Having now laid eyes on Loch Lomond, I can confirm that the description of its “bonnie banks and bonnie braes” is completely accurate.  The sun may not have been shining bright that day, but the views were stunning nonetheless.

Once again, we had a slow start to our day, but since our only plan was to drive around and visit the shores of Loch Lomond, taking things slowly wasn’t an issue.

Loch Lomond resides within the Trossachs National Park, which just happened to be a short drive away from our Airbnb. The loch is almost 40 km long (about 25 miles), and it’s the largest freshwater loch in Scotland. It contains 30 small islands, but we didn’t venture into the water to explore, preferring to simply stay ashore and admire the beauty from there.

Loch Lomond is perfect for anyone who wants to fish, hike, kayak, canoe, boat, or even enjoy a picnic lunch. Along with those options, there are plenty of nearby towns and sites to explore, including an extinct volcanic cone and picturesque Ben Lomond along its eastern shore.

As glad as I was for the warmth of summer, I would love to one day see the autumn leaves at Loch Lomond, as I’m sure they’re spectacularly beautiful.

We stopped at two areas around the loch – though there are certainly many more areas for stunning views. The first area we stopped at was near Luss, a small settlement, and the second area we stopped at was near Inverbeg, a quaint hamlet.

My best advice for visiting Loch Lomond is to plan ahead a little and take some form of boat tour. We chose to have a relaxing, drive-around-by-yourself exploration of Loch Lomond, and while I don’t regret it, it would have been nice to hear stories from a local. Regardless, if you’re on the shores of Loch Lomond, you can expect a relaxing day surrounded by some of the most spectacular natural beauty around.

Not to mention the adorable visitors who paid us a quick visit!

Have you been to the bonnie shores of Loch Lomond? Did you visit any of its islands?