Stand Up Paddleboarding on Loch Ard

I’ve been looking forward to Stand Up Paddleboarding on Loch Ard ever since my first visit here last year.  It’s such a beautiful spot, especially the southern shore which is covered with a forest of pine trees.  This is part of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park which has many trails for hiking and biking.  

The Main Points 

• Location – Loch Ard – North Western end
• SUP – Own Fatstick Inflatables, 10′ Pink Panther and 10’6″ Blue Lagoon
•  Cost – Donation to the Kinlochard Village Hall for parking
• Conditions – Freshwater Loch with islands
• Other users – People use this access point to fish, kayak, swim and canoe
• Entry Point – shallow water with a sandy/pebbly bottom
• Surrounding amenities/Bathrooms- Best bathroom is in Aberfoyle 4 miles away or at the Wee Blether Tea Rooms during the summer season if you would like to sample some of their amazing baking  

Getting There –  Kinlochard and the northern most easily accessible part of Loch Ard is 50km North of Glasgow along the A81, and west of Aberfoyle

Map 

Current Weather Conditions

A Wee Blether 

We only covered a small part of the loch – the western end but still managed to clock up approximately 4 km.  We were pretty happy with our efforts because we weren’t sure that we would get in another SUP before the cooler weather kicks in for the winter.  

With the promise of less than a 10% chance of rain and a top of 13ºC we took the chance and were glad we did. The water didn’t seem too cold and the breeze was fairly light until the return trip.  We were quite amazed to find people in swimming – in wetsuits, but still!!  

The access from the Kinlochard Village Hall is nice and close – just across a narrow road and into fairly shallow water with a sandy/pebbly bottom, which gradually deepens but apparently never gets too deep as one of the staff at the Wee Blether Tea Rooms told us it is actually possible to walk out to the islands.

Other places to launch are at the eastern end of the loch along the B829 where there is a pull over that people park in (it looks like an oversized  passing place but each time we come past someone is parked in it).  

There is also a entry point through the forest if you park in the road side car park down the dirt road which accesses the forest and walk along one of the trails. To read about exploring the Loch Ard Narrows see our post here.