Tue June 4 - 12:40 (Loch Lomond)

We drove from Balloch Castle to the Visitor Center and bought some postcards. We saw that they had 1-hour boat tours of Loch Lomond so we purchased 2 tickets. The boat set out of a small river that led into Loch Lomond.

We passed many old castles and buildings. One of them, the Cameron House, was built in the 18th Century by the Smollett Family. It was brought over in 1989 and the Craigendarroch Timeshare Company spent over 20 million pounds converting it into a 5 star hotel and leisure complex. It was bought in 1998 by the De Vere Hotel Group for the sum of 16 million pounds.

Among some of the famous guests who have stayed there are Pavarotti, Cher, Michael Jackson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, and Sean Connery, to name but a few.

The loch was formed after the last ice age and is known as "The Gateway to the Highlands" because it lays right on the fault that separates the Highland from the Lowlands. It is Scotland's first National Park, which is described by many as "The Queen of the Scottish Lochs." The longest point across is 5 miles. This widest part of Loch Lomond has a group of islands running in a direct line with the mainland hills on either side. This is "The Highland boundary fault," which forms a natural boundary between the Scottish Highlands and the Midland Valley. Ben Lomond stands 3192 feet and is the highest landfall from here to Lands End to the South.

It is also Scotland's most southerly Munro (mountains over 3000 feet). Loch Lomond has 200 different species of birds (golden eagles, ospreys, peregrine falcons, capercaillies), a variety of mammals (wild cats, deer, goats- and in the middle islands there are wallabies), and 14 species of fish. The most important fish in Loch Lomond is the "Powan," which is a rare type of fresh water herring. It was trapped in Loch Lomond during the last ice age, and as the water desalinated, it adapted to its new environment. Powan are known to be plentiful in the southern end of the loch, where food supplies are better and spawning grounds are more readily available.

After coming back to the dock, we ate nearby at the Tullie Inn where I devoured my Moroccan lamb stew with cous cous. For dessert, I got a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and Ricky got a sticky toffee pudding.