Loch Lomond Island Discovery 2-Hour Cruise from Balloch near Glasgow

Balloch, the Gateway to Loch Lomond

Balloch is the village at the southern tip of Loch Lomond, where the River Leven leaves the loch on its way to the Clyde. It is the main gateway to Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Scotland's first national park, created in 2002. The cruise boats moor on the river beside the village, and the short trip out from the pier into the open loch is a lovely start, with Balloch Castle Country Park and its woodland on the eastern bank.

How to get to Loch Lomond from Glasgow is simple: trains run from Glasgow Queen Street to Balloch in about 45 minutes, and the pier is a few minutes' walk from Balloch station; buses and cars take a similar time. Arrive early to stroll along the riverside or to visit the lochside shops and cafes before you board at 12:30.

Loch Lomond, the Largest Loch in Great Britain

Loch Lomond stretches about 36 km from Balloch in the south to Ardlui in the north, and by surface area it is the largest body of fresh water in Great Britain. Its southern half is broad and dotted with islands, while the northern half narrows into a deep glacial trough between steep mountains. The famous Highland Boundary Fault crosses the loch here, so on one cruise you see the gentle Lowlands give way to the rugged Highlands.

Its bonnie banks have been celebrated in a traditional Scottish song for generations, and on a calm day the reflections of hills and woods on the water are spectacular. Is Loch Lomond worth visiting? For many travellers based in Glasgow it is the easiest way to see real Highland-edge scenery in half a day, and the water is the best place to see it from.

The Islands in the Middle of the Loch

The heart of this cruise is the chain of islands in the southern half of the loch, many of them lining up along the Highland Boundary Fault. Inchmurrin is the largest inland island in the British Isles, with the ruins of an old castle at its western end. Inchcailloch, whose name means island of the old women or nuns, holds the remains of a medieval church and an old clan burial ground, and is today a nature reserve with woodland trails.

Other islands are wild and wooded, with herons, ospreys in summer and red deer on the shores. Inchconnachan is famous for a small colony of wallabies released there in the twentieth century. Your captain points out each island and shares its legends: monks, clan feuds, hidden treasure and smugglers. The deck is the best place to be here, so bring a camera and binoculars.

The Narrows, Only Visible by Boat

Between the islands of Inchtavannach and Inchconnachan lies a slim, sheltered channel known locally as The Narrows. Its wooded banks come so close that you feel you are cruising down a river, and because no road or path reaches it, the only way to see it is from the water. This is the quietest and most beautiful moment of the cruise, with still water, birdsong and old trees leaning over the shore.

Inchtavannach, the monk's island, is said to have been the retreat of a holy man in the early Middle Ages, and from its summit a bell once called people across the loch to worship. Your crew explains these stories as the boat slows through the channel. Have your camera ready on the open deck as you come out of The Narrows into the wider loch.

Views Towards Luss and Ben Lomond

Beyond The Narrows the cruise opens up towards the western shore and the village of Luss, a protected conservation village of sandstone and slate cottages built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries for workers in the nearby slate quarries and cotton mill. Its little pier, roses and church make it one of the prettiest villages in Scotland, and many visitors come back by road to walk its lanes.

Looking north, Ben Lomond rises to 974 metres on the eastern shore, the most southerly of Scotland's high mountains over 3,000 feet. The best time to visit Loch Lomond is from May to September, when the days are long and the hills are green, while autumn brings golden woods and fewer people. The boat then turns and cruises back to Balloch.