Go wild at Loch Lomond Shores and hire an Explorer Backpack from the RSPB Shop for Nature. The backpack is full of activity for kids to get outside and get close to nature with mini beasts, birds and the local wildlife.
It is £3 to hire an Explorer Backpack (free to RSPB members!), and all you have to do is visit the RSPB Shop for Nature on your next visit.
For full information and further details pop in store or call the team on 01389 752538.
Why not try your hand at twitching… birdwatching that is. The RSPB Shop for Nature has come up with this amazing opportunity for customers to have a go a spotting wildlife by hiring out binoculars for half day sessions.
The in-store team can give you guidance on how to get the best from your binoculars and tell you what you should be looking out for.
The cost is £5 per half day hire (10am – 2pm or 1pm – 5pm), plus you can receive your hire fee back as a £5 discount is you purchase a pair of binoculars on the day of the hire. (Full terms & conditions in-store)
For full information visit the shop or call 01389 752538.
Dive in and be wowed by the many strange, beautiful and the fascinating creatures of the deep as you journey through the amazing underwater world of SEA LIFE Loch Lomond.
Prepare for astonishing close views of everything from humble starfish to tropical sharks!
To get any closer you’ll have to get wet!
OPENING HOURS:
Monday – Sunday: 10am – 5pm (last admissions 4pm)
Holidays & Bank Holidays: 10am – 6pm (last admissions 5pm)
For more information, contact the Sea Life Centre directly:
Tel: 01389 721500
Visit the Sea Life Centre website: Loch Lomond
Join the Sea Life Facebook page here
Can You Experience offer a wide range of outdoor activities from the beach at Loch Lomond Shores.
Enjoy stunning views of Ben Lomond from the seat of your own boat! Gently paddle or pedal around the sheltered lagoon, which is patrolled by a safety boat. Boats can be hired by the ½hr.
Adult and children’s mountain bikes, toddler trailers, tag-a-longs and front and rear panniers for hire. With a wide selection of paths nearby to choose from, hire can be taken for as little as 3 hours to a full week or longer. Staff are more than happy to advise on suggested routes and provide maps.
Great family fun, which affords stunning loch views!
Forget 4×4’s – try your hand at these fabulous, funky off road 2×2 machines. Enjoy a 1-hour guided safari and experience the real joy of the Segway. Pre-booking required.
Can You Experience also provide guided canoe, mountain bike, walking, survival skills and power kiting trips.
Corporate Events, Schools and Youth Group Activities , Hen and Stag events are also available– all organised on and around Loch Lomond.
Find out more about Can You Experience:
Download our 2012 leaflet by clicking HERE
Tel: +44 (0)1389 756 251
Email: info@canyouexperience.com
Visit the website: www.canyouexperience.com
See what’s happening on Facebook
All the fun of the Fair! Our open air fun-fair is open all summer long plus weekends and holidays throughout most of the year.
Just buy your tokens and enjoy the tea-cups, the trampolines, the carousel and more.
Why not jump on the mini-train for a trip up the West Riverbank to Balloch village.
Our play-park recognises the high roads and the low roads of Scotland through its climbing and play areas. The play park is being refurbished in the middle of 2012, so expect some lovely new areas including our secret garden hide-away and a lovely reading and learning area with toadstool seats.
The play park is open all day every day and we hope that you can come along and enjoy it.
We would like to thank West Dunbartonshire Council who awarded a £2,000 grant toward the refurbishment work.
There are great facilities for everyone who wants to get out on the water, or get dirty and sweaty during their visit. The Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway has changing and showering facilities which are open throughout the day and into the evening.
For full up to date information on opening times click on the National Park website here or call 01389 722030.
Open from 8am until 10pm during high season.
Our Water Balls are closed for the winter sorry.
Enjoy the thrill of walking on water, or at least attempt to, with this super fun activity for the kids. Located on the Approach area near our main entrance, these water balls are the latest craze and a great way to get out to get close to the water without ending up wet ! (although remaining dry is not always possible…take note!)
Just turn up. £5 a go…how long can you last?
* There is a maximum 9 stone weight restriction
Water bus services on Loch Lomond have rapidly established themselves as a great way to experience different locations around the loch. Linking west, east and south shore locations like Luss & Balmaha, Balloch & Balmaha and Tarbet with Inversnaid & Rowardennan.
Will it be a walk and lunch in Balmaha, strolling around Luss, hiking on the West Highland Way or exploring Balloch? Or will you be one of the many cyclists taking your bike on the boat as part of a journey around the National Park?
Services run from 31 March 2012 until well into the autumn. Click here for timetables, maps and routes.
Loch Lomond Boat Hire is a family run business, with generations of family being involved in boating on Loch Lomond. We are passionate about the Loch and it’s ecosystem and we are always looking for new ways to develop marine eco tourism.
With a fantastic boating location on our doorstep, we are delighted to be able to offer boat hire facilities from Loch Lomond’s Bonnie Banks.
Our fleet of very modern, reliable, low emission craft are available to hire from Loch Lomond Shores on Loch Lomond (even at short notice). This is our first season of operation and we have found that we are receiving bookings long in advance, especially for our Loch Safari’s that are proving ever so popular.
Please always respect the Loch and its ecosystem.
To book or for more information call: 07827 931448
Visit the website : Loch Lomond Boat Hire
Maid of the Loch, Loch Lomond’s Paddle Steamer, is now open every weekend and entry is free. There is a tea-room on-board serving lovely coffee and cakes from 11am every Saturday and Sunday. (Open daily during Scottish School holidays).
Come Aboard! and see her magnificent steam engines and paddles; there are model ship displays and local history exhibits. Learn about the story of the Maid herself, built in Glasgow in 1953, taken in sections to Balloch, and re-assembled on the slipway. There are audio visual displays featuring different aspects of the Maid over the years, including rare footage of her sailing. Our volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions you may have and will be keen to tell you our plans for her future.
The Balloch Steam Slipway was built in 1902 and fully restored to working condition in 2006. Entry is free, and it is “In Steam” most weekends. There are interactive displays for children, historic information boards, and audio visual DVD’s continuously showing. Our volunteer engineers are always on hand to explain how the steam engine works, and children can also blow the steam whistle!
Both attractions are owned by the Loch Lomond Steamship Company, a charity registered in Scotland. The main aim of LLSC is returning her to steam operation on the loch. LLSC is run entirely by volunteers, and is dependent on donations to maintain and improve the Maid and Balloch Steam Slipway.
For more information visit: www.maidoftheloch.com
Loch Lomond Waterski Club has been providing waterski lessons to club members, members of the public and tourists for over 25 years. Whatever your standard of skiing we aim to help improve your skills and ‘Beginners’ are always welcome. During this season (first weekend in May to the end of September 2012), we will be operating from our site adjacent to the ” Maid of the Loch” at Loch Lomond Shores.
We operate a Ski Nautique tournament ski boat with Zero off speed control and provide a slalom course for the more advanced skier. We also provide facilities for corporate days, V.I.P. boat taxi trips and filming.
Customers have included, Bono of U2, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Carol Smillie, John Gordon Sinclair, Sally Mac Nair and the cast of “Allo Allo”. Junior Club Members have recently included, Emma Mitchell former British Women’s Dauphin and Junior Champion, Lynsey Graham former British Women’s Dauphin and Junior Champion, Sam Haslam former British Men’s junior and under 21 Champion. All three compete Nationally and Internationally and are former members of the British Tournament ski squad.
We are members of both British Waterski and Waterski Scotland.
To find out more visit our website here or call us on 07778 011100 (booking is essential)
Loch Lomond Shores reached its 10th birthday in 2012, and we were delighted to have Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visit us to help with the celebrations. Our stunning Otter sculpture was created by Mr Laurence Broderick and this was set upon a stone mound built from stone from the local Buchanan Estate Quarry.
For more information on Laurence Broderick click here
For more information on the stonemasons services from Lomond Grass Limited and the Buchanan Estate Quarry call 0800 8620020.
Sail from Loch Lomond Shores with Sweeney’s Cruises. Take the chance to sail on the famous loch. Whether it is a 45 m inute round cruise north up the loch, or a 2½hr trip to Luss, what better way to m ake the m ost of the beauty, history, and culture that surrounds Loch Lom ond than to capitalise on the fun and excitem ent on the water?
Tel: 01389 752 376 for more information
Or visit the web site: Sweeney Cruises
Beautifully situated, The Gateway Centre has stunning views of Loch Lomond and the surrounding area. It comprises of Cafe on the Loch, a Childrens Play Area, and a superb Gift Shop. Cafe on the Loch serves delicious homemade food, including soup, sandwiches and home baking. The is an ice cream parlour serving Mackies famous ice cream, sundaes and milkshakes. With seating available both inside or outside on our balcony which sits over the lagoon, Cafe on the Loch has a truly unique feel to it. Whilst mum, dad, or grandparents enjoy tasting the delights the Cafe on the Loch has to offer, children are welcome to play in the free Children’s Play Area or do one of the many arts and crafts activities which are on offer daily. The Gift SHop has a wide variety of choice to suit everyone. From seasonal gifts, to toys, books or maps, the Gateway Centre has it all! Scottish souvenirs, sweeties or National Park gifts – there really is something for everyone.
From the Centre you can access the beautiful woodland walk, which is suitable for all ages, anf gives you a small taste of nature in a managed setting. The friendly staff will provide information so that you can get the most out of your visit to Loch Lomond Shores and the surrounding areas, and we will also provide ticketing services for other great places and adventures.
Contact the Gateway Centre directly on: Tel: 01389 751 035
or email them at: cafeontheloch@aol.co.uk
The Love Loch Lomond website www.lovelochlomond.com is a fantastic place to find out all about what’s on in the area, fun activities and things to do for all the family plus great hotels, bars, restaurants and places of interest in and around Loch Lomond. It is a one stop shop for all that this beautiful and inspiring area has to offer. There are also some great discounts and seasonal offers on there too. www.lovelochlomond.com
You can also find listings for superb Loch Lomond accommodation providers, with a great selection for every taste and requirement.
Love Loch Lomond is the Destination Organisation that runs in the Loch Lomond, Strathendrick, West Dunbartonshire and Clyde Sea Lochs areas. It is dedicated to working on a collaborative basis to capitalise on the area’s strong tourism potential through marketing, online initiatives, business networking and lobbying for funds for the future growth of tourism in the area.
