Loch Lomond

Intent on making a small excursion from Edinburgh, we decided to visit Loch Lomond, the largest fresh water loch in the UK. Loch Lomond is 24 miles long and five miles wide and at its deepest point is some 600 feet deep.

The best way to see the loch, especially for those driving from Edinburgh or Glasgow, is to take a boat trip from Balloch at the loch's southern end. There are about 37 islands in the loch, some of them inhabited, including Inchmurrin, named after the missionary St. Mirrin who spent some time here; Arden, which boasts Scotland's most beautiful youth hostel, housed in a grand turreted building complete with ghost; and of course one can't miss Ben Lomond on the eastern shore, the highest mountain in the area at 3195 feet. Besides Balloch, we managed a visit to the loch's most picturesque village, Luss, on the west bank.

Luss

We were advised by British friends to pay a visit to Luss, probably due in part to the village's renown as the setting for the Scottish soap opera "Take the High Road", which we, of course, have never seen. Despite the threatening rain, Luss was well worth a visit with its linear street pattern, lovely cottages running down to the shore of the loch, and the striking views from the loch-side walk and pier. Also fascinating is the 11th Century Viking hog-backed gravestone in the churchyard.

Date of Our Last Visit: August 2002