The best things to do in Loch Lomond with kids

Stretching for over 20 miles and Scotland’s largest loch by surface area, Loch Lomond is also one of the most accessible bits of wild scenery in the country, which makes it a tempting prospect when you’re looking for things to do in Loch Lomond with kids.

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And it’s not just about attractions and activities. There’s something about Loch Lomond that gets under your skin – maybe it’s the way the mountains tumble straight down into the silvery water dotted with islands, or the fact that you could be paddling from a little beach one day and high in the hills the next.

But you’ll find plenty to do in Loch Lomond with kids as well as countless chances to enjoy the scenery – here’s my pick of the best for families.

A Loch Lomond boat trip

If you’re visiting Loch Lomond with kids, you can’t miss the chance to get out on the water at least once, and there’s no shortage of operators running trips from Balloch, Luss and Tarbet.

Cruises range from shorter 45-minute sightseeing loops to longer trips around the loch and its 30-odd islands, several of which you can stop off at. The longer ones also take you to the Highland Boundary Fault, the geographic split between the lowlands and highlands which cuts across Loch Lomond.

Commentary on most cruises points out landmarks along the way, including the mountain of Ben Lomond, and it’s a relaxing way to cover a lot of ground (or rather, water) without tiring small legs out. Plus, the views are fabulous, whether the sun is shining on the water or you’ve got cloud floating moodily across the loch.

We took the two-hour Island Discovery tour from Balloch (which also makes a stop at Luss) or there’s also an hour-long cruise of Loch Lomond if you prefer a shorter jaunt. If you’re based in Luss, this 75-minute cruise is another great option.

If you’d like to do more than cruise around, there’s a waterbus from Luss and a ferry from Balmaha (summer only) to the little island of Inchcailloch (Inchcailleach). Small enough to explore in a couple of hours, there’s a nature trail through the woods and some lovely beaches for a paddle.

Try some watersports

If you want to get even closer to the water, you’ve got plenty of chances to try out some watersports, including kayaking and canoeing, or some stand-up paddleboarding.

Luss is a great place for this, with Loch Lomond Leisure also hiring out boats, from pedalos if you want to stay close to shore right up to motorboats. And as well as heading off solo with your canoe, kayak or SUP, you can book two-hour guided tours to learn a few local secrets (and have some expert guidance as you go).

During the summer, you can also head to the beach at Loch Lomond Shores in Balloch, where there are more water sports and boat hire, as well as a few more adrenaline-fuelled options like waterskiing and wakeboarding if you’re visiting with teens.

Or you’ll find more watersports at Loch Lomond and elsewhere in the Trossachs.

Loch Lomond Shores

If you’re staying in Balloch, or visiting for the day, Loch Lomond Shores packs a string of attractions into the waterfront complex, along with shops and restaurants, so you can find some of the best things to do in Loch Lomond with kids within a few minutes’ walk of each other.

The centrepiece is Drumkinnon Tower, which houses the SEA LIFE Loch Lomond Aquarium (more on that below), but even without paying for anything, there’s plenty to enjoy – a lochside promenade with great views, a woodland walk and a large free outdoor play park for younger children.

You’ll find a few more paid attractions as well, including mini golf (albeit looking slightly tired) and Go Wild Loch Lomond, a treetop adventure where you’re taking on challenges and venturing through the trees high above the ground.

Add in cafes and restaurants too, alongside several shops – including places like Mountain Warehouse if your kids suddenly need any more outdoor gear and clothes. Or follow the riverside walk back to the village and pier.

Parking is paid, but if you’re staying nearby or arriving by train, it’s an easy walk from Balloch and Balloch station.

SEA LIFE Loch Lomond Aquarium

Housed inside Drumkinnon Tower at Loch Lomond Shores, the SEA LIFE Loch Lomond Aquarium is one of the biggest traditional attractions at Loch Lomond for kids, with more than 1,500 creatures across a series of themed rooms.

Ideal if you’re looking for something to do in Loch Lomond in the rain, it’s equally tempting year-round for families who love animals.

You’ll find an interactive rock pool where kids can touch starfish and other creatures, a family of resident otters, and a tropical ocean tunnel where you walk through a glass tunnel with blacktip sharks and rays swimming overhead – always a highlight with children, however many aquariums they’ve already been to.

There’s also a section dedicated to the wildlife of Scotland’s own lochs and rivers, which makes a nice way to learn more about the local area.

It’s not a huge aquarium, so you can comfortably get round in an hour or two, making it easy to combine with lunch at Loch Lomond Shores or a walk along the riverside afterwards.

There are discounts if you book in advance, and you can also get combined tickets with a boat cruise on Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre

Next to Loch Lomond Shores, the Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre is a smaller, more low-key attraction, but another good one if your children love animals.

You can get up close to owls, hawks, falcons and eagles, with daily flying displays where handlers explain a bit about each species along the way, including a chance to see golden eagles.

It’s easy to spend an hour here, longer if you’re watching a display, making it easy to combine with a visit to the aquarium, a boat trip or a walk around Balloch Castle Country Park.

Balloch Castle and Country Park

A short walk from Loch Lomond Shores, Balloch Castle Country Park is 200 acres of woodland, gardens and open parkland running right down to the shore of the loch, and it’s all free to visit.

The current castle is a 19th-century mock-Gothic mansion (not open to the public, and currently fenced off with renovation work taking place), built near the site of an older medieval stronghold that once guarded this stretch of the loch for the Earls of Lennox.

For kids, the appeal is really the space to run around – there’s a walled garden, a fairy trail through part of the woodland, a playground, and long stretches of grass leading down to the water where you can paddle or just sit and watch the boats.

It’s a lovely spot for a picnic on a sunny day, and quiet enough that it never feels as busy as the waterfront just along the road.

There’s an app to download with more things to look out for, as well as QR codes to scan for a circular walk taking in the highlights of the park.

Maid of the Loch

Moored at Balloch Pier, the Maid of the Loch is Britain’s last remaining seagoing paddle steamer, built in 1953, and although she’s still being restored to full working order, she’s open to visitors at weekends during the summer months and well worth a look if you’ve got older children interested in boats or engineering.

You can walk around the decks and admire the views over the loch from the top, while volunteers are often on hand to explain the ship’s history and the ongoing restoration work – she’s not currently sailing, but the hope is eventually to get her back out onto the water.

Explore Luss

The village of Luss, about 20 minutes’ drive up the western shore from Balloch, is one of the prettiest spots on the whole loch, with its rows of low, colourful, slate-roofed cottages leading down to a long pebble beach.

If you’re not staying here, it’s easy to while away a day – wander the village, pick up an ice cream, and then head down to the beach and pier for the views across to the islands and hills on the far shore.

Luss is also the starting point for the Loch Lomond Faerie Trail, a short, magical woodland walk aimed at younger kids, with fairy doors, houses and hidden details tucked among the trees along the way – but with plenty of quirky touches to amuse older ones (and adults).

It also links up to the riverside trail, one of a string of easy walks around the village.

Do be aware Luss gets extremely busy on sunny weekends and in the school holidays, with parking at a premium, so an early start or a visit outside peak times is a good plan.

Conic Hill and Balmaha

If your children are up for a proper walk, Conic Hill above the village of Balmaha is one of the best short hikes in the National Park, with some fantastic views out from the top.

The hill sits directly on the Highland Boundary Fault, the geological line separating the Scottish Lowlands from the Highlands, so from the summit you can see flat farmland stretching away on one side and rolling mountains on the other – a handy way to explain a bit of geography and geology to older kids.

The main route from Balmaha visitor centre is around 2.5 miles with a circular route or there and back option, so you’ll need around two to three hours at a gentle pace, with a fairly steep final push and scramble to the summit.

If you’d rather keep things flatter, Balmaha itself has a lovely lochside path and a good visitor centre, plus it’s the departure point for boat trips out to Inchcailloch.

Go Ape Aberfoyle

For families with a bit more adrenaline in their blood, Go Ape at Aberfoyle, on the Trossachs side of the National Park, is home to two of the longest zip wires in the UK, strung out through the forest.

Courses are graded by age and height, with a versions suitable for younger children aged 4+, accompanied by an adult, and 6+ (which can be supervised from the ground if you don’t fancy heading up).

Plus the full Tree Top Adventure courses for kids aged 10+ and grown-ups, involving rope bridges, tunnels and, of course, the zip wires themselves.

It’s a proper half-day activity once you factor in the safety briefing and getting round the course, and it’s a fun change of pace to enjoying views of the loch – it’s around a half-hour drive from Balmaha and Balloch, longer from Luss.

Queen Elizabeth Forest Park

Also near Aberfoyle, Queen Elizabeth Forest Park is a huge expanse of woodland, hills and waterfalls, and a lovely spot for a family walk that feels a world away from the busier parts of the loch.

While it’s known as one of the stretches of the long-distance West Highland Way, the Waterfall Trail is the pick of the walking routes with kids, a well-signed path leading through the forest to a series of waterfalls, with information boards along the way explaining the surrounding wildlife and woodland management.

You can even rent a BugBag from the visitor centre, which gives you all the equipment you need to be a wilderness explorer from binoculars and compass to pond-dipping jar, identification booklet and map. 

There’s also a good visitor centre with a café, picnic spots, a natural play area and viewpoint over the forest and hills beyond, plus a second loch, Loch Katrine, so there’s plenty to keep everyone entertained, even beyond the walks and nature trails.

Argyll Forest Park

You’ll also find Argyll Forest Park around an hour’s drive from the western side of the loch – Britain’s oldest forest park, it stretches for a whopping 720 miles and is another great option if you’re looking for outdoor activities.

While there isn’t a Go Ape course, there are a string of lovely walking trails depending how far you’re happy to drive, including the easy riverside trail – visit in spring and you’ll get to see bluebells in bloom – as well as another heading into the woodland itself. Look out for red deer, red squirrels and buzzards.

Loch Lomond Pony Trekking

For something a little different, Loch Lomond Pony Trekking near Balloch runs guided treks through the surrounding countryside, with routes and pony sizes suited to different ages and experience levels, including complete novices.

It’s a lovely, gentle way to see a different side of the landscape, trekking across the moorland at the south-western edge of Loch Lomond.

Children must be aged 12+, so unfortunately if you’ve got horse-mad little ones, it’s one you’ll have to save until they’re older.

Meet Highland Cows

You’ll spot field after field of cows (and sheep) as you explore around Loch Lomond, but if you’ve got your heart set on getting a bit closer to the endearingly hairy-fringed Highland Cows, there are a string of options from a quick visit to a more in-depth experience.

Head to Trossachs Woollen Mill and their own small herd of ‘Highland coos’ spend their days in the paddock next to the car park – Honey, Hamish Dubh and their calf Holly. If you head into the shop, you can also buy bags of feed to tempt them to the fence, or it’s free to stop and take a look.

Located around an hour from Balloch and Balmaha, it’s around half an hour from the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and Go Ape Aberfoyle, so best to combine with those if you’re venturing away from the loch itself.

Or closer to Luss and Balloch, Auchentullich Farm Shop has its own herd of Highland Cows which you can spot in the fields.

Further south, around 20 minutes’ drive from Balloch is Ardardan Estate & Monty’s Farm Park which runs farm tours during the summer months, including a chance to see their Highland Cows – must be prebooked.

But if you want more than a quick glimpse, I highly recommend the Highland Cow and cake experience at Nether Glenny Farm, around half an hour from Balloch. Best for teens and older tweens, the two-hour small group experience takes you out onto the farm to get (safely) close to the herd, with a chance to find out a little more about the different members and their personalities, plus the cows’ daily life.

Along the way, you’ll get more insight into the realities of modern farming, how Matt and Alison are involved with rewilding, and a chance to meet – and feed – the flock of Shetland sheep as well. All finishing with homemade cake.

Where to stay in Loch Lomond with kids

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park stretches a long way, from the busy waterfront at Balloch right up to Tyndrum in the north, so there’s no single place to base yourself if you’re hoping to explore the area.

Having said that, most families stay around Balloch and the southern end of the loch, where the main family attractions are clustered together, then take day trips further north or into the Trossachs for more hills and forests.

Balloch is also easy to reach on the train, around 45 minutes from Glasgow, with all the town’s main attractions in easy walking distance from the station.

Further around the loch, Luss is incredibly pretty and has a fantastic location on the loch. It’s smaller than Balloch, although it can get busy during the summer particularly – it’s often quieter in the evening once the day visitors have headed home though.

Balmaha is another pretty and quieter option, if you’re happy spending more time driving around Loch Lomond with kids.

Getting around Loch Lomond

Balloch is well connected by train, with a direct line from Glasgow Queen Street taking around 45 minutes, which makes it a very easy day trip. From Balloch station, Loch Lomond Shores, Balloch Castle Country Park and the pier are all within a 10 to 15 minute walk.

If you’re planning to explore further round the loch – to Luss, Balmaha, Tarbet or beyond – you’ll need a car, as public transport thins out considerably once you leave Balloch, and the western and eastern shore roads aren’t linked to each other by any direct route around the loch itself.

The roads that do exist can be narrow and busy in peak season, particularly the A82 along the western shore, so allow more time than you might expect for what look like short distances on the map, and consider starting early to beat both the traffic and the crowds at the more popular spots like Luss.

Whichever end of the loch you base yourselves at, the beauty of Loch Lomond with kids is that you’re rarely too far from somewhere new to explore – a beach, a forest trail, a boat trip or a castle park – so it’s easy to fill several days without ever feeling like you’re repeating yourselves.

For more tips on how to include Loch Lomond in a Scotland road trip with kids, check out my itinerary ideas

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Images: Golden eagle/Conic Hill/Queen Elizabeth Forest Park/Argyll Forest Park courtesy of Depositphotos, all others copyright MummyTravels

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