Luss Parish Church is a Church of Scotland church in Luss, Argyll and Bute, dedicated to Saint Kessog. The present church building was constructed in 1875 and subject to major restoration works in 2001. The building became notable during the 1980s as the parish church of the fictional village of Glendarroch in the popular television series Take the High Road . The church site has had 1,500 years of continuous Christian presence, being founded by Saint Kessog, and has fifteen listed ancient monuments in its graveyard.
The church has in recent times embraced the internet, broadcasting its services online and inviting, in exception to usual Church practice, outsiders to take advantage of the picturesque location on the banks of Loch Lomond for weddings, of which 153 were held in 2009. Notable weddings to have been held at the church include that of Kirsty Hume to Donovan Leitch, Noel Edmonds to Helen Soby [1] and Sarah Heaney to Ed Adams.
The church is a significant site for religious tourism, with over 2,000 people visiting the church on busy summer days, contributing £5 million per annum to the local economy. [2] It is estimated to receive 750,000 visitors a year, in a parish with a population of only 400. [3]
The church celebrated 1,500 years of worship in 2010 by opening a new visitors centre for Luss after the National Parks Authority sold its building to Purdies, a Scottish natural soap producer. [4]
From 1998 to 2013, the minister was Reverend Dane Sherrard. Sherrard had previously been minister in Buckhaven, Fife between 1977 and 1994, establishing in 1983 the Buckhaven Parish Church Agency, a government-backed jobs and training programme that went into liquidation in 1991. [5] Sherrard then went to Cadder Parish Church in Bishopbriggs. [6]
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands. Traditionally forming part of the boundary between the counties of Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire, Loch Lomond is split between the council areas of Stirling, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire. Its southern shores are about 23 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of the centre of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. The Loch forms part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park which was established in 2002.
Dunbartonshire or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders Perthshire to the north, Stirlingshire to the east, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire to the south, and Argyllshire to the west.
Pitlochry is a town in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is historically in the county of Perthshire, and has a population of 2,776, according to the 2011 census.
Callander is a small town in the council area of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands.
Luss is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the west bank of Loch Lomond. The village is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs, along with several other ranges of hills. It was the first of the two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, the second being the Cairngorms National Park. The park extends to cover much of the western part of the southern highlands, lying to the north of the Glasgow conurbation, and contains many mountains and lochs. It is the fourth-largest national park in the British Isles, with a total area of 1,865 km2 (720 sq mi) and a boundary of some 350 km (220 mi) in length. It features 21 Munros and 20 Corbetts.
Drymen is a village in the Stirling district of central Scotland. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now favored by visiting tourists given its location near Loch Lomond. The village is centred around a village green, which is an unusual feature in Scottish villages but more common in other parts of the United Kingdom.
Balloch is a village in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, at the foot of Loch Lomond.
Inchmurrin is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is the largest fresh water island in the British Isles.
Inchconnachan is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland, in the Trossachs National Park. It is accessible by boat from the village of Luss on the south side of the Loch.
Buckhaven is a town on the east coast of Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth between East Wemyss and Methil. Buckhaven is on the Fife Coastal Path, and near to Wemyss Caves and Largo Bay.
Saint Kessog was an Irish missionary of the mid-sixth century active in the Lennox area and southern Perthshire. Son of the king of Cashel in Ireland, Kessog is said to have worked miracles, even as a child. He left Ireland and became a missionary bishop in Scotland. Using Monks' Island in Loch Lomond as his headquarters, he evangelized the surrounding area until he was martyred, supposedly at Bandry, where a heap of stones was known as St Kessog's Cairn. Kessog was killed in 520 AD.
Inchcailloch is an islet on Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is 85 metres (279 ft) at its highest point. It is also known to some as Inchebroida.
Balmaha is a village on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond in the council area of Stirling, Scotland.
Inchcruin is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is not to be confused with Creinch, which has occasionally been referred to as "Inchcroin".
Inchlonaig is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Inchtavannach, is one of the larger islands in Loch Lomond.
Loch Lomond Golf Club is located in Luss, Argyll & Bute, Scotland on the shore of Loch Lomond. The course occupies land previously held by Clan Colquhoun and includes the clan's seat of Rossdhu House as its clubhouse.
Portmoak is a parish in Kinross-shire, Scotland. It consists of a group of settlements running north to south: Glenlomond, Wester Balgedie, Easter Balgedie, Kinnesswood, Kilmagadwood and Scotlandwell.
Frances Mary Colquhoun was a Scottish writer.