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Holiday Accommodation
Scotland
Loch Lomond, Callander and the Trossachs National
Park
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national Park Accommodation
Scottish song Lyrics Songs of Scotland
Self-catering Cottages in Scotland
Loch
Lomond Access
Roads around Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond shoreline cannot be accessed in its entirety by road since the north eastern shores are not provided with a public road. The A82 trunk road to Fort William and Oban follows the western shore for its entire length with the accasional loop of the old road visiting the shore and providing access to the villages. The south east shore is accessed by the B837 road, a narrow winding road, in some parts single track with passing places. This B837 in turn is accessed via the A811 trunk road to Stirling.
All the villages may be reached by road but the route to one of them, Inversnaid, involves a hefty detour away from Loch Lomond. For this reason I'll leave Inversnaid until last and start at the north of the loch on its west shore.
The Villages of Loch Lomond
Ardlui Inveruglas Tarbet Luss Arden Balloch
Drymen Balmaha Rowardennan
Inversnaid
Ardlui
Loch Lomond is little over half a mile wide here and on the west side 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 'Isle I Vow', the little island out in the loch are the remains
of a castle built by a chief of the MacFarlane clan in the 16th c. to replace that burned
by Cromwell. It was occupied until the mid 19th century!
Looking over Loch Lomond, just to the south side of the hotel you get 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.
Ardlui Visitor Information
- 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.
Loch Lomond Ferry at Ardlui
Ardlui ferry crosses the narrow north end of Loch Lomond to access the west highland
way.
Ardlui Ferry Schedule:
- April, September & October 9am to 7pm May ,
- June, July, August 9am to 8pm.
- Contact Ardlui Hotel 01301 704243
Inveruglas
At Inveruglas the car park offers some wonderful views down the loch and over the now
narrow Loch Lomond to Inversnaid, birthplace of Scotland's 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 parallel pipes which carry the water for three miles from Loch Sloy in the
mountains before decending to the power station by the road. Loch Sloy was once the
gathering place of the Clan MacFarlane and 'Loch Sloy' was their war-cry. 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.
Tarbet
Just 4 mile south of Tarbet is a little road to the west that leads over to Loch Long
via Glen Douglas, one of the 
highest roads in the
area. It is said that King Arthur and his army of Britons came here from Strathclyde
to do battle with the Scots and Picts.
The loch narrows considerably here as the A82 road continues up the lochside to Tarbet.
About a mile after inverbeg is Rubha Mor (the Great Point) then several
little bays best accessed by water. Firkin Point and Rubha Dubh (Dark point) follow
shortly and in the hills above Stuckgowan are the ruins of a village, Clachan Dubh (Black
village) which was wiped out by the plague in medieaval times.
Views of Ben Lomond are seen over the loch
most of the way to Tarbet. Just north of
Tarbet on the lochside is a beautiful unofficial picnic spot among the trees with space
for just about 2 cars. BE CAREFUL - its a nasty corner.
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 below the slopes of Ben Arthur, the 'Cobbler', that the the Viking raiders dragged their galleys overland to create havoc on Loch Lomond in the 13th century.
Visitor Information
- 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
Luss
About 1 mile north of Arden the A82 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.
Rossdu house is now off to the right near the lochside. This was once the seat of the
Colquhoun Lairds of Luss. Near to Rossdhu are the remains of the Castle of Rossdhu and
also the Chapel of Rossdhu. Further on on the right is Bandry point and Bay. St Kessog is
reputed to have been killed here and a cairn to his memory was destroyed during the making
of this road.
The main road north passes 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.
Some 3½miles upstream on the Water of Luss are the ruins of a village. This was once a
weaving community - now long gone.
Visitor Information
- 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.
Arden
The Highland Boundary Fault runs southwest to northeast direction across Loch Lomond. It runs from Arden through the islands of Inchmurrin, Torrinch, Creinch and Inchcailleach to Balmaha. The fault line marks a very noticeable change in the scenery as you pass Arden.
The Highland Line has played an important role in the colourful history of Scotland,
dividing the Highland Clans from their Lowland neighbours. There have been numerous
skirmishes and raids around Loch Lomond which have 
become part of the folk history of
the area.
The Macgregors slew many Colquhouns at the Battle of Glenfruin and a short drive from Arden up Glen Fruin leads to the battle site and a monument to the battle.
One of the most beautiful, nae, stunning youth hostels in the UK is at Arden. The building is a former couintry house and retains many of the original features.
Balloch
Balloch is located at the extreme southern extremity of Loch Lomond where the river
Leven carries the waters of Loch Lomond out top the Clyde estuary. The Railway line fron
Glasgow makes Balloch a convenient point at which to start a walking
holiday in the area.
The brand new 2002 'Lomond Shores Centre' is at the water's edge at Balloch within a stones throw of the old mistress of Loch Lomond the steamer 'Maid of the Loch' which serves as a floating restuarant whilst awaiting renovation.
Balloch
is also conveniently placed to visit Alexandria where you ccan visit the Argyll shopping
centre with its classic cars motor museum or the Antartex factory shop for a selection of
woollen and sheepskin goods.
Balloch is also the home of Balloch Castle and country park. Balloch Castle country park 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.
Visitor Information
- Balloch Visitor Information Centre is at the Old Station, Balloch Road.
- 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)
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.
Inversnaid
Getting to Inversnaid is a slightly more complicated matter since there is no lochside road at the north end of the east side of Loch Lomond. To get to Inversnaid, you must first go to Aberfoyle via the A811, then left at junction with A81, following the A81 to Aberfoyle. Distance to Aberfoyle from Balloch about 18 miles. At Aberfoye, drive straight through the village and onto the B829 which you follow via Milton and Kinlochard for about 11 beautiful miles before turning left at a T junction for the last 3 miles.
Turning left at the T junction takes you the last 3 miles to
Inversnaid via the north shore of Loch Arklet which was artificially raised by a dam
erected in the first decade of the 20th century for 
Glasgow's water supply. It was on the south side of Loch Arklet and on
the slopes of Ben Lomond that Mary (Helen) MacGregor lived with her uncle before she
became famous by marrying Rob Roy MacGregor. They married at Corriearklet farm which is on
the right of the road.
The road from the Loch Arklet dam down to Inversnaid is VERY steep. At the top of the hill, turn left and drive up to the little car park from which you can walk a short way up to a viewpoint with the unlikely ? title "Rob Roy's View" which provides a viewmarked panorama over Loch Lomond.
Drive down to Inversnaid and think of the horses which had to pull the dis-assembled Loch Katrine steamer up this hill and over to Stronachlacher where it was re-assembled.
There is a spacious car park at Inversnaid with toilets and convenient access to the Inversnaid hotel bar!
The height of the car park now affords spectacular views up and down Loch Lomond and
across to Tarbet on the western shore of the loch.
A spectacular waterfall to the south of the car park warrants a second look then you can
walk half a mile north on the west highland way to visit Rob Roy's cave above the loch.
The cave is well signposted.
There is a foot ferry service from the little harbour over to Inveruglas.
Unfortunately there is no alternative return route and unless you want to tackle the long walk down the lochside you now must return by the same road to Aberfoyle for the trip over to The Trossachs and Callander.
Trossachs Tourist Information
- Toilets
- Car parking
- Wonderful scenery, walking
- Inversnaid hotel
- No public transport (ferry over to Inveruglas and occasional water bus to other points)
This page was last updated on 11/07/05.
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