Looking at this idyllic loch in the middle of the mountains, especially on a sunny day when the water lies still and inviting, nary a worry will arise to trouble the peaceful image.
But a monster lives here!
Folklore tells of a huge dog monster who lives in this lake and eats unfortunate passers-by.
One particular tale, recorded by R Macdonald Robertson in his 1961 book Selected Highland Folktales, tells of an unwary tourist walking along the road to Aberfoyle, a nearby town. The sun beat down on him, unusually hot for Scotland. Eventually, it proved too much, and he rested by the side of Loch Chon.
As he bathed his feet in the cool water, the rattle of pots and pans mingled with footfalls on the path behind him. Looking up, he saw a tinker and a small boy trudging along. The tourist was about to call out a greeting when, to his astonishment, the tinker suddenly seized the boy and flung him into the water.
The loch swirled and out of the whirlpool rose a huge and grotesque dog-like monster!
In one mighty gulp, it swallowed the boy and dove back beneath the surface.
The tourist turned to shout at the tinker, but he has completely vanished.
This was all too much, and the tourist ran the 7 1/2 miles along the road to Aberfoyle, not even stopping to put his shoes on. When he burst into the local pub and explained what he had seen over a heartening pint, the older people nodded in recognition. He had seen the ghosts of the tinker and the boy. The events the tourist had witnessed had happened years prior, on the exact hour and date the tourist had been there.
To this day, the older members of Aberfoyle still believe there is a giant dog living in Loch Chon. It is even reflected in the name - Loch-a-Choin, Scottish Gaelic for lake of the dog.
Dare you risk the wrath of the beast?!
I swam across to place this cache, but you can also take a boat.
If you park at the marked location and walk along the road two minutes, you can then walk through the campsite along the loch shore to get closer to Heron Island (the middle-sized and only named island in the loch). You could also head to the larger island nearer the car park first, to get the cache placed there, which is 2-300 metres away.
This is a medium-large container, with plenty of room for swag!
Be aware of nesting geese between April and June – you can move around them without too much disturbance if you keep an eye out.