Dschoening

Making detailed plans now for our Oct trip, looking for a possible boat tour on Loch Lomond as we drive from Inveraray to Glasgow.

Last time I was there was on a tour bus from Edinburgh, and they stopped at Balloch for a boat tour which I did not do.

Right now, plan to look at Tarbet and Luss along the banks, and wonder if anyone has a comment on Loch Lomond boat tours in general!

Thanks -
Dorothy

britfan

We're going to be in Scotland in September, and I've corresponded with Sweeney's in Balloch about boat cruises on Loch Lomond. They responded to my emails promptly and seem very friendly and helpful. (We've never actually been to Loch Lomond before, so I can't comment on actual experience.) Their web site is http://www.sweeney.uk.com/.

You may also want to check out the following web sites:
http://www.loch-lomond.net/
http://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/
http://www.visit-lochlomond.com/

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Dschoening

Thanks for the Sweeney recommendation. They don't post any schedules, though; did you email them? How long are their cruises? I can, of course, email them myself!

I especially enjoyed the weather outlook chart on loch-lomond.net as it doesn't use numbers (!) for temperatures - which seems appropriate for Scotland...

Dorothy

GeoffHamer

There are various short boat trips on Loch Lomond. The two main operators are Cruise Loch Lomond at Tarbet (www.cruiselochlomondltd.com) and Sweeney at Balloch (as mentioned by Britfan). Trips generally run to fit schedules of bus tour operators, so will vary from day to day.
There's also MacFarlane & Son who run a service taking passengers, supplies and mail from Balmaha to the islands (www.balmahaboatyard.co.uk).

britfan

Dschoening,

Sorry I didn't post the details earlier. Yes, I emailed them about the particular day we're considering going to Loch Lomond (Thu., Sept. 15), and they informed me that they will be running several 1-hour cruises departing Balloch at 11.30, 13.30,14.30,15.30 & 16.30. The cruise costs 5.50 GBP per adult & 3 GBP for children under 12 (children under 4 are free). You do not have to book in advance.

Hope this helps. Not sure what they'll be doing in October, though, so you may want to email them: [email protected].

sheila

When I was a kid, one of the BIG Deals was to get atrip on Loch lomond onthe Maid of the Loch. You can't do that any more, but could I suggest that you look at http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u...maidoftheloch/

Also, take sweaters and a fleece. It will be F for freezing in whatever scale you measure it.

Dschoening

Thanks for the nostalgia trip, Sheila; reminds me of my own childhood sightseeing trips on the Mississipi river on boats out of St. Louis, in the center of the US.

We will be near enough to Loch Lomond twice during our 10 days of travel, so I hope we will have time/good weather once to take a boat ride.

Also, thanks for the reminder about clothes; we are truly trying to keep our luggage at the basic minimum, but I hate being cold. I think I am going to stick in a multi-layered ski jacket (outer waterproof nylon with foldup hood, inner removable fleece) even though it's only the beginning of Oct.