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Village in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Photo: Eddie Mackinnon, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Balloch is a town on Clydeside in central Scotland, on the southern shore of Loch Lomond. It expanded from 1850 when the railway arrived, bringing trippers from Glasgow to the pier, whence boats and charabancs conveyed them around the loch. Balloch is still easy to reach by public transport, but this part of the loch is lowland and urban, and few boats now sail so you need your own transport to reach the more attractive areas of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Balloch in 2021 had a population of 6030.
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The last paddle steamer built in Britain - twice! Launched in 1953, she was first built in Glasgow then split into sections for transport and re-assembly at the loch. (This was a common system in the 19th and early 20th century to place ships on lakes and distant rivers.) She plied the loch until 1981 but then ship and pier facilities fell into disrepair. A volunteer group restored her as a static attraction in 2000, but it has not been possible to sail her again. Interiors and livery have been returned to their 1950s condition, the engines are occasionally in steam, and an auxiliary motor slowly turns the paddles for effect. So the paintwork and brasses gleam but a full restoration would require an expensive and hazardous process of hoisting her out of the water and trucking her to dry-dock, which could terminate her elderly life. (The last attempt in 2019 ended with an inglorious splash when the old bezom refused to be hoisted.) There's a tearoom aboard. The Maid is often booked for private functions.
A 200-acre park with woodlands, open areas and walking routes, its highlights being the formal Walled Garden and Chinese Garden, and tree-framed vistas of the loch: the rhododendrons and azaleas are glorious in May and June. It's also used as venue for events such as music festivals and the annual Highland Games. It surrounds Balloch Castle, which is derelict and not open to the public. This was built in 1808/09 in Tudor Gothic style, all make-believe turrets and cod-castellations, by the Buchanan family who'd made their money from hats. They obliterated the 13th-century castle of the Earls of Lennox; a few earth mounds and ditches are all that's left to see, while on the nearby island of Inchmurrin a few stumps remain of the Lennox's 14th-century castle. The park passed into public ownership in 1915.
Friendly informative avian centre, home to a variety of hawks, eagles, falcons and owls. No dogs allowed.
Good range of fresh- and seawater habitats including a tropical ocean walk-through tunnel. It's small compared to other Sea Life centres and two hours will be plenty.
formerly Palumbo's
Chain sit-in fish restaurant with 9 branches in Glasgow and 8 across the central lowlands.
Mock Tudorbethan pub with varied menu and large portions. Also has rooms.
Fresh Italian food with GF options.
Good Cantonese food. They plan to close Oct-Nov 2023 for refurbishment.
Decent, friendly Chinese.
Balloch House
Simple hotel above 18th-century pub on the banks of River Leven as it flows out of the loch.
Small, friendly B&B.
Friendly comfy guesthouse with 2 doubles en suite, 2 family en suite (sleeps 3 or 4), 1 twin with private bathroom. Walkers, cyclists and dogs all welcome.
Farmhouse up rough track with rooms in main steading and attached buildings. Walkers, cyclists and dogs welcome.
Open all year, well-run site for caravans and RVs. No tents but has camping pods, sleep 4 or 6.
Scottish baronial mansion on the banks of Loch Lomond with two restaurants: the Boat House (daily 10AM-10PM) on the marina does seafood and pizza, and Clubhouse at Cameron (daily 8AM-9PM) does Scots classics. There's also an 18-hole championship golf course, leisure club and spa. The hotel suffered a fire in 2017 but was fully refurbished by 2022.
Shopping mall with 14 retailers and a couple of eating places. Farmers Market and craft fair is held just outside on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month 10:00-16:00.
Small dilapidated shopping centre with many vacant shop units, so this historic ornate sandstone building is at risk of dereliction. It was built in 1906 as the Argyll Motor Works, the largest car factory in Europe in its day, but the company declined soon after. It then became a torpedo factory then an electronics factory, then was empty for a long period before the shopping centre opened in 1997.
By train
Two trains per hour run M-Sa from Glasgow Queen Street, taking 50 min to Balloch via Dumbarton East and Central, and Alexandria. These trains start from Airdrie and Coatbridge.
By bus
First Glasgow Bus 1E run from Glasgow Osborne Street (stop 2) via Clydebank, Old Kilpatrick, Dumbarton and Alexandria, taking 1 hr 45 min to Balloch.
Walk: it's easy enough to walk between Balloch village, the Loch Lomond Shores shopping centre, and Balloch Castle and Park.
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