It might be a mystery but Castle Semple does not really have a castle. So don't be disappointed if…read morea visible castle is not apparent. If you walk about a mile north on the shared path, you will come to the Collegiate Church that is worth seeing. Close by are "The Cascades". Still don't know why that is their name but it is a really interesting diversion. Then back through Parkhill Woods with the Totem Pole and a wee bit of deviation, the rhododendron maze. A wonderful day out. Just, please, don't ride bikes over the pedestrian pathways. They just churn the pathways to mud and kills accessibility for those in wheelchairs or those who find walking on loose surfaces difficult. Thank you for your attention.

Great for walking along the side of the loch from the visitor centre; very attractive with the loch…read moreon one side and fields full of cows on the other. The visitor centre is large, overlooking the water, and you can buy some gifts there. There are many snacks available in the cafe - we would wish for a bit more choice; I'm sure if they offered a full menu (including some vegetarian choices) they would get the custom. It always seems to be popular and quite busy (when we've gone there anyway).

A hidden gem which your Julia Donaldson loving little ones will love to visit!…read moreWe call this Gruffalo Wood because of the Gruffalo-themed carvings dotted near the entrance of the Loch. The Loch itself is fairly small, taking only 15-20 mins to walk around. There is lots of nature and wildlife to explore here from toadstools to frogs to wild raspberries to dragonflies... We met a particularly large, and bold, swan today whilst feeding the ducks! On our last visit we stumbled across hundreds and hundreds of baby frogs migrating across the pathway to the Loch. This has become a regular location for us to visit with our little Julia Donaldson fan. There is a play park at the far end of the Loch from the little car park off Kilmardinny Avenue and if you need something to eat or liquid refreshments after your walk there is a recently opened Waitrose with a lovely cafe minutes away by car or foot!

We visited here after discovering Gruffalo Wood through Ali's review :)…read more My friend was visiting with her 6 and 3yr old girls and we took A in his pram. We really enjoyed walking round the loch in the sunshine, the path is pretty easy going for littles and the pram alike, and there are a few places to stop along the way and see the ducks or discover the awesome carvings. We couldn't find the play park, perhaps a little sign would help, but we asked someone and soon found the little path leading up to it. There were some different play areas to explore including an awesome rope swing that the adults enjoyed too! We had a great, free day out and it worked well to tire out the kids. Would highly recommend.

Loch Lomond Shores is a small shopping complex mainly aimed at tourists so you will find an…read moreoverload of tartan and shortbread on offer here. There's a few stores including; -Jenners -Catherine Kinloch -Misty Glen -Edinburgh Woollen Mill -Thorntons -Julien Graves ...So it's not the kind of place you could go on a shopping spree but it caters for tourists and is a pleasant place to browse. In addition to the shopping centre there's also a Sea Life Centre and if you're looking for some activities then you can hop on the loch for a spot of canoeing or paddle boating. Like Gavin, I find it a little odd that there's a complete lack of place to eat apart from a small cafe attached onto Jenners and a restaurant with the worst looking menu I've ever seen.

Ugh, I clearly made an error in planning to launch my exploration of Loch Lomond from this site…read more It's a tourist-choked amusement park. Besides restaurants and an aquarium (to which I'll give a pass), they have paddleboats and a "retail crescent." They do offer some legitimate services for exploring the park, such as kayak and mountain-bike rentals. On the upside, the park service has a large visitor center here which serves as a gateway to Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. What I really wanted to do was hike around the vicinity above the lake, since I didn't have time enough in my day to climb Ben Lomond. I got plenty of pamphlets and then got the hell out to drive up the west side of the lake towards Luss.

Luss Pier is located in the beautiful village of Luss in Scotland. The pier is not much in and of…read moreitself. It is a cool spot to view Loch Lomond and surrounding mountains. On your way to pier, you walk through the pretty village of Luss. Make sure to check out the shops, charming church, and the quaint stone cottage homes along your walk to the pier. From the pier, you can catch cruise and waterbus services which explore the islands of Loch Lomond. There is also a long beach to stroll along. Just a cool place to visit for a couple hours or the entire day. Want to explore more? Plenty of hiking trails abound nearby Luss Pier. Enjoy!!

Luss is an incredibly pretty village. Came here in 2016 for a daytrip. Liked it so much that we…read morereturned for four nights this time. Right in the middle of the village. Besides the beautiful village there's the Loch Lomond. A wonderful lake, great on sunny days but even more atmospheric on cloudy or even rainy days. And here from the Pier you get a great view. On the right there's a small Promenade with a bunch of benches and to the left there the beach with some BBQ spots close to the carpark. It's a pretty small village. Takes a few minutes to get from one end to the other. And still I can't get enough of it. If you do, think about taking a Loch Cruise. Several boats depart from here. Round Trips or One-way trips. Prices are really fair and it's a really nice thing to do. On sunny or rainy days. Or just grab some food at the Village shop and sit down at the pier area or on the beach to fully enjoy the spectacular views. Be sure to pay at the carpark. It's very strict here. And even it's packed with visitors (well, we're part of it), it's easy to see why. It's just a really pretty village with an amazing Loch location.

An attractive small reservoir right beside the road between Largs and Loch Thom. You can park on…read morethe roadside or in the adjacent car park (just north of the reservoir). There is also a picnic area, and some moorland trails you can follow on foot. I'm told it's a good spot for birdwatching too but I only stopped to photograph the reservoir itself. You can only get here by car unless you are a very good walker. (The reservoir isn't shown on the Google map, unfortunately, but the arrow is in the right place because I put it there!)

I am jealous. I am jealous that there are people in this world who can get up every morning and go…read morehere, even if just for a quick morning walk. We visited Loch Lomond on New Year's Day and can I just say it made for the most magical start to a new year for me. I'm floored by its beauty and tranquility and if its the start of the Highlands, holy cow - or rather coo! My tour group couldn't get over how stunning the light, filtered through clouds touched upon the hillsides. The park was clean and everyone did their part to keep it that way. No one was too noisey either. Would love to come back and explore more!

Truly, a magnificent park and one a few untouched by development in Scotland. Jagged peaks and…read moresteep mountain tops punctuate the sky and mark some of the most prestige wilderness areas in the world. I wholeheartedly loved this park and my time exploring it. Going back, I would spend a weekend and camp here to really immerse myself (guess I have a good excuse).

At 175 acres, Loch Fad is Bute's largest fresh water loch, and home to healthy populations of brown…read moretrout, rainbow trout, and northern pike. Trout range in weight from the scrappy little pounders to the occasional double digit monsters. And with such an abundance of trout to forage upon, Loch Fad's pike frequently reach trophy proportions. A typical trout season runs from early March to late December, but anglers are free to pursue pike year round. At just over two miles from the center of Rothesay, Loch Fad is very accessible to visiting anglers. If arriving via ferry, take a taxi from the Rothesay pier to the Loch Fad Bailiff's Hut. Once there, the hut keepers will set you up with everything you'll need for a successful day (or half day) on the water. Whether it's a fishing permit or flies, equipment rental or a ghillie, a map of the loch or local advice, they will accommodate all of your necessities. A maximum of 30 boats are available, and only for fly fishing, so be sure to contact the Baliff's Hut in advance to reserve yours. At £18.00 for a day permit, a day of fishing on Loch Fad is both affordable and enjoyable. Trout are stocked weekly to supplement the indigenous populations, and to ensure that all anglers have an opportunity to present their fly to fish. With shorelines that remain wild and free from development, the waters of Loch Fad are clear, clean, and the ideal habitat for fish and the aquatic insects that they feed upon. Hatches occur throughout the season, so be sure to ask the Bailiff which flies have been working best. If you find yourself visiting the Isle of Bute, be sure to schedule a day of fishing on Loch Fad. I did, and armed only with a rental rod and boat, a few flies, and a bit of sound advice from the Bailiff, I was able to catch a number of beautiful rainbow trout. Lacking the means to cook them, I let them swim away for another angler to catch. So get yourself over to Loch Fad, and see if you can find these rainbows with the pierced lips

Came here for an easy walk along Loch Lomond. There's a good-sized carpark and even free public…read moretoilets. It was a cloudy/rainy weekday and plenty of space to park left. Just down at the Loch are several picnic spots. A nice little beach as well. Offering wonderful Loch views. From there we walked along the (traffic-free) path heading south. It's a nice, flat and easy walk. In the beginning lined with trees and very close to the water. We walked until Inverbeg and back again. That's about 4 miles. A nice little walk. Closer to Inverbeg the path is more out in the open, and sadly a lot closer to the A82, which makes it a bit noisy. But the views are fantastic all the way. It was really a nice thing to do. And we only met a handful of other walkers. On the way back it was fully raining. Somehow it always rains when we come to Loch Lomond. But it just added to the atmosphere and we were well prepared for a wet day out. Surely a nice place and a nice walk. Great for dog walkers (like us) as well.