Loch
Lomond
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
In The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park the best known and beautiful expanse of water is Loch Lomond although it is not the most beautiful. The southern end of the loch is surrounded by fairly gentle rolling hills. As you travel northwards, you cross the highland fault line which signals a change in the rock types an hence the scenery. Further to the north west you find the long sealochs and freshwater lochs and the rugged mountains more typical of the northern highlands. Loch awe and Loch Long with Arrochar and the fabulous "Arrochar Alps" being typical examples.
Across to the east you find the beautiful centre of the Trossachs with a variety of lochs, each with its own unique attractions. In the north east you come to Balquhidder, the home of Rob Roy MacGregor and finally to the north, the lands of the Campbells, MacNabs, and Stewarts by Lochs Earn, Dochart and Tay.
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond stretches from its gentle southern end at Balloch to Ardlui, some twenty-one miles to the northwest. Loch Lomond, made famous by the song "the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond " is one of the main attractions of the national park although you must leave time to explore the rest of the park.
Loch Lomond at it's southern end is dotted with some thirty-eight islands boasting castles, burial grounds and ancient crannogs as well some modern dwellings. The loch is at its widest at the southern end and it is here that you find the bulk though by no means the best of the visitor attractions.
The west & south of Loch Lomond
Balloch
At Balloch the river Leven exits the loch
and here you will find the largest of many marinas on the loch as well as watersports,
trips on motor launches, Balloch Castle and the inevitable 'Chippies'. The the
railway line from Glasgow ends here although most trippers now come by road. You'll even
find the old Loch Lomond paddle steamer 'Maid of the Loch ' tied up at Balloch pier where
it has served as a floating restaurant for some years. Near to Balloch is Alexandria - not
very scenic, but the home of 'Antartex Clothing' and a selection of discount
stores at ' Loch Lomond Factory Outlets' which now occupies the former Argyle Moter
Co. factory and which hosts a motor museum. Balloch Castle country park which contains the
1808 castle built for Buchanan of Ardoch and also the small remains of the 13c
Balloch castle is owned by w. Dumbarton Council and is open to the public.
- Ample Car parks available on the north side of Balloch down by the lochside.
- National rail service to Dunbarton, Clydebank & Glasgow, change for Helensburgh.
- Bus and coach services to most local and Clyde destinations.
- Cruises on Loch Lomond from Balloch Bridge.
- Hotels, Caravan and camping, Self catering cottages. (ask at tourist information)
- Inter- national Youth hostel at Arden, 3 mile north of Balloch
Luss
Luss is a few miles up the west shore of Loch Lomond from Balloch. As yopu head north up the loch, some good vistas over the loch are seen. At Arden the road to Helensburgh via Glen Fruin heads off into the hills on the left and the scenery now becomes more rugged at the highland boundary fault.
About 1 mile past Arden the road crosses the Water of Fruin. A Viking warrior's burial mound was discovered here during Victoria's reign - he probably came here with the Viking invaders who came over from Arrochar to Loch Lomond in 1263. This area was no stranger to violence in days gone by; it was near here that the Colquhoun Clan was massacred by the MacGregors under their chief Alastair the 'Arrow of GlenLyon' in 1603 - an event which heralded about 2 centuries of persecution for the MacGregors, (more of which elsewhere).
The main road north passes up the west bank of Loch Lomond passing the famed Thistle 
bagpipe works near the turn off for Luss (location for 'Take the
High Road').
At Luss there is a car park beyond the 'Glendarroch tea room', from whence you can wander
through the lovely old village with its old church, have a cup of tea, and take a sail
from the pier at Loch Lomond side. To the south of the pier a path leads to the
Church of St MacKessog which was built to commemorate the drowning of Sir James Colquhoun
and four others who drowned in lomond in 1873. Some interesting grave slabs can be
found here, two 'cross slabs' probably dating from the 8th or 9th c.
- Visitor Information Centre April to Oct.
- Toilets in the village centre near the car park
- From Easter to October, loch cruises depart depart from Luss pier.
- 2 Hotels , Caravan and camp site at Luss.
From Luss, the road continues northwards via Inverbeg (ferry here over Loch Lomond to Rowardennan on the east side). The road to the west from Inverbeg leads over to Loch Long via Glen Douglas, one of the highest roads in the area. The loch narrows considerably here as the road continues up the lochside to Tarbet. Views of Ben Lomond are now seen over the loch most of the way to Tarbet.
Tarbet
At Tarbet, the west fork from the lochside road takes you over the short pass to Arrochar, Inverary and Scotland's west coast. It was from Arrochar on Loch Long that the the Viking raiders dragged their galleys overland to create havoc on Loch Lomond in the 13th c.
- Visitor Information - April to Oct.
- West Highland Railway at Tarbet Station
- Bus and coach at Tarbet hotel
- Cruises at Tarbet jetty
- Car park by the loch
- Caravan & camping - Inverglas Park - 5 mile north
Arrochar
During and after world war ii the admiralty used the top end of Loch Long as a torpedo
testing range and the admiralty pier still remains on the west side of the Loch at the
foot of the old 'rest and be thankful' road over to Inverary.
Loch Long is a popular diving venu with a number of interesting wrecks to explore.
Some exceptional conger eels have been reported by divers here - you have been
warned!
Arrochar with its hotel and 2 camping sites makes an excellent base for exploring the ' Arrochar Alps ' which include Ben Arthur, usually known as 'the Cobbler' and famous for its rugged and interesting skyline.
The West Highland railway also crosses the pass here from Loch Long to Loch Lomond before continuing up Loch Lomond side and on to Crianlarich and Rannoch Moor. The Train can be boarded at Tarbet Station which is a short way up the Tarbet road.
- Bus and coach - At the village stores.
- West Highland Railway - Tarbet Station
- Car park, chippie and shop in the village.
- Excellent caravan park, Ardgarten at the foot of the hill over to Inverary.
- Youth Hostel nearby.
Inveruglas
The east fork from Tarbet leads up the lochside via some nasty bends and on to 
Inveruglas where at the car park you can see some wonderful views
down the loch and over the now narrow Loch Lomond to Inversnaid, birthplace of Scotlands
own Rob Roy MacGregor.
From the lochside car park a ferry will take you over the loch to Inversnaid and Rob Roy's
cave, or down to Rowardennan and Inverbeg. You can also revel in the not so beautiful
though spectacular sight of the four parallel pipes which carry the water for three miles
from Loch Sloy in the mountains before decending to the power station by the road.
In the glen below the Loch Sloy dam may be found the remains of some shielings in the
'summer grazings' used by the lochside people in the 17th and 18th century. (About 1 hours
strenuous rough walking)
In the bay is Inveruglas island upon which lie the remains of a castle, once the stronghold of the MacFarlanes, this is one of the many castles in Scotland which Cromwell 'knocked about a bit' - it was burned to the ground.
Toilets and seasonal snacks at the car park.
Ardlui
As you approach Ardlui from the south, Loch Lomond is now little over half a mile wide
and on the left of the road you can see an early attempt at conservation where the railway
viaduct was built of local stone and with castellated piers to match the residences of the
local gentry.
Hidden among the trees on the little island out in the loch are the remains of a castle
built by another chief of the MacFarlane clan in the 16th c to replace that burned by
Cromwell. It was occupied until the mid 19th century!
The road continues to wind round a series of bad bends and a one way section with traffic
lights until finally it reaches Ardlui.
Looking over Loch Lomond, just to the south side of the Ardlui Hotel you have a view of a magnificent waterfall on the high slopes over the loch. The west highland way passes up the shore on the opposite shore but no bridge was ever provided due to a dispute with the Colquhounes of Luss. The remains of the piers of a bridge, started but never completed, still remain just north of the hotel. The only way over to the west highland way is by ferry from the pier at the marina or by the bridge 4 miles north of Ardlui.
- Visitor Information - April to Oct.
- West Highland Railway at Ardlui Station
- Bus and coach at Ardlui hotel
- Ferries at Marina pier
- 2 hotels
- Ardlui Caravan Park
- Car park and public toilets.
The East shore
Drymen
From Balloch it is about 8 miles to Drymen (pron - Drimmen), a pretty place with a
selection of pubs and restaurants. The Clachan Inn on the Square claims to be the oldest
pub in Scotland - dating from 1734! You can still sit in the pews from the old
church of Drymen - they are in the pub! The photo shows the fate of "
The Salmon Leap", the oldest pub in town - it was
demolished by a property developer (with the conivance of the local authority) in October
2001. Part of the pub dated back to 1758!
- Bus and coach at the Square
- 2 hotels
- public toilets.
- Car park and toilets
- Library with a photocopier and a Visitor Information centre in the Square
Balmaha
A left turn at Drymen takes you to Balamaha, about 4 miles away. Balmaha is I suppose
the eastern pleasure boating centre of Loch Lomond nestling in a sheltered bay,
permanently 
populated by pretty pleasure craft. Quiet in winter,
impossible to park in summer, it's a popular stop for walkers and climbers on their way to
Scotlands West Highland Way or Ben Lomond. A popular walk along the shore leads eventually
to the old steamer pieroverlooked by in interesting outcrop of red sandstone conglomerate
or 'pudding stone'. The island seen offshore and reached by ferry is 'Inchcailloch' - once
the home of St Kentigerna,the mother of St Fillan. The island also boasts an ancient
burial ground of the MacGregor Clan.
- No public transport
- 2 hotels
- Cruises from the boatyard
- Car park limited - public toilets.
- Caravan and camping - Milarrochy bay
Rowardennan
Some 6 miles and a lovely drive up the road is
Rowardennan, on the shore of the Loch and among the trees. The small steamer pier
here is still used by pleasure boats taking visitors on Loch Lomond and round some of the
islands. Scotlands West Highland way also starts in earnest here and continues all the way
up the loch via Inversnaid and ultimately to Fort William in the west of Scotland via
Rannoch Moor. The road stops here at Rowardennan and unless tackling the West Highland Way
or Ben Lomond, the only way out is to re-trace your steps.
Car Park space here is very limited especially in peak season when the Bonnie banks of Loch Lomond can be very busy.
Loch Lomond Trossachs and Callander
 
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