Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park was Scotland’s first national park, established in 2002 and opened by the Princess Royal that July. It covers around 1,865 square kilometres of the southern Highlands, reaching from the Argyll sea lochs in the west to Breadalbane in the north and the wooded hills of the Trossachs in the east, and it lies within an hour’s drive of most of the central belt.

The park takes its name from its two best-known landscapes. Loch Lomond, the largest stretch of fresh water in Britain by surface area, fills the southern half with its scatter of wooded islands, while the Trossachs to the east is a tighter country of small lochs, crags and oak woods that drew the early Romantic tourists. Twenty-one Munros rise within the boundary, among them Ben Lomond, the most southerly of them all and one of the busiest hills in Scotland.

For visitors the park is less a single attraction than a region to explore. The West Highland Way runs the length of Loch Lomond’s eastern shore, walkers and cyclists use the network of forest and lochside paths, and the water carries everything from kayaks and paddleboards to the steamers on Loch Katrine. Villages such as Balloch, Aberfoyle, Callander and Luss act as gateways and bases.

The park authority, based at Balloch, manages access, conservation and ranger services across the area. Park Headquarters, Carrochan, Balloch, G83 8EG. General enquiries on 01389 722600 or via the National Park website.