Gartocharn (; ) is a village in

West Dunbartonshire West Dunbartonshire (; , ) is one of the 32 Local government in Scotland, local government council areas of Scotland. The area lies to the north-west of the Glasgow City council area and contains many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages. ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It is the only village in the parish of Kilmaronock (not to be confused with the town of

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Roa ...

). The parish has a population of c. 680. It lies on the A811, the main road from Balloch to

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

. It is close to the shore of

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...

, and to

Ross Priory Ross Priory is an early 19th-century country house located west of Gartocharn, West Dunbartonshire, on the south shore of Loch Lomond, Scotland. From the 14th century the estate, known as The Ross, was owned by a branch of the Buchanan family o ...

. It is dominated by a nearby hill, Duncryne, also known as the Kilmaronock Dumpling. The village has two churches, a primary school, convenience shop and garage. There is a weekly fruit and vegetable market held at France Farm. The former Gartocharn Hotel is now closed The local bi-monthly magazine is known as the ‘Gartorag’. Historically, the village's economy was based on agriculture, being surrounded by many large farms and estates. In recent years, this has dwindled, however, there is still a large haulage firm, Coopers, and the Lochs and Glens holiday company based in the village.

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

is reputed to have written Lady of the Lake whilst staying at Ross Priory and Gartochraggan, on the waters edge, north of the village. In the 1870s and 1880s, the village had a football side, Kilmaronock Thistle F.C., which played in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Tom Weir Thomas Weir Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (29 December 1914 – 6 July 2006) was a Scottish climber, author and broadcaster. He was best known for his long-running television series ''Weir's Way''. Early life a ...

MBE and his wife Rona, who for many years was the primary school headteacher. Actor

David McCallum David Keith McCallum (19 September 1933 – 25 September 2023) was a Scottish actor and musician, based in the United States. He gained wide recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series '' The Man fr ...

briefly lived in the village with his mother as a child during

World War Two World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...

. The film producer and director brothers Andrew Macdonald and Kevin Macdonald grew up in the vicinity. Prominent Glasgow financier and environmentalist Sir Raymond Johnstone lived at the Wards Estate.

Alastair Pearson Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier Alastair "Jock" Stevenson Pearson, (1 June 1915 – 29 March 1996) was a baker, farmer and one of the most highly regarded soldiers of the Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom), Parachute Regiment and th ...

farmed on the edge of the village. Each year, the village is the home of a Convention of the

Two by Twos Two by Twos (also known as 2x2, The Truth and The Way) is an international, House church, home-based Christian List of new religious movements, new religious movement that was founded in 1897 in Ireland by William Irvine (Scottish evangelist), ...

References

External links

- Video and narration - Kilmaronock Kirk and Castle
* ttp://www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/gartocharn-p240531 Visit Scotland - Gartocharn {{authority control Villages in West Dunbartonshire Parishes in Dunbartonshire