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One thing we love to do at weekends is to take our inflatable canoe out on Loch Lomond and have a picnic on one of the islands. There are several islands on the loch, with sand, shingle or pebble beaches that are easy to access from various locations around the loch.
Our favourite is Inchcailloch, which also makes a great overnight camping spot. We like this island as it has some nice (easy) walks, including the summit trail for great views over the loch and its surrounding mountains, plus a sandy beach at Port Bawn with picnic tables and firepits. There are also two composting toilets. It is particularly beautiful to visit in May when the bluebells are in bloom.
The easiest place to access Inchcailloch from is the beach at Balmaha, on the east side of the loch, just along from the Oak Tree Inn (a great place for lunch if you haven’t brought a picnic). There is a big car park, currently free, plus an overflow car park, but it can still get very busy, so be prepared to wait for a space on a sunny summer weekend. One of the great things about canoeing to Inchcailloch is that it is very close to Balmaha (a few hundred metres), and if you’re going to Port Bawn, although it is on the far side of the island, you can “hug” the island as you canoe round, therefore never being far from land. This makes it great for beginners.
On the other side of the loch, from the car park / beach at the Duck Bay (a couple of miles past the roundabout at Balloch), if the weather is calm, you can canoe out a couple of miles to the island of Inchmurrin. Be aware there are no islands to stop at to break the journey, so please check the weather forecast first as it can be very exposed.
On Inchmurrin there is a bar and restaurant on the southeast end, or you could canoe to the northeast where there is a sandy spit that you could head to if you have brought a picnic. When we did this it was quite a cold day, so we just went to the pub.
Further along the west shore, at Aldochlay (about a mile before Luss) there is a layby with room for about six cars, from where you can easily access the islands of Inchtavannach, Inchconnachan (which has resident wallabies, although they are hard to spot) and Inchmoan (which has a couple of long sandy beaches, the best being on the south side). Between Inchtavannach and Inchconnachan, and area called “The Narrows” is lovely to paddle along. The first photo below shows us camped at the south end of Inchconnachan. The second is on the sandy beach on Inchmoan, but we didn’t get great weather that day…
If you are unable to find a parking space in the layby then head on to the paid car park at Luss and launch from the Luss pier. As far as I know this is not a problem, but it is not quite as close to the above mentioned islands, so you will have a little bit further to paddle. It does, however, give you easier access should you wish to paddle out to Inchlonaig (an island we have yet to visit).
There are other islands on the loch that you can canoe to, and if you can’t get parked at Balmaha, you can head on a couple of miles to Milarrochy Bay. This is fine and convenient for heading out for a paddle in the loch, but a longer paddle if you want to reach any of the islands, the closest being Inchfad, with Inchcailloch being around a couple of miles away.
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