YVONNE AND DEBBIE AT LOCH LONG [ COULPORT ] Loch Long and Gare Loch mix spectacular scenery with the intriguing possibility of rounding a corner and finding an aircraft carrier parked virtually at the side of the road. This area is home to a number of major naval installations dating back to the cold war and earlier. Garelochhead lies, as the name suggests, at the head of Gare Loch, while Kilcreggan marks the southern tip of the Rosneath Peninsula and is home to the last surviving Victorian steamer pier on the Clyde.
Gare Loch meets the Clyde at Helensburgh, a planned settlement that emerged at the end of the eighteenth century. Further east, Luss is to be found off the A82 on the west side of Loch Lomond. A popular tourist halt, its pretty cottages are part of the estate village built by the Colquhouns.
HELENSBURGH MAP OF AREA GREAT WALK ON EAST BANK OF LOCH LOMOND LOCH LOMOND There can be no more captivating place than Loch Lomond. As the early morning mists melt from the still waters, the rising sun filters through to gently brush the shores with its golden warmth.
The very name Loch Lomond conjures images of noble mountains sweeping down to gentle foreshores; tiny, wooded islands set amidst calm, lapping waters and small villages playing host to impromptu ceilidhs.
By Yon Bonnie Banks’
To the north the loch is narrow and deep, with the surrounding mountains rising majestically from the shoreline. The little village of Ardlui is tucked beneath these peaks, where the River Falloch flows from its Highland source into the north of the loch.
On the eastern side, a beautiful, sheltered stretch of the West Highland Way hugs the shore, passing a RSPB reserve amidst deciduous woodlands.
The hamlet of Inversnaid is accessible only via the stunning drive from Aberfoyle to the east or, of course, by boat from Inveruglas. Ferries and pleasure cruises operate throughout the season from the lochside communities of Tarbet, Balloch, Balmaha and Luss.
The Loch Lomond area is situated in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park – the first in Scotland. Visitors can find out more about the Park at the National Park Visitor Centre and Loch Lomond Shores, a major shopping complex in Balloch. You can also see what life is like in Loch when you visit Loch Lomond Aquarium on the same site.
Luss Village
Lochside Villages
A necklace of charming villages and pleasant hostelries fringe the loch’s shores. At the southern gateway lies the attractive town of Balloch. Balloch Castle Country Park offers parklands, lochside walks, a walled garden and visitor centre.
Balloch is also noted for the colourful collection of boats on the River Leven. On the western shore is the picture postcard village of Luss which was home to Scottish Television’s High Road soap and a conservation village, which in summer is ablaze with floral colour.
Here, the Loch Lomond Park Centre gives an insight into the loch’s landscape and wildlife, whilst you can experience traditional craftsmanship at the Thistle Bagpipe Works.
Further north is the tiny hamlet of Inverbeg, which boasts one of the finest picture galleries in Scotland. On to Tarbet, whose name comes from the Gaelic ‘place of portage’ - quite appropriate, given that the Vikings hauled their longships over land from Arrochar to the waters of Loch Lomond.
At the southern end, the farming community of Gartocharn is perhaps best known for the panoramic view afforded by the short climb up Duncryne Hill, or ‘the Dumpling’ as locals know it. Drymen - a delightful community clustered around its traditional village square - was once a popular collection point for Rob Roy MacGregor’s ‘black mail’. Today, it is an inviting gateway to the quieter eastern shore, with its many popular bays and viewpoints, and the chance to browse in local craft shops such as Drymen Pottery.
LOCH LOMOND
The Great Outdoors
The eastern shore of the loch is dominated by the towering mass of Ben Lomond, the most climbed mountain in Scotland and the most southerly of the country’s ‘Munros’ (hills over 3,000 feet).
Access is easy via a well-marked footpath from Rowardennan. There are also many less challenging walks and trails to explore, particularly on the fringes of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, north of Balmaha.
Rowardennan
A rich diversity of wildlife can be enjoyed by the visitor, such as buzzards, deer and capercaillie. The Balmaha Visitor Centre explores the area's natural history, its theme being the Highland Boundary Fault. The loch itself has more species of fish than any other - game and course fishing offer great sport.
OBAN
Oban is also called 'the Gateway to the Isles' as it is from here that many of the ferries depart. Besides the harbour and Sea Life Center, there are stacks of castles in the area that are well worth seeing.
Mull is the largest island in Argyll and it can be reached by ferry from Oban. It provides ample opportunity for bird, whale and dolphin watching as well as scuba diving and walking. Sea based activities include sailing, fishing and angling. The neighboring isle of Iona has an interesting history
Scotland's west coast has the most jagged and dramatic coastline in Great Britain. It's only 300 miles as the seagull flies, but once you add in the dozens of islands anchored off this rugged coastline it is thousands of miles
Oban, Scotland
Updated 29 August 2008 05:50
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Wind: 5 kph
Humidity: 94%
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INVERARAY Inveraray enjoys a picturesque setting on the shores of Loch Fyne, where it meets Loch Shira. It was built on the site of an earlier fishing village in the mid 1700s by the 3rd Duke of Argyll, chief of the powerful Clan Campbell. He demolished the original village to give his rebuilt castle more space, and rehoused the population in a new village that is one of the most attractive in Scotland
Arrochar lies at the head of Loch Long, in an idyllic location that offers the best of Scotland: a sea loch surrounded by mountains, all within easy reach of Glasgow. This does mean it can be a busy place at the height of the season and at weekends, but catch it when it is a little quieter (the images on this page were taken in April) and you begin to see the plus points of somewhere that is all too often under-appreciated.
Arrochar can be thought of as a "twin" with Tarbet, a mile and a half to the east on Loch Lomond. The two are linked by a low valley used for centuries to drag boats between the sea and Loch Lomond, and in 1263 Viking raiders dragged their longships to Tarbet to allow them to plunder along the shores of Loch Lomond. Today Arrochar and Tarbet share a railway station that lies near the high point of the valley connecting the two.
The name Arrochar probably came from the Gaelic word arachor, an ancient Scottish measurement of land equal to 104 acres and defined as the area of land eight oxen could plough in a year. Arrochar is recorded as being called "Arathor" in 1248 and "Arachor" in 1350.  CLICK BELOW TO SEE A GREAT WEBSITE
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