VISITING OR STAYING IN BALMAHA.

Balmaha, a small village that sits on the southeast of Loch Lomond and personally our favourite place at Loch Lomond.  A lovely wee place that attracts thousands of tourists, including our family, every year. Some people are passing through as part of the West Highland Way, some come to climb the iconic Conic, some come to take a boat ride over to Inchcailloch, an island steeped in history with a graveyard at the top, some come just to dine or stay over at the Balmaha Lodges or The Oak Tree Inn, an absolute must place to visit. Others come to go kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding or simply crossing hills to have a quiet, romantic stroll along the shore. Whatever your reason for visiting Balmaha, be sure to get a photo standing next to the statue of Tom Weir, a famous Scottish climber who loved the outdoors and who presented television shows like Weir’s Way.

BALMAHA & THE BOUNDARY FAULT LINE.

 The boundary fault line created millions of years ago with the collisions of continents, this is where the connection of the highlands meets the lowlands, making Balmaha a little more interesting place to visit. A better view up Conic hill is a great place to see the fault line with the Islands-Inchcailloch, Torrinch, Creich and Inchmurrin crossing over the loch like bridge pillars.

THE ISLANDS.

Loch Lomond’s islands mostly scatter between Balmaha and Luss. These islands are visited by many tourists every year for camping, longer stays in cottages or just day visits by boat. Inchcailloch sits close to Balmaha and is a popular island with much history attached to it with old church ruins and a graveyard, it also has a campsite that sits on the westside of the island but has a long waiting list to book. Inchconnachan island is also known as Wallaby island and yes there’s Wallabys on the island, the island also has an old saw mill on it. Most of the Islands were used in earlier years as places of work or even homes. Inchmurrin island is the biggest inland island in the UK which offers a great place to stay in their cottages/lodges and also has a nice restaurant with magical views. 

THE VILLAGE.

Balmaha’s village offers a small shop, cafe, restaurant, boat trips to Inchcailloch and great places to stay. The village has many people passing through it every year, it is part of the West Highland Way but it’s not the only reason it has many people visiting it! The village shop is small but copes with the flow of people and sits next door to the cafe which serves excellent coffees and ice-cream. The Oak Tree Inn is just flawless! Walk Hill and Glen’s Walking Tours has a luxury stay at Balmaha check our View our tours for more information. The boatyard offers day trips to Inchcailloch island between the months of April to September. Balmaha’s Oak Tree Inn is open through the Autumn and Winter places giving you the chance to see the white capped mountains. 

TOM WEIR STATUE.

The statue of Tom Weir sits at Balmaha near the Oak Tree Inn where you can have your picture taken with Tom’s statue. Tom was a Scottish climber who loved the outdoors and had a television show called Weir’s Way, scrambling through Scotland’s beauty including Inchcailloch Island with interesting facts along the way, which has left the door open for many to follow in his footsteps. Some of Tom Weir’s shows can be seen on YouTube.

WEST HIGHLAND WAY.

Balmaha is under 20 miles from the start of the West Highland Way at Milngavie, or even less if not walking over the Conic Hill. Walking the West Highland Way south to north over the Conic Hill is not as hard as it looks and the scenery is worth every step, if you do leave this section out, then it might be an idea to make a day out at Balmaha and climb the Conic Hill, it will not disappoint you! You might like the idea of doing a guided walking tour. We at Walk Hill and Glen do all inclusive guided walking tours. The Oak Tree Inn is a popular place with a 130.000 walkers a year walking the West Highland Way giving that perfect break on day 2 for a bite to eat, or on day 1 for a stay in one of their accommodations, a luxury stay in a luxury place with a breakfast included, it’s worth the extra mile walk. The Oak Tree Inn is quick with food orders which allows you to get back to your walk, and if you’re staying then you will have not only the time to enjoy your food but the scenery as well.

BALMAHA’S MILLENNIUM FOREST TRAIL. 

This Millennium Forest Trail is a short walk only taking 45 minutes, ideal after a meal at the Oak Tree Inn, where your eyes can feast on the scenery along the way. Parked at Balmaha’s car park this looped walk will give you some cracking views for little time. Picnic your way round on the trail there’s some relaxing places to have that picnic. 

PLEASE RESPECT THE OUTDOORS.

Like anywhere when it’s busy, mess can be an issue and with BBQs being very popular it can lead to fires. So please when out anywhere take your rubbish home and if having that BBQ then please make sure to give it time to cool down before taking it away with you. leave the area safe for others to enjoy as you hopefully did.