Loch Lomond ♥

I couldn't wait to share with you our incredible trip to Loch Lomond last week! Apologies in advance that this will be a pretty long post, so I hope you have the time to sit down and read...!

When planning our trip up to visit Rob's family in Scotland, I began searching online for somewhere not too far that we could spend a few days in, just the two of us. Living in London means that we spend a lot of our time on busy polluted streets, on the crammed underground and in traffic jams. I wanted to book somewhere that would be a total escape from the city - somewhere scenic and tranquil for a few days of relaxation. I had seen some photos of Loch Lomond online and after I discovered that it was only an hours drive or so from Rob's family, I felt that it was ideal. I got searching for hotels and lodges and in the end booked us a little room at The Inn On Loch Lomond via booking.com.

Loch Lomond

As I had predominantly taken on the planning of the trip, I was a little apprehensive that if the accommodation wasn't up to our standards then it was all down to me. But as soon as we arrived on the Monday in Loch Lomond, I felt totally relieved because it was all I had hoped for and more. The hotel itself is set just off the main A82 road (which runs up the West side of the Loch), just north of the village of Luss. The hotel boasts views over the Loch itself and has a small bar named Mr C's Fish & Whiskey Bar which is pretty well known in the local area. Thankfully we had been allocated a room overlooking the Loch! The room itself was pretty small and basic but it was very cosy and had everything we could have needed. I loved how all the carpets were traditionally Scottish and tartan!

We arrived at Loch Lomond around lunch time on the Monday and first headed into Balloch, the southern-most town on the Loch and the biggest town in the immediate area. We had a lovely lunch at The Tullie Inn (a recently refurbished gastro-pub in the heart of the town - definitely recommend if you're nearby!) before heading on a walk. I usually just google various nearby walks and choose one of desired distance. We did the Balloch Castle Country Park Walk which was great - it was only 2 miles but took us through the beautiful old castle grounds, situated on the Loch-side. We walked through some gorgeous woodland and along well-kept walkways lined with rhododendrons before enjoying some stunning views across Loch Lomond! We climbed down the bank and found a cute pebbled mini 'beach' where Rob tried to teach me how to skim stones (and failed miserably haha)!

 

We then drove up to our hotel and checked in, but it was such a beautiful sunny evening we were eager to get straight back outside incase it was our only bit of good weather - after all you never know what you're going to get in Scotland!! So we went for an evening stroll beside the Loch, just across from our hotel. The sun was beginning to set and the scenery was just stunning as you can see from the photos below!

 

Then we headed to one of the nearby hotels, The Lodge on Loch Lomond for dinner. This was a more expensive hotel than ours and has a spa on site if you're looking to stay somewhere a little more upmarket. We ate at their restaurant, Colquhouns, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner and prosecco... oh and whiskey of course!

 

The next morning we woke to the most glorious sunshine and I took Rob on a surprise trip on a seaplane(!) which will feature in my next blog post! It was such a cool experience, we loved every minute and was definitely the highlight of our holiday.

After our seaplane adventure we drove up past Loch Lomond, along Loch Long and up to Loch Fyne, taking the historic military A83 trunk road, known as Rest And Be Thankful. The drive was absolutely spectacular - there was a real Autumn chill in the air but the sky was blue and the sun was shining. We had a (roughly) 45 minute drive through mountainous roads where we spotted rivers, vast waterfalls and miles upon miles of beautiful woodland...

I was so excited about arriving at Loch Fyne - it was somewhere I had wanted to visit for ages and did not disappoint, infact it's hard to decide which is more beautiful, Loch Lomond or Loch Fyne. All the scenery up in this area of Scotland is breathtaking!

 We stopped and enjoyed one of the best seafood lunches we have ever had at Loch Fyne Restaurant & Oyster Bar, overlooking Loch Fyne itself. The restaurant has recently been done up and was pretty busy even at lunch time on a weekday so if you're visiting on a weekend it's probably best to book ahead. They also have a deli onsite where you can purchase fresh fish from the Loch outside along with olives, fresh breads and sweet pastries and various traditional and local Scottish foods.

To start we had a 'smoked salmon selection' with three different types of smoked salmon, served with fresh capers and onion. So delicious! Then for our main courses Rob chose the fish burger whilst I had the haddock and chips. It was divine. So so good! And all washed down with a gorgeous South African sauvignon blanc!

After lunch we relaxed in the lounge area and basked in the sunshine, drank hot chocolate and read our magazines. Because that's what holidays were made for, right?!

I could not recommend this restaurant enough, infact it probably should have deserved it's own blog post, but there we go, I've spilled the beans already. Nevertheless I would absolutely LOVE to revisit one day and enjoy lunch or dinner there again.

We drove back the same route through the stunning mountainous landscape and were just as amazed seeing everything for the second time, even when we got stuck behind a log-truck for a while! We drove back down to Loch Lomond and stopped at the little town of Tarbet on route, before googling to find another walking route. We did the Tarbet Isle Walk - a relatively short walk which took us through some attractive woodland, with more great views across the Loch. It was so peaceful in the forest, all you could hear was the trickling of little streams and waterfalls!

We then headed to the village of Luss, about 3 minutes in the car from our hotel. Luss is the most adorable little village overlooking Loch Lomond, popular with tourists. Although there's not a great deal to do, the views are, again, spectacular and there are several cute gift shops, tourist shops and a visitor's centre. There's also a pebble 'beach' running along the side of the Loch, with a jetty you can walk along to get some good views. We had a lovely evening stroll through the village and along the water.

To celebrate our final evening in Loch Lomond we had dinner at the Loch Lomond Arms, a lovely old traditional pub & hotel situated in the heart of Luss. The pub is super cosy inside with log fires, big tartan sofas and stag antlers on the walls. The food was great and quite reasonably priced too so I'd definitely recommend if you're nearby.

The next morning we reluctantly said our goodbyes to Loch Lomond before heading down to Edinburgh for the next leg of our Scottish adventure. 

What a treat it was to spend two nights in such a remote, beautiful part of the world. We left big chunks of our hearts in Loch Lomond. If you ever get the chance to visit, or are planning a Scottish roadtrip, make sure to spend at least a night there. I can assure you, it's wonderful.

Lydia xxx