Lock
Lomond Scotland
Lock
Lomond
In Scotland's National Park
The Lock Lomond and the Trossacks National Park in Scotland straddles the boundary between the lowlands and highlands of Scotland. This gives the area all around Lock Lomond a blend of highland and lowland scenery which is rich in all manner of tourist attractions. At the centre of the Park lies that well known and beautiful expanse of water, Lock Lomond.
The song " The bonnie banks of Lock Lomond " has helped to make the area
popular with visitors. (Note - not LOCK LOMOND)
Lock Lomond Lyrics and a short audio may
be found on this link.
South west of Lock Lomond you will find rolling hills which slope gently down to the seaside resorts of the Clyde coast, places like Helensburgh and Rhu. Further to the north west you find the long sea Locks of Scotland and the rugged mountains more typical of the northern highlands. Lock Long with arrockar and the fabulous "arrockar Alps" being typical examples.
Across to the east you find the beautiful centre of the Trossacks with a variety of
Locks, 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 Locks Earn,
Dochart and Tay.
Lock Lomond - the Lock
This page will take you for a tour in Scotlands Lock Lomond and The Trossacks National Park from Ballock at the south of Lock Lomond up the west side of the Lock to Ardlui and on the east side to rowardenan.
In the centre of the National Park you find Lock Lomond, considered by some to be the jewel of the national park and from which the Park gains part of its name. In a hollow gouged from the rock by the action of glaciers during the ice ages, the Lock stretches from its gentle southern end at Ballock to Ardlui, some twenty-one miles to the northwest. Lock Lomond, made famous by the song "the Bonnie Banks of Lock Lomond " is one of the main attractions of the national park.
Lock 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 Lock 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. See 'Islands of Lock Lomond'
Drive around Lock Lomond west & south shores
Ballock
At BalLock (busy, lots of interest and things to do, although perhaps not the
most beautiful place!) the river Leven exits the Lock and here you will find the largest
of many marinas on the Lock as well as watersports, trips on motor launches, BalLock
Castle and the inevitable 'Chippies'. Its here that you will find the the
railway line from
Glasgow which terminates here although most trippers now come by road. You'll
even find the old Lock Lomond paddle steamer 'Maid of the Lock ' tied up at BalLock pier
where it has served as a floating restaurant for some years. Near to BalLock is Alexandria
- not very scenic, 
but the home of
'Antartex Clothing' and a selection of discount stores at ' Lock Lomond
Factory Outlets' which now occupies the former Argyle Moter Co. factory and which hosts a
motor museum. BalLock Castle country park which contains the 1808 castle built for
Buchanan of Ardoch and also the small remains of the 13c BalLock castle is owned by w.
Dumbarton Council and is open to the public.
Visitor Information
- BalLock Visitor Information Centre is at the Old Station, BalLock Road.
- Ample Car parks available on the north side of BalLock down by the Lockside.
- National rail service to Dunbarton, Clydebank & Glasgow, change for Helensburgh.
- Bus and coach services to most local and Clyde destinations.
- Cruises on Lock Lomond from BalLock Bridge.
- Hotels, Caravan and camping, Self catering cottages. (ask at tourist information)
- Inter- national Youth hostel at Arden, 3 mile north of BalLock
Luss
From Ballock head west to join the A82 where you turn right (north). You'll pass the
Cameron House Hotel and its resort with marina etc and if you have the time to explore, in
the hills above the hotel are the remains of an Iron age hillfort and a little further
west, the 'Lang Cairn', a neolithic chambered tomb over 200 yd long. It's about 5000 years
old and contained 20 burials.
Continuing northwestwards, pass Duck Bay Marina with its bars, nightclubs etc, and after a
while some good vistas over the Lock are seen. At Arden the road to Helensburgh via
Glen Froon heads off into the hills on the left. This area was no stranger to violence in
days gone by; it was near here in Glenfroon 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, and in the proscription of
the name 'Macgregor' until the year 1774. A monument to the battle stands in Glenfruin.
(more of which elsewhere).
Further up the A82 now, the scenery now becomes more rugged as you cross 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 arrockar to Lock
Lomond in 1263.
Rossdu house is now off to the right near the Lockside. 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 up the west bank of Lock 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 Lock 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.
Lock Lomond Visitor Information
- Visitor Information Centre April to Oct.
- Toilets in the village centre near the car park
- From Easter to October, Lock cruises depart depart from Luss pier.
- 2 Hotels , Caravan and camp site at Luss.
Tarbet
Tarbert Tarbut
From Luss, the road continues northwards via Inverbeg (Ferry here over Lock Lomond to rowardenan on the east side. Ardlui Ferry operates April, September & October 9am to 7pm May , June, July, August 9am to 8pm. Contact Ardlui Hotel 01301 704243).
The road to the west here leads over to Lock 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 Lock narrows considerably here as the road continues up the Lockside to Tarbet Tarbert
Tarbut . 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 now seen over the Lock most of the way to Tarbet. Just beyond
Tarbet on the Lockside is a beautiful unofficial picnic spot among the trees with space
for just about 2 cars. BE CAREFUL - its a nasty corner.
At Tarbet Tarbert Tarbut , the west fork from the Lockside road takes you over the short pass to arrockar, Inverary and Scotland's west coast. It was from Arrockar on Lock Long that the the Viking raiders dragged their galleys overland to create havoc on Lock Lomond in the 13th c.
Visitor Information
- Visitor Information - April to Oct.
- West Highland Railway at Tarbet Tarbert Tarbut Station
- Bus and coach at Tarbet hotel
- Cruises at Tarbet jetty
- Car park by the Lock
- Caravan & camping - Inveruglas Inveruglass Park - 5 mile north
Arrockar
During and after world war ii the admiralty used the top end of Lock Long as a torpedo
testing range and the admiralty pier still remains on the west side of the Lock at the
foot of the old 'rest and be thankful' road over to Inverary.
Lock Long is a popular diving venu with a number of interesting wrecks to explore.
In 1999, whilst diving in the Lock, a divers lines became entangled with a moray eel
which dragged him for half a mile before he, almost exhausted, finally freed himself and
crawled ashore. He was finally found by rescuers the following day.
arrockar makes an excellent base for exploring the ' arrockar 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 Lock Long to Lock Lomond before continuing up Lock Lomond side and on to Crianlarich Creenlarick Crianlarick and Rannoch Moor. The Train can be boarded at Tarbet Station which is a short way up the Tarbet road.
Visitor Information
- 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 Lockside via some nasty bends and on to
Inveruglas where at the car park you can see some wonderful views down the Lock and over
the now narrow Lock Lomond to Inversnaid, birthplace of Scotlands own Rob Roy MacGregor.
From the Lockside car park a ferry will take you over the Lock to Inversnaid and Rob Roy's
cave, or down to rowardenan 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
Lock Sloy in the mountains before decending to the power station by the road. Lock
Sloy was once the gathering place of the Clan MacFarlane and 'Lock Sloy' was their
war-cry. In the glen below the Lock Sloy dam may be found the remains of some shielings in
the 'summer grazings' used by the Lockside people in the 17th and 18th century. (About 1
hours strenuous rough walking)
In the bay is Inveruglas Inveruglass
Inverglas 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.
On to Ardlui
Lock 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 'Isle I Vow', the little island out in the Lock 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 Lock Lomond, just to the south side of the hotel you get a view of a magnificent waterfall on the high slopes over the Lock. 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.
Lock Lomond Ferry at Ardlui
Ardlui Ferry operates April, September & October 9am to 7pm May ,
June, July, August 9am to 8pm.
Contact Ardlui Hotel 01301 704243
The East shore
Drymen
From BalLock 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 connivance of the local authority) in October 2001. Part of the pub dated back to 1758!
Visitor Information
- 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 Lock 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 'InchcailLock' - once
the home of St Kentigerna,the mother of St Fillan. The island also boasts an ancient
burial ground of the MacGregor Clan.
Visitor Information
- No public transport
- 2 hotels
- Cruises from the boatyard
- Car park limited - public toilets.
- Caravan and camping - Milarrochy bay
A couple of miles up the road is Milarrochy Milarochy Milarrocky bay, a wooded area with a shingle beach. A little further up is a sailing club - the 'Canoe Club', then a Caravan club park and the Forest Enterprise camp site at Strathcashel point. Offshore here are the remains of an ancient 'Crannog' or man made island. The oak foundations can still be found. Milarrochy Milarochy Milarrocky.
rowardenan
rowandenan rowandenin Inversnaid
Inversnade Inversnayd
Some 6 miles and a lovely drive up the road is rowardenan
rowandenan rowandenin, on the shore of the Lock and among the trees. The small
steamer pier here is still used by pleasure boats taking visitors on Lock Lomond and round
some of the islands. Scotlands West Highland way also starts in earnest here and continues
all the way up the Lock via Inversnaid Inversnade Inversnayd and ultimately to Fort
William in the west of Scotland via Rannoch Moor. The road stops here at rowardenan 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.
Return southward to Ballach by the road down Lock Lomond.
Lock Lomond
This title and some other occurences are deliberately mis-spelt for the benefit of those searching for ' Lock Lomond '. This allows mis-spelt search terms to succeed. Lock Lomond.
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