Loch Lomond – Milarrochy

  Location – Milarrochy eastern shore of Loch Lomond Craft – Own Inflatables – Fatstick 10′ Pink Panther and 10’6″ Blue Lagoon Cost – Free!! Conditions – Fresh water Loch and Islands, breezy and choppy Other Users – Mainly swimmers and sunbathers with a couple of kayakers and other SUPers. Entry Point – Rocky and sandy beach. Surrounding ammenities/Bathroom – There are free bathrooms and tourist information in the car park kiosk open during the summer. Getting There – The Milarrochy car park is just north of Balmaha on the east shore of Loch Lomond on the B837 and is 40km north east of Glasgow, the journey taking about 55 minutes by car. Map Current Weather Conditions Wee Blether Loch Lomond is beautiful however it comes! Milarrochy parking area is close to Inchfad and Inchcailloch islands which would have been great to visit on a calmer day.  As this was our first trip on our new boards we weren’t picky about the conditions but got out after work on Friday afternoon which meant that the wind had picked up substantially.  This car park appears to be the only one on the East coast that parking is free.  This is another area which is pretty popular with families and it has a beachy vibe.  It is fairly easy to get from the car to the water with your boards – about 20-40 meters depending on where you park.  The rocks can make getting into the water a little tricky as there are hidden submerged rocks closer to coastline. This was our first time out on our new boards and was on a choppy and fairly breezy day so we opted to stick fairly close to shore but still we both managed to fall off (I blame backing into a submerged rock – don’t ask!).  There is a boat ramp and marina at Balmaha just to the south and so there are also potentially ferries and other motorised watercraft to contend with on a busy day.  The township of Balmaha has a nice couple of places to eat and drink and stay.  The Oaktree in does meals (I recommend their pizza). Along from them is a little supermarket which is the best/only place to get grocery items on the east coast from what I’ve seen, although I’ve not fully explored the options at Rowadennan which is the northern most end of the road.  This supermarket also services all the campers and walkers on the West Highland Way so is pretty well stocked.  Next door to the supermarket is an icecream cart and next again is the magnificent St Mochas coffee shop of which the mochas are of course amazing! From the car park opposite Balmaha you can walk a little bit of the West Highland Way or just up to Conic Hill which gets the blood pumping but has spectacular views over Loch Lomond on a clear day. You can also catch a ferry to the islands and the other side of Loch Lomond from the marina.   FIND BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO SUP LEARN MORE ABOUT EQUIPMENT WATCH THE LATEST SUP ADVENTURE VIDEO