We love Loch Lomond and another pretty area to visit on the Bonnie Banks is Inversnaid.
Located on the North Eastern shores of Loch Lomond and more popularly reached by boat on a day trip from Tarbet with Cruise Loch Lomond, the alternative is to drive through the heart Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and through Queen Elizabeth Park passing the charming village of Aberfoyle. The road is totally scenic and gorgeous although not fast or straightforward, but the views along the way make it also about the journey and not just the destination.
This route is about the journey not just the destination
It takes just under an hour to reach Aberfoyle from Glasgow , or one and half hours from Edinburgh, and then from Aberfoyle the drive is 15 miles and Google Maps says it will take 35 minutes however, you will want to, and we say you must, stop off along the way.
The drive from Aberfoyle will take you past many stunning lochs. The first is
Loch Ard located 3.8 miles away. Stop off here and stretch your legs and enjoy the views around you including Ben Lomond, there is a lovely pebble beach, and the air is so calm and relaxing.
Back in the car, drive another 3.6 miles to reach Loch Chon, stop here, take a swim even or enjoy the views before moving on…
The next loch located 4.5 miles and is Loch Arklet, which is absolutely stunning, we only stopped for a moment enroute but made sure we took the time to park the car up and stretch our legs on the return. This loch has a hydro power station which you can take a walk around.
Get back on the road and head another 3 miles to reach the pretty hamlet of Inversnaid. There is ample parking and a large hotel which was built in 1790 for the Duke of Montrose as a hunting lodge. From here look across Loch Lomond to the spectacular views of the Arrochar Alps and the surrounding landscape which makes Loch Lomond our favourite place in Scotland. We aren’t alone in being inspired by these views, it is said that the scenery provided inspiration for literary greats William Wordsworth and Sir Walter Scott.
Today this area is most popular with walkers as this area is part of the famous West Highland Way which stretches 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William. Nearby you can also walk the Garrison Track, and the woodland nature trail through the RSPB Nature Reserve.
And lastly you must take in the magnificent Inversnaid Falls (Arklet Falls) which flows from Loch Arklet into the Arklet Burn before falling into Loch Lomond. The falls are very easy to view from the hotel and have easy access to climb to the top of via a footbridge where you can watch the falls cascade, from here you can take a wander in the woodland nature trail and look across the loch from this vantage point.
Make your return journey in reverse, but as you pass Loch Arklet you can continue straight and head for Loch Katrine which is a 10 mile round trip detour (from the image below you can see how close the lochs are). At Loch Katrine there is a café if you wish to grab a coffee or just admire the loch and look across the right to see Ben A’an – there is no road that leads to Ben A’an from here but if you wish to climb it, then from Aberfoyle there is an easy route.
We happened to time our second stop at Loch Arklet for sunset which was so pretty, especially as along with us, only a few people were fishing nearby.
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