Where to base yourself
Luss and the west shore
The most scenic stretch, with a resort hotel, lochside lodges and inns between Balloch and Tarbet. Handy for the A82 if you are continuing to Glencoe or Oban. Busy by day; peaceful once the coaches leave.
Balloch
A small town at the foot of the loch with the railway station, cruise piers, budget hotels and B&Bs. The practical choice without a car.
Balmaha, Drymen and the east shore
Quieter and more wooded, on the West Highland Way. A handful of inns, B&Bs and campsites; the pub at Balmaha is a walkers’ institution. The road is a dead end, which keeps traffic down.
Callander and Aberfoyle
The Trossachs’ two centres, with plenty of guesthouses, a few hotels and good cafés. Best for Loch Katrine, the Duke’s Pass and cycling.
Food & drink
Expect hearty pub food — venison, haggis, fish and chips, steak pie — in lochside inns, with a few more ambitious hotel restaurants around Luss and Callander. Local specialities include smoked trout and salmon, Loch Fyne oysters and seafood from just over the hill at Arrochar and Cairndow, and beer from small breweries in the park. Glengoyne and Loch Lomond distilleries are close to the southern edge. Tearooms in Luss, Aberfoyle and Callander do a brisk trade in scones; book dinner ahead on summer weekends.
Tips: saving money and staying safe
- Camping byelaws: from 1 March to 30 September, camping (and sleeping in a vehicle) in the park’s Camping Management Zones — which cover most of the popular loch shores — requires a permit or a campsite booking. Permits are cheap and booked online with the national park.
- On sunny weekends, arrive before 10 am or after 4 pm. Car parks at Luss, Balmaha and Rowardennan fill, and the east shore road can be closed to further traffic.
- The loch is cold and deep even in a heatwave, with sudden drop-offs. Swim close to shore, never after drinking, and wear a buoyancy aid on a paddleboard.
- Midges are active from June to August in the woods and at the water’s edge. Bring repellent for evenings.
- A cruise from Balloch plus the train from Glasgow is one of the cheapest good days out in Scotland.
- Ben Lomond and the higher hills need full hill-walking kit; Conic Hill does not, but its path is steep and slippery when wet.
Sample plans
One day (from Glasgow)
- Train or drive to Balloch for a morning cruise.
- On to Luss for lunch and a walk round the village and pier.
- Afternoon: drive to Balmaha and climb Conic Hill — or stay on the west shore and continue to Tarbet and the viewpoint at Inveruglas.
- Dinner at a lochside inn before heading back.
Two days
- Day 1: the loch — cruise, Luss, Conic Hill.
- Day 2: the Trossachs — drive to Callander, over the Duke’s Pass to Loch Katrine for the steamship or a cycle, then Aberfoyle.
- Hill-walkers: swap day 2 for Ben Lomond from Rowardennan.
- Heading north afterwards? Leave by Killin and the Falls of Dochart towards Glencoe.
Where to stay: Loch Lomond & The Trossachs
Cameron House on Loch Lomond
A five-star resort in a baronial mansion on the south-west shore, with a spa, golf and its own marina.
The Lodge on Loch Lomond Hotel
A lochside hotel on the beach at Luss with pine-panelled rooms and a restaurant looking straight across the water.
The Loch Lomond Arms Hotel
A traditional coaching inn in the middle of Luss village, a couple of minutes’ walk from the pier.
