Latest News:

WE DID IT!

It’s been a bit of a challenge and scramble to get all the work done, but thanks to the amazing efforts of the Support Team, Invertrossachs is fully open for business. Thursday 2nd April saw the last pieces of the jigsaw put in place, with the water supply re-instated and the Shower block commissioned, the showers cleaned, gutters cleaned out, the tidemark of washed-up debris on the Activity Field removed, plus several other tasks carried out. Earlier In March the Archery Range was brought back into service following its virtual destruction when trees came down last October (Storm Amy). Hence the smile on everyone’s face on Thursday, as we enjoyed lunch in the sunshine. Mind you, we don’t know what damage Storm Dave is going to leave behind, but we’ll find out soon enough.

Don't  be fooled, the photos of workdays in glorious sunshine are few and far between, and over the winter months the Support Team has persevered through some dire conditions to achieve what they have. These include;

• Clearing and removing dangerous and fallen trees
• Repairing damage caused by Storm Amy (last October)
• Insatll a new wider access gate and bin store
• Preliminary works for the new footpath to the Lochside Activity area
• New signage throughout the site
• Constructing a new footpath from the main gate to the bivvy

The wet spring has meant we have been unable (so far) to construct the new footpath linking the car park to the Lochside Activity area. This will be carried out as soon as possible but means that this area is inaccessible until this is done.

A big thank you to our Booking Secretary (and unsung hero), Liz Glaire, who has been busy behind the scenes taking bookings for the coming season – over 50 already, so its going to be another bumper year for Invertrossachs.

With an average age approaching 75 years of age, the Support Team are always on the look-out for new (and younger) people to join us (no skills necessary), so if you know of anyone who might be interested, please get in touch with me, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

This will be my last year in the role of Campsite Warden, although I still intend to be involved but in a much reduced capacity.  I know that the District are actively seeking person(s) to take over from me and I am, hopefully, looking forward to working with my successor(s) in the near future.

This time last week we were assessing the damage at Invertrossachs caused by Storm Amy. It looked pretty devasting with several large trees down to the south of the Estate Road and extensive damage to the Archery Range and its environs.

However, after around 50 manhours of hard graft by some amazing volunteers, things are looking a lot better.

A big thank you to the 10 members of the Invertrossachs Support Team and friends who, at very short notice, came together yesterday and put in a hard shift cutting and clearing the trees that came down in Storm Amy. As a result of their efforts, the path to the Woodland site has been re-opened, the Archery Range has been largely cleared of trees (although a large rock and the root of a tree have still to be removed), the remains of the firing shelter have been made safe and some materials recovered, and fence lines cleared of fallen trees.

Over the winter we shall work away to repair the damage, but it looks like the Archery Range will remain closed until April at the earliest.

It has been a busy autumn and winter for the Invertrossachs Support Team, following the enforced closure of the site in the late summer and autumn due to forestry operations dealing with Larch Die Back, and winter gales which caused widespread damage.  There are still some areas of work which still need our attention but the site is, by and large, ready to go. The exception to this is the Woodland site, which is still looking a bit forlorn amidst the remnants of the woodland from which it got its name. Work to clear this up, by the Invertrossachs Estate, is imminent, and will involve a large excavator clearing all the branches and brash in preparations for replanting next year. We are also looking at, in conjunction with the Estate,  some other improvements to the site, as this may be the only time a large machine will be available to carry out any major excavation/levelling works.

A bit earlier than usual, the water is now on to the Cabin and Toilets, and the Water treatment system is in operation. The Shower block will be operational from 1st April. 

The first group of the new camping season is in residence this weekend (both nights) and with almost 50 groups already booked in for camps and activities this year, it looks like being a busy time.

Improvements for this year include a much-needed upgrade of the toilet block, and I am pleased to report that the Archery range is now fully operational.  We cannot currently supply permit holders to run an activity for you, so you would have to provide your own. This will be available to book on OSM very soon. More information is available in the Invertrossachs section of this site.

Finally, my thanks to the Support Group for all their hard work. We meet once a month, normally on a Thursday, and are always on the lookout for more members to help spread the load. For many, I appreciate that mid-week is not suitable, but with the site being increasingly busy at weekends, it is more practical. It tends to be retired people who make up the majority of members, but with the increase in flexible working, there may be the opportunity for some more youthful (i.e. under 60's) involvement. If you know of anyone who might be interested in helping, contact Colin Smith - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

How you can get involved

Maintaining and continually building and improving Invertrossachs takes a lot of effort.

There are loads of ways that you can get involved in supporting our site.

Take a look and see how you could get involved: Priority Actions (Jan 2025)

Stirling and Trossachs District AGM 2024

Please find below details for our District AGM and the associated documents:

When: Sunday 3rd November 

Time: 7.45pm 

Where: Beechwood Scout Centre

Please note, parking is limited so it would be advisable to plan to park elsewhere.

Documents:

2024 AGM Agenda

Minutes from the 2023 AGM

2023-2024 Accounts

Stirling and Trossachs District Constitution

We look forward to seeing you there!

Following a site meeting with the Forestry Contractor yesterday, we can report the following:

East Burnside: following discussions and assurances, we can re-open East Burnside for camping. No access is permitted to the west side of the stream; both footbridges are closed.

West Burnside: This will remain closed and out of bounds until further notice as there is felling to be carried out adjacent to the campsite. The area will not be totally cleared of lumber and brashings until mid-to-late October, so will remain closed until then.

Woodland: This site is, as expected, pretty well devastated because of the number of Larch trees in the vicinity. However, with most of the felling now complete, the camping area, the path up to it, the boardwalk and the dining shelter remain largely intact, and we must thank the Contractor and the Estate management for taking such care in protecting these. This site is likely to remain closed until next spring.

The Booking Secretary is ready to process any requests for use of the site. Please note that the whole centre will close from 21^st October for 3 weeks to allow essential maintenance to proceed.