Even after being in Scotland for a year and travelling and exploring almost every weekend, can you believe there are still areas we haven't been to?! I've been wanting to go to Loch Lomond for quite a long time so I'm glad we finally made it!
We booked a weekend trip and planned an itinerary and headed west. Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland centered on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs.
It was the first of the two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, the second being the Cairngorms. The park extends to cover much of the western part of the southern highlands, lying to the north of Glasgow, and contains many mountains and lochs. It is the 4th largest national park in the British Isles, with a total area of 720 sq mi.
Falls of Falloch is a waterfall and local hot spot on the river Falloch. The parking here is small and tight considering how busy it was. We walked through the woods admiring the beautiful scenery until it opened up to reveal a beautiful waterfall spilling into a large pool known as Rob Roy's bathtub. It was around 60 out and there were tons of people sunbathing, swimming, and climbing up the waterfall and diving in to the water. There is a viewpoint made of steel that is suspended over the pool below. A diary entry from Dorothy Wordsworth recalling the numerous Romantic writers and painters who visited the Falls in the early 19th century is etched into the dappled steel at the viewpoint.
We left the falls and headed a few miles down the road to the Inveruglas Pyramid viewpoint where you have great views of the middle of Loch Lomond and Inveruglas Isle. There's a small castle ruin on the island, I couldn't see it but Greg allegedly could. The isle's castle was once a stronghold to the chiefs of the Clan MacFarlane, it was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell’s Roundhead troops during the 17th century.
The Inveruglas Pyramid, also called An Ceann Mor, has 31 steps in front with a telescope on top for wildlife and loch viewing. To the right you will also find the towering Loch Sloy Hydro-Electric power station, which is the UK’s largest conventional hydroelectric power station whose pipes large pipes scale up the mountain side.
We checked in to our hotel in Tarbet and took a little nap before heading to the nearby town of Arrochar for dinner. We ate at this adorable bistro called Cu Mara with gorgeous views of the mountains surrounding Loch Long, and Old Arrochar Pier.
After dinner we drove down to Firkin Point, a large camp ground area where we blessed with a beautiful sunset and amazing views of Ben Lomond, the areas highest mountain.
The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and headed across the street to get on our Loch Lomond that took us up the northern end of Loch Lomond where the water is the deepest at about 500 feet. Between 10-20,000 years ago, a massive glacier carved what is now the loch.
The southern end of the loch rarely exceeds 100 feet deep. It is the second largest loch in mainland UK, second to Loch Ness! The views from the cruise were absolutely stunning as the boat wove through some of Loch Lomond's 30 islands!
We left and had lunch in Balloch at the south of Loch Lomond then took a quick walk through Balloch Castle and Country Park. On our way home we stopped at Doune Castle and had a nice hike through the trails surrounding it.
It was such a nice weekend getaway to be able to be near the water and take in all of Scotland's natural beauty. Check out all of the photos below and make sure to like and subscribe to see where we're headed to next!
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