Loch Lomond: On the bonnie, bonnie banks

To mark 20 years of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, we explore Clan Colquhoun country, with its luxurious lochside hotels, acres of land for exploration, and traditional Highland games

WORDS Sally Coffey

”By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes, Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond, Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae, On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond.”

This Scottish anthem, supposedly a Jacobite reworking of an earlier song, which is still sung with gusto at many a gathering and gig, does little to dampen the romance of Loch Lomond, and nor should it. Loch Lomond and its surrounds, which were packaged together as Scotland’s first national park 20 years ago, is an epic landscape, where the Lowlands meet the Highlands. It’s a place of icy-blue waters, fringed with lush forests and wooded glens and guarded by mighty mountains – not least Ben Lomond, the most southerly of all of Scotland’s munros.

I’ve driven the A82, the road that snakes round its western shores, more times than I can remember, and yet, I’m never less than staggered by the sight of the enormous expanse of Loch Lomond peeping through a bank of trees, or the haughty monolith of Ben Lomond, which can play tricks on you, appearing to be straight in front of you on the west side of the loch, when really she’s been firmly planted on the eastern shores all the time.

For those who prefer to travel by public transport, the western shores of Loch Lomond are excellently serviced by trains and buses and you can get here in less than an hour from Glasgow.

This is Clan Colquhoun country – the Lowland Clan who were arch enemies of the MacGregors, have held much of the land in and around Loch Lomond for centuries. Luss, a village on Loch Lomond’s western shores, has been in the heart of Clan Colquhoun lands for more than 600 years, since the marriage of Robert, the 5th of Colquhoun, and the daughter of the 6th Laird of Luss, in the 14th century.

It is said early Colquhouns were Celtic priests and hereditary guardians of the ‘bachuil’ or crozier (a sort of bishop’s staff) of St Kessog, a monk from Ireland who lived on one of Loch Lomond’s many isles – Inchtavannach. It’s possible the clan were even descendants of the saint; certainly they were offered certain sacred protections – in 1323 Robert the Bruce declared the area three miles around the church of Luss a holy refuge. However, at some point over the centuries the staff has been lost. The Helensburgh Heritage Trust believes it could have been hidden away or destroyed around the time of the Battle of Glen Fruin in 1603, in which many members of Clan Colquhoun were massacred by MacGregors in the crescendo of an ongoing feud.

The MacGregors paid a heavy price for their victory in the battle, as by then Clan Colquhoun had gained royal support. Shortly afterwards, King James VI passed an Act of council, which effectively outlawed the whole clan – even uttering the name MacGregor was done on pain of death. The current clan chief is Sir Malcolm Colquhoun, 31st of Colquhoun, 33rd of Luss, and though parts of the lands once belonging to the clan have been sold off, Luss Estates, of which he is chair, still spans more than 40,000 acres and runs community and tourism ventures, including the charming Loch Lomond Arms Hotel in the village of Luss.

An elegant coaching inn, housed in a 17th-century building, there are just 14 rooms and five cottages at the Loch Lomond Arms, while guests can choose from three dining areas – the more formal dining room, the cosy bar, and the sophisticated library – which all serve the same seasonal, modern Scottish menu. It’s all been decorated in the style of a traditional hunting lodge, so expect roaring fires, deep sofas where you can leaf through perfectly bound books, stuffed birds, and trophy horns and antlers.

In the 1850s the then Laird of Luss had the attractive tenant cottages built for workers at the nearby slate quarry and in the estate’s cotton mills and sawmill. Sadly, the old museum, which once told the story of the clan and the village has now closed, but pop into the Luss General Store – a boutique selling Scottish gifts (much of it locally made) – owned by Luss Estates, and staff may be able to share some of their local knowledge.

The one place you’re most likely to find people willing to talk about the clan’s history, is at the annual Luss Highland Games, which has been held here since 1875, and which this year takes place on 2 July.

It’s one of the most picturesque settings for Highland games that I’ve ever seen, with the River Luss rumbling past the field to one side, the clear waters of Loch Lomond twinkling in the background, and the hills of Luss framing the picture beautifully.

Though disappointingly they no longer include competitions for sock knitting or making shepherd’s crooks, this once local event has become one of the most popular of all of Scotland’s Highland games. It includes traditional competitions such as hill racing, tossing the caber and hammer-throwing, with plenty of pipes and Highland dancing, too.

For lochside luxury, with no shortage of activities to make the most of Loch Lomond’s huge outdoor playground, Cameron House, a sweeping five-star resort, is the place to stay. It’s spread out across such a large area (44 hectares) that guests are encouraged to make use of the courtesy shuttle service between the main hotel, Cameron Spa, and the golf courses. Suited concierge will even offer guests a lift to the marina, but that’s just a short walk away.

The main Scottish Baronial-style hotel building, where most of the guest rooms can be found, was home to the well-connected Smollett family for 300 years, which included Tobias Smollett, an influential 18th-century writer, in their number.

Many famous figures have stayed here as guests of the family, from James Boswell and Samuel Johnson during their trip around the Highlands, to Empress Eugénie of France, Princess Margaret and Lord Louis Mountbatten, and Winston Churchill.

Those who were children (or parents of children) in the area in the 1970s and 1980s probably remember the site best as the Cameron Bear Park, when 32 bears lived on the shores of Loch Lomond, but since the 1990s Cameron House has been a hotel (though there have been a few owners in that time).

In 2021 the hotel reopened having completed major restoration work following a fatal fire in 2017, and there’s been a buzz of excitement ever since.

Many of the 140 bedrooms, which feature tartan blankets, Paisley wallpaper, remote-controlled blinds and smart TVs, have views out over the loch, and the facilities are so well thought-out that you may wonder whether there’s any point in stepping outside the hotel at all.

For families, there is a plush cinema, an excellent leisure pool, plus a pool table and foosball, in the pub. Adults and escaping parents will want to take the concierge up on their offer for a lift out to Cameron Spa, with its outdoor infinity pool, or play a few rounds on one of the two golf courses.

There are numerous dining options, from the hearty fare at the Cameron Grill, to the small, delectable (but innumerable) dishes on the tasting menu at Tamburrini & Wishart, which has a private members’ club atmosphere and a no-kids policy.

But it’s in the extra-curricular activities that Cameron House really excels. 

From spring to autumn, the hotel runs seaplane tours, taking off from a pontoon on the loch, giving guests a bird’s eye view of spectacular scenery on a flight covering as much as 110 miles, before delivering you back in front of the hotel.

The Celtic Warrior, the hotel’s motor cruiser, takes guests out for tours of some of the loch’s islands, and then there is falconry, pony trekking, and clay pigeon shooting.

For guests at both Cameron House and the Loch Lomond Arms Hotel, 4×4 Adventures Scotland offers a thrilling way to see more of Clan Colquhoun country.

As a passenger you’ll be driven in a Land Rover Discovery or Defender high into the hills, through Glen Douglas (passing some of the land that was sold to the MOD in the 1960s – look out for signs of magazines built into the hillsides) before going off-road for some sublime views of Loch Long, the Arrochar Alps, and of course Loch Lomond. And the best bit? You get to take the wheel yourself while your expert instructor fills you in on the history of the land.

Looking down on scenes below from your high vista, though there may be a small village here, or a lochside hotel there, what’s exciting in this region is the feeling that little of the landscape has changed for millennia, and that the place that those Jacobites sang about, and which clansmen fought so hard to protect or control, is still every bit as bonnie as it ever was.

And what can be more thrilling than that?

PLAN YOUR VISIT

CAMERON HOUSE

Take a seaplane trip for aerial views, a private cruise on Loch Lomond, or go off-road in Clan Colquhoun country. You’ll never be short of ideas at this resort hotel. cameronhouse.co.uk

LOCH LOMOND ARMS

A boutique hotel with elegant interiors and delicious dishes featuring produce sourced direct from the Luss Estate, in the pretty village of Luss. lochlomondarmshotel.com

AUCHENTULLICH FARM SHOP

For local produce, and farm-fresh ice cream, you can’t go wrong with this shop, just make sure you leave some for other customers. facebook.com/auchentullichfarmshop

GETTING THERE

Luss is just a 45-minute drive from Glasgow, following the M8 northwest out of the city before joining the A82. Trains from Glasgow Queen Street take just 45 minutes to reach Balloch at the southern end of the loch. From here, buses can take you into Luss, or your hotel should be able to organise a transfer.

GET INSPIRED

For walks, cycle routes and cruises around the national park, go to lochlomond-trossachs.org