Tread where loch meets land,
follow the sand
The shoreline of beautiful Loch Lomond offers breathtaking views of the surrounding scenery. Pause a while to drink in the view before continuing along your trail.
What’s In a Name?
Historically, Loch Lomond was known as Loch Leamhna (or Loch Leamhain), meaning “elm water”. This older name derives from the River Leven, which flows out of the loch, and its Gaelic name leamhan. Today, Loch Lomond takes its name from the imposing peak of Ben Lomond: in Scottish Gaelic, Beinn Laomainn, which translates to “beacon mountain”. The loch inherited this title, with the mountain’s name, laomunn, referencing fires historically lit on its summit.
Wild Wallabies? Yes, Really...!
Loch Lomond is home to a colony of wild, red-necked wallabies living on a small island in the Loch, Inchconnachan, affectionately known as “Wallaby Island”. The marsupials were introduced in the 1940s by Fiona Bryde Gore, Countess of Arran, as exotic pets and they’ve remarkably adapted to the local climate.
A Bracing Swim
One of the most colourful characters of his generation was Sir Iain Colquhoun of Luss, 32nd Chieftain of the Clan and the 7th Baronet. Sir Iain gave a lifetime of military service to his country and is still fondly remembered locally as an inspirational figure. He was born in 1887, the son of the 6th Baronet, Sir Alan John Colquhoun, and succeeded his father as 7th Baronet in 1910. Fond of taking to the famously bracing waters of Loch Lomond, Sir Iain could often be seen striding back through Luss after a swim, dressed only in his kilt.
Everybody’s Fault
Loch Lomond is situated on the Highland Boundary Fault, a major fault zone in the earth’s crust that runs across Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east. Long studied by geologists, the fault zone separates two very different types of terrain: the Highlands in the north and the Lowlands in the south.