The Trossachs and Loch Lomond area in Scotland is internationally recognised as an area of renowned and preserved beauty. Visitors have been coming to this area for over a hundred years to walk along the many wooded glens, the Highland Boundary Fault Trail and climb the many Hills and Mountains in the Trossachs. Below are a few of the activities available in the area from cycling, outdoor pursuits, museums, safari parks, fishing, golf, sailing and yoga retreats. One of the nicest ways to see all of the National Park, Stirling and Inveraray is to use a Motor Home or Camper Van. These allow you to explore parts of Scotland not covered by the rail and allow you to also go off the main roads and explore the more remote and hidden areas. Most campsites now have pitches for Motor Homes.
Lochs
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park contains 22 lochs, below are 14 of the main lochs. From the world famous Loch Lomond to the smaller and equally impressive Loch Chon in the Trossachs. Scotlands’s only lake, The Lake of Menteith, can be found in the National Park as well. This lake can be reached within less than a half hour from Stirling and has great facilities for fishing. Not much further away, situated in the heart of the Trossachs are many more beautiful Lochs including Loch Ard, Loch Achray, Loch Venachar and Loch Katrine. Going on one of the cruise ships on Loch Lomond or Loch Katrine is a great activity for the whole family. The SS Sir Walter Scott is one of Scotland’s first steam ships and a perfect activity during your stay in the Trossachs. Besides fishing, some of the lochs offer a much wider range of activities. Loch Lomond and Loch Earn are the most popular lochs for watersports such as kayaking, surfing, waterskiing and much more. However there are some more tranquil lochs where sailing is possible. Loch Venachar, for example, offers sailing and is situated in the heart of The Achray Forest. The National Park has also sea lochs such as Loch Goil and Loch Long, a fjord-like loch in the west of the park. Just outside Helensburgh is Rosneath Castle on the Gareloch, here you can learn to Sail to RYA standards and Kayak. They also hire out equipment and you can launch your own boats from their jettys. For more information about the Lochs click on the buttons below and for information about watersports, please visit our watersports page.
Mountains
It is the beautiful scenery of the Highland Boundary Fault which makes hill walking around Loch Lomond and the Trossachs an unforgettable experience. With views on forests, lochs, farmland, hills and rivers, hill walking in this area is something special. Munros are mountains in Scotland higher than 3000ft (914m). The smaller mountains between 2500ft and 3000ft are called Corbetts. The National Park is one of Scotland’s places with many mountains for hill walking. North-west from Loch Lomond are the Arrochar Alps with moderate to challenging level walks and some possibilities for climbing. One of the most popular mountain peaks of the Arrochar Alps is Ben Arthur, better known as ‘The Cobbler’ (see left image). This is only one of many more peaks you can in the Arrochar Alps which are one of the most popular hill walking destinations in Scotland. Besides the Arrochar Alps you can climb many other mountains within the National Park. Just next to the West Highland Way is Ben Lomond, a spectacular mountain with a height of 974m and great views on Loch Lomond. While the hills and mountains in the Trossachs are surrounded by woodland and lochs, the mountains more to the north are situated in a scenery more typical for the Highlands with brown colours and rather alpine vegetation. Every day you can climb a different mountain surrounded by different landscapes. The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park is the right place to experience the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands at the same time with the Highland Boundary Fault separating both areas. For those who don’t want to climb up a Munro, there are many hills with smaller heights such as the Conic Hill in Balmaha with views to Loch Lomond and the islands. Another popular hill is Ben A’an with spectacular views to Loch Katrine. For more information about the Munros & Bens click on the buttons below.
Walking & Cycling
The beautiful scenery is one of the main reasons why visitors choose walking as one of the top activities in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. There are hundreds of walking paths with different difficulty levels. The paths lead you through forest, along rivers and lochs and if you like to the top of the Munros from where you can enjoy some of the best views.
No matter where you are in the Park you don’t need to travel long until you find a good walking path. If you want to know more about walking and find 3 recommended routes please click here. For information on hillwalking click one of the green buttons above.
The National Route 7 is a cycle path network which connects many villages and towns throughout the National Park with each other. This allows you to discover many different villages as well as the beautiful nature between them. you can go easily from Callander to Killin or from Aberfoyle along the Lochs Achray and the north shores of Loch Katrine.
There are unlimited possibilities from paved cycle paths to smaller paths through the woodlands. You can find some shops for cycle hire and equipment as well as guided cycle tours. The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs is the ideal place for cycling. You can find more information about cycling here.