Exploring the National Park by Boat ON THE WATER...

One of the best ways to enjoy the special scenic qualities of the National Park is by boat, and here local photographer and writer Paul Saunders provides an overview of the wide range of opportunities available to relax and ply the waters of the many lochs by taking a trip on historic steamships or more modern passenger boats. He also provides details of boat hire operators in the National Park for the more adventurous traveller and fishing trips.

We start at Loch Katrine in the Trossachs, where wooden boats took early Victorian visitors, flocking to see the wondrous scenery vividly brought to life in Sir Walter Scott’s 1810 poem, The Lady of the Lake. Steamships have sailed here since 1843, and a new exhibition at Trossachs Pier celebrates their history, coinciding with the recent welcome return this spring of the beloved 123-year-old Steamship Sir Walter Scott after a £750,000 restoration programme.

One of the most popular activities is taking a bike (cycle hire at Trossachs Pier) onboard at Trossachs Pier and cruising to Stronachlachar, returning by cycling along the 14-mile smooth loch-side road. Loch Katrine has three other cruise boats, including the small Osprey boat for private charters. lochkatrine.com menteith-fisheries.co.uk sweeneyscruiseco.com

One of the best waters for fishing in Scotland is at the nearby Lake of Menteith, where you can hire a small boat and see if you can catch fish before the resident osprey do!

Another long-established cruise operator is Sweeney’s Cruise Co, with water bus services and cruises from Balmaha and Luss. They have cruises frequently departing from Balloch, including evening sunset ones on high quality boats carefully maintained by several generations of the Sweeney family.

The Macfarlane family runs the historic wooden ferry boat service between Balmaha Boatyard to Inchcailloch island. This short crossing enables visitors to access natures trails meandering across the island to the popular Port Bawn beach balmahaboatyard.co.uk waverleyexcursions.co.uk lochgoilcruisers.co.uk ardlui.com

PS Waverley, the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer, has recently run a successful fundraising appeal to help its struggles with rising fuel and annual refurbishment costs. Sailings are scheduled around Glasgow and the Clyde Coast each spring and autumn, calling at Dunoon and Blairmore’s Victorian Pier for cruises up Loch Long.

Loch Goil in Argyll is also ideal for fishing, and Loch Goil Cruisers, located between Lochgoilhead and Carrick Castle rent motorboats. Out on this dramatic fjord-like sea loch, you could see seals, otters and even dolphins and whales.

At the northern end of Loch Lomond, an on-demand ferry allows walkers of the West Highland Way to raise a buoy and indicate that they’d like the ferry to take them to Ardlui Marina and Hotel.

Portnellan Farm at Gartocharn offers motorboat tours, an excellent way to see, or visit some of Loch Lomond’s 22 islands portnellanfarm.co.uk

Loch Lomond Leisure also offers motorboat tours. lochlomond-scotland.com inchmurrin-lochlomond.com cruiselochlomond.co.uk

The hotel on the largest Loch Lomond island, Inchmurrin, operate a bookable ferry to take customers from Arden to the island for a meal or to stay.

Cruise Loch Lomond, with an impressive fleet of boats, runs a series of water bus services with routes that include connections with Rowardennan (for Ben Lomond), Tarbet, Luss, Balmaha, Inchcailloch island and Inversnaid. They also have cruises departing from many of those locations.

If these aren’t enough, there are plenty more opportunities to enjoy the waters of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, including stand-up paddleboarding, sailing, canoeing, and wakeboarding!