Loch Lomond

Places to stay around Loch Lomond range from farmhouse bed and breakfasts to grand lochside hotels, with much depending on which shore you fancy waking up to. Balmaha and Drymen suit those arriving on the West Highland Way, with the Oak Tree Inn a well-known stop, while Luss and Balloch offer a wider spread of hotels close to the water and the main visitor routes.

For something grander, Cameron House on Loch Lomond and The Lodge on Loch Lomond Hotel give direct loch views and proper leisure facilities, whereas the Rowardennan Hotel sits further up the quieter eastern shore, handy for walkers heading onto Ben Lomond. Duck Bay Hotel & Restaurant and the Winnock Hotel in Drymen offer easy access to the loch without straying far from the road network, and Dumbain Farm Bed & Breakfast is a good option for a simpler, more rural stay.

The loch itself is the main event, but the surrounding hills, villages and woodlands give plenty of reason to stay several days.

• Ben Lomond - the most southerly Munro and one of Scotland's most climbed hills, with a well-made path from Rowardennan car park taking most walkers four to five hours return for a summit view down the full length of the loch.
• Conic Hill - a short but steep climb from Balmaha, around two hours return, delivering the classic view along the Highland Boundary Fault with the islands lined up below.
• Luss village - a conservation village of slate-roofed estate cottages on the western shore, with a sandy beach, a pier and a parish church founded on a site of worship dating back over 1,500 years.
• Loch Lomond Shores at Balloch - the visitor complex at the southern tip, home to the Sea Life Loch Lomond Aquarium, watersports hire, and departure point for cruises around the southern islands.
• Inchcailloch island - a National Nature Reserve reached by ferry from Balmaha, with an oak woodland circuit, a ruined church and burial ground, and a summit path barely an hour long.
• The West Highland Way - Scotland's best known long-distance path runs the full eastern shore from Drymen to Inverarnan, and the Balmaha to Rowardennan section makes an excellent day walk.
• Falls of Falloch - a powerful waterfall just off the A82 north of Ardlui, reached by a five-minute walk from a roadside car park.
• Watersports and cruising - kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing and waterskiing operate from Balloch, Luss, Balmaha and Duck Bay, and scheduled cruise boats run through the summer.

The area's food is Scottish and unfussy at its best: loch and river fish, venison and lamb from the surrounding estates, and increasingly good baking and coffee driven by the walking trade. Cullen skink, haggis with neeps and tatties, and a proper Scottish breakfast with black pudding and tattie scone are all standard fixtures on local menus.

At Balmaha, the Oak Tree Inn has been the anchor of the village since 1997, serving Scottish pub cooking and running the adjoining St Mocha coffee shop and ice cream parlour, where the beans are roasted on site. Its own beers are brewed locally. In Drymen, the Clachan Inn claims to be Scotland's oldest licensed premises and does a straightforward bar menu that suits walkers coming off the Way, while the Winnock Hotel on the square handles larger groups.

On the western shore, the Lodge on Loch Lomond at Luss has a restaurant looking straight down the water, and the Loch Lomond Arms in the village serves food in a restored coaching inn. Duck Bay, on the A82 near Arden, is a long-established loch-shore restaurant with a terrace, popular for Sunday lunch. At the far northern end, the Drovers Inn at Inverarnan is an experience as much as a meal: stone floors, open fires, stuffed animals and live music at weekends.

For self-caterers, Balloch has supermarkets and Drymen has a good village shop and butcher. Loch Lomond Shores hosts craft and food markets on selected weekends, and Loch Lomond Brewery, based at Alexandria, supplies beer to bars around the loch. Whisky drinkers are within easy reach of Glengoyne Distillery at Dumgoyne, about twenty minutes from Drymen, and Loch Lomond Distillery at Alexandria.

Camping and glamping around Loch Lomond ranges from lochside pitches to well-equipped touring parks, with sites spread along the water's edges at Luss, Inverbeg and further north towards Inverarnan. Cashel Campsite and Inverbeg Holiday Park both sit close to the shore, giving direct access to the water and views across to the hills beyond, while Luss Caravan and Camp Site puts you within walking distance of the village itself.

Beinglas Farm Campsite lies at the head of the loch near Inverarnan, popular with walkers on the West Highland Way and handy for a straightforward overnight stop. Those wanting more comfort than a tent but still keen on the outdoors should look at Loch Lomond Castle Lodges, which offers glamping-style stays without giving up the setting. Choosing between them often comes down to whether you want to be near a village for shops and pubs, or further out with quieter surroundings.