LOCH
LOMOND
THE BONNY BANKS OF LOCH LOMOND AT THE
LITTLE VICTORIAN ESTATE VILLAGE OF LUSS.
Loch
Lomond is 22 miles (35km) long, includes more than 30 islands and, in
its northern reaches, is dominated by two substantial mountains. Ben
Lomond and Ben Vorlich easily top the 3000 feet (912m) mark
which categorises them, in Scottish terms, as major summits. From about
halfway up the loch precipitous hillsides, wooded and forested on their
lower slopes but craggy above the tree line, press it into a narrow
cleft.
The main A82 road from Glasgow goes to Dumbarton, capital of
the ancient kingdom of Strathclyde. Early Britons established a fortress
on the twin-peaked Dumbarton Rock which clambers up in a series of cliff-faces
bordering the Clyde. Later military buildings survive on the rock. and
stairways lead to spectacular viewpoints on the two summits.
Dumbarton’s days as a shipbuilding centre, where the earliest helicopter
was also designed, are over. One intriguing remnant is the Denny Experiment
Tank of 1883. You can see how scale-model hulls of racing yachts, liners
and naval vessels were given miniature “sea” trials.
Balloch is the village at the outflow of Loch Lomond. Loch cruises
start here, and many small-boat owners moor their craft on the River
Leven. Riverside footpaths run past abandoned locations of the textile
industry although Antartex at Alexandria is a modern and flourishing
business. Now the visitor centre of a lochside country park, l9th century
Balloch Castle stands high among lawns and woodlands.
To reach the east side of Loch Lomond, take the A811 by Gartocharn to
Drymen. A right turn in Gartocharn leads to a walk up Duncryne
Hill, a magnificent panoramic viewpoint. Northwards, the outlook is
over Loch Lomond’s islands into the narrowing
mountain gap on the skyline.
