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Loch Lomond
Queen of the Scottish Lochs
 Apart
from
Loch Ness, Loch Lomond is probably the most famous loch in Scotland. It is known
as the Queen of the Scottish Lochs as it is
also considered by many as being the most beautiful.
Situated at the western
edge of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, marking
the boundary between Stirlingshire to the east and Argyll to the west, the views
over the loch from any point are usually stunning. Ben Lomond, at 973m/3194ft,
which makes it the southern most Munro, overlooks the loch from about
halfway along its eastern side.
At the southern
end of Loch Lomond is Balloch, where the water from the loch flows into the
River Leven, which in turn flows south to Dumbarton where it joins the River
Clyde.
At about 23 miles long and, at most, 5 miles wide at the
southern end, this loch represents the largest surface area of fresh water in
Britain. Another feature is the large number of islands, or inches, as
they are known, on the loch. Most of these are situated towards the southern
end, where the Highland Boundary Fault, which marks the boundary between
the mountainous Highlands to the north and the low lands of central Scotland,
passes through the loch.
A part of the loch’s fame is through the ballad that tells us
of the bonnie, bonnie banks. A young Scottish soldier, who had been
captured by the English, supposedly wrote this song. While another captive was
to be released he was due to be executed, so the song is about his spirit taking
the low road, while his friend would take the high road.
There are two sides to Loch Lomond, which sounds like a
very obvious statement considering its size. However, this statement is based on
one thought – access. On the western side is the A82, which runs from Glasgow
all the way to Inverness, offering good views and access to that side of the
loch. On the eastern side it is a different story.
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