scott Steamship was built in 1899 at William Denny & Bros. in Dumbarton on the River Leven at the cost of £4,269. Having completed trials on the Clyde, she was dismantled for transportation to Loch Katrine. 

Nearly half of the steamships purchase price was for delivery, unsurprising considering she was transported by barge up the River Leven and Loch Lomond to Inversnaid. From there, teams of horses lugged the sections up the steep hills to Stronachlachar on Loch Katrine. In 1900 she was reassembled and launched for the first time onto Loch Katrine.

For over 120 years, she has carried millions of passengers on the beautiful loch, part of the Great Trossachs Forest. Loch Katrine is home to Golden Eagles, Ospreys, Red Squirrel, Otter and Red Deer. The loch is also the water supply for much of Scotland's Central Belt, a fact which Tennent's Lager proudly promotes. Queen Victoria visited Loch Katrine to open its Aqueduct in 1859. 

Loch Katrine and many local communities benefit from tourism in the Trossachs. Undoubtedly the steamer is a big draw, helping boost the local economy for over a century.

Faulty boilers being removed from Sir Walter Scott Steamship

Steamship Restoration

Here you can see photographs from the appeal and subsequent restoration of Steamship Sir Walter Scott at Loch Katrine. The much-loved steamer is back in action so take a trip on one of the three daily sailings during spring and summer months.

New boilers being winched into Steamship Sir Walter Scott

Gordon Allan, Boatmaster of Sir Walter Scott Steamship promoting SOS Appeal

Thanks for reading

Words and photography by Paul Saunders. Visit Paul’s Marketing and Photography websites for details of his services in Scotland.

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