Loch Trool was the scene of a victory for Robert the Bruce in a skirmish with a larger English force in 1307. The success gave an important psychological boost to his campaign for Scottish independence. The view up the north side of the loch highlights a rarely addressed question about that encounter. The terrain here is undemanding and yet the English force chose to proceed along the precipitous south side, where they were devastatingly ambushed. A plausible solution to the problem is provided by Nigel Tranter in his Path of the Hero King.
