Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond's shores play host to a wide range of animals such as red deer, fallow deer, and feral goats, and on one of the Lochs islands there are the strangest visitors to these parts, a thriving wild colony ( in spite of the Scottish winter ), of herbivorous marsupials - Kangeroos! There have been claims that some of them have made it to the mainland, but Park Rangers say there is no proof that any of them have managed to get off the island. So few people know of the existance of the Kangeroos that if you see one of them, my advice to you would be not to tell anyone about what you've seen - or the next time you go to the bar, you may be drinking alone. There are ferry services to some of the Lochs islands such as Inchcailloch ( receives about 20,000 visitors each year ), where St Kentigerna founded a religious community in 717 AD. A church was built on the Island in the 13th century and remained as the parish church up untill 1621, ( many of the Clan MacGregor were buried here including some of Rob Roy's ancestors ) - burials in the church grounds continued untill the 1940's. There is evidence that the Loch islands have been used by people for about 7000 years, which is not that long after the ice retreated from Scotland. The WHW passes near Strathcashel Point to the north of Balmaha, which contains the remains of a 5000 year old enclosure and a Crannog (an Iron Age man made island containg a lake house, built for defence), that lies just offshore. Each island name has a distinct meaning e.g. Inchlonaig - Island of yews. Planted with yew Trees for the Archers of Robert the Bruce. Inchmurrin - is named after Saint Mirren- and is the largest inland island in Britain. The word 'Inch' in each of the above island names is a Scottish word meaning a small island.

Loch Lomond has seen many invading visitors, including Viking longships. Before the Vikings were defeated by the Scots at the Battle of Largs, they dragged about 40 longships over from the Clyde via Loch Long into Loch Lomond and burnt and pillaged the settlements on the Loch's islands and shores.

Accommodation info for the Loch Lomond area is on the | Over-night | page.

If this interests you, a related page is at | WHW information |


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