Balmaha.

Start. Balmaha.

Route. Balmaha - B837 - Passfoot Cottage - Craigie Fort - Balmaha Pier (Craigie Fort Pier) - Passfoot Cottage - B837 - Balmaha.

Notes. A few hundred years ago Balmaha would have been a inconsequential staging post on the road to nowhere, things changed in the 1800s with the popularisation of Loch Lomond, to this day Balmaha proves to be a particularly popular stop off point for many tourists, so much so the National Parks flagship Visitors Centre was built here. And that brings me to us, we stopped off on the road to somewhere else, grabbed some lunch before tackling what the National Park Authority have christened the Millennium Forest Path.

We set out from the rear of the large car park where the West Highland Way emerges from the forest at the foot of Conic Hill, fighting the urge to ascend Conic Hill we turned immediately left, with a well walked path under foot we wandered along the edge of the car park emerging onto the main road, we crossed. With iconic Loch Lomond to our left and a pavement under foot we wandered on via Passfoot Cottage to be greeted by a finger-post baring the thistle of the West Highland Way, we left the road immediately ascending to Craigie Fort with it's panoramic loch views, and that's exactly what we got, everything else had melted into West Highland mist.

Undaunted we descended to the north, the steep path deposited us on the shore of Loch Lomond, we turned left to casually wander back. A wonderful path honed from the cliff face guided us to a splendid bridge then on to the abandoned Balmaha Pier where we stepped back onto tarmac for the short walk back to Balmaha.

view route map.

home.

Our day started with a short walk along this forest track, the car park to our left, steep wooded slopes our right.

Viewing Inchcailloch from the jetty at Balmaha.

The aspect north up Loch Lomond, seen from the ascent to Craigie Fort.

Sue soaks up views over Loch Lomond.

Looking to Inchfad with many other islands melting into the haze.

The perspective south from Craigie Fort, little Aber Isle just breaks the surface and I believe the bump on the far horizon is Duncolm.

Seen from the loch shore, Inchfad.

En route back to Balmaha.

Before rounding the point a final look back up Loch Lomond, this should be a big mountain view but I'm afraid they've all melted into the Highland haze.

In a rather sad state, Balmaha Pier.

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