Europe

[Visited: December 2007]

When I left Glasgow on a winter day, it was still pitch dark. A slow train stopping at all possible stops took me to the end of the line: Balloch. This town sits right on the shore of Loch Lomond, which was my destination for the day. As I got off the train, the clouds in the sky were slowly getting some pinkish colour, and I started walking through the Balloch Castle Country Park along the shore of the river Leven. The contours of the mountains on the other side were starting to pierce through weak dawn light, being reflected on the absolutely still waters of the Loch.
On the small beaches, there was a crusty layer of ice, and I was happy to have taken my gloves. When I reached a fence, I followed a path that took me along a brook running down to Loch Lomond, and walked up until I left Balloch Country Park and reached a small road. A Scot walking his dog advised me to follow the road, and I was happy I did. It ran parallel to the shore of Loch Lomond, offering great views of the lake and the islands in it, and, every now and then, a house.
I came across frozen ponds, walked through forests, saw sheep-dotted hills and reached open areas with sweeping views of the Loch. I could not see the northern side of it, as it was obscured by the many islands in the southern part of the lake. I was looking at the second biggest loch in Great Britain; Loch Lomond is almost 40km long. Unfortunately, the clouds did not really lift and thus I could not enjoy a view of the mountains surrounding Loch Lomond. As I was running out of time, I also had to return to Balloch and passed by Boturich and Balloch Castle. I realized that Loch Lomond is a typical Scottish experience: the loch itself, castles, sheep, islands, and fresh air all combine to offer a great nature experience.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Loch Lomond (United Kingdom). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Loch Lomond.
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Loch Lomond > United Kingdom > Europe

[Visited: December 2007]

Around the World in 80 Clicks