Recently, we’ve got into the habit of going for a drive at the weekend to have a bit of a snoop around towns which we think might have possibilities as a good place to move to. My husband is hoping to take early retirement in a year or so. So as we didn’t have anything else planned we found ourselves setting out for the Callander area in Stirlingshire on Saturday.
On the plus side Callander is situated in a lovely scenic area, all hills and lochs instead of the usually grey North Sea which we live close to here. It’s a nice wee town, more scenic than the photos make it look and it’s closer to the west of Scotland and our home town of Dumbarton, so my husband might be able to see more home football matches during the season. Every part of Scotland seems to be stuffed full of history but this bit is probably even more so than others. It’s close to Stirling with all its ancient Royal and William Wallace connections and it’s Rob Roy MacGregor country too. There is a second-hand bookshop in the town!! But there are quite a lot of things which aren’t so good.
We don’t really know the area well and we don’t know anybody there – that could be a plus I suppose! The town is in a tourist area and most of the shops cater for tourists. There are lots of whisky shops, woollen mill shops and outdoor clothing/camping/hiking shops – but there isn’t a big supermarket. It’s much more rural than we’ve been used to, at the moment we live a short walk away from Marks and Spencer and the usual shops in a medium sized town. We’re near a railway station and Edinburgh is a hop and a skip away.
On the other hand I hardly ever go to the shops because I’ve reached that stage in life when I don’t really need anything, in fact I’m trying to de-clutter! So Callander isn’t being written off – it’s a maybe. I wonder what it’s like during the winter?
We do enjoy hill-walking but most of the hills around that area are really steep. Unfortunately we couldn’t stop the car at any of the really lovely hills. These ones are rather tame looking but you can just see a wind farm in the distance. I don’t mind them actually but I don’t suppose I would like to have one on my doorstep. So, the search goes on!
Callander is a beautiful place. As you say, the photos don’t do it justice. There are plenty of walks there to explore the beautiful local countryside (the wood walk, the Crags, Bracklinn Falls, and also Ben Ledi is only 3 miles from the town). There is the Leisure Centre about a 10 minute walk from the town centre, and plenty of good fishing spots along the banks of the river Teith; in the Summer evenings, you can stand on the bridge at Bridgend, facing Ben Ledi, and see the salmon jump out of the water.
There are plenty of restaurants and cafes in the town, including an Indian and an Italian restaurant. There are several pubs, too.
Callander is a very historic town, but has done well not to be “stuck in the past”. You can see the history, but it has always kept with the times. It is also a very clean town.
There are 3 churches in Callander: Callander Kirk (Church of Scotland), St Joseph’s (Catholic) and St Andrew’s (Episcopal).
Callander is also famous of the setting of Dr Finlay’s Casebook in the 1960s, and it is the birthplace of Helen Duncan (Scotland’s last convicted “witch”).
There is a regular bus service to Stirling, if you wanted to leave the car. Alas, the train station was shut down in 1965, like many others of the era, which is a great loss, especially when traffic can get busy during the tourist season.
I think it would be a fine place to retire to, if that’s what you and your husband are planning. There are plenty of clubs and organisations to fill your time and be part of the community, too.
I grew up in Callander, but emigrated to Australia with my wife 8 years ago. We were back there on holiday last month. It’s always nice to go back. One day I would like to make the return permanent.
I hope I have been of some help. I am sure you could find other information in the internet, but feel free to e-mail me.
Good luck in your search! Calum.
Calum,
Thanks for all the interesting info. I didn’t realise Ben Ledi was so close. Callander is on a short list of places we would like to move to when Jack retires, hopefully next year. The others so far are Bridge of Allan and St Andrews, although St Andrews is crazily expensive for property. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Katrina