Balloch Castle Country Park – Fairies, Swans and Play Parks
A few hours.
The route
Balloch Castle Country Park sits right at the bottom of Loch Lomond, and it's made for a morning with young children.
There are woods to run through, a fairy trail to hunt for in the glen, play parks down by the shore and swans on the water, with a family pub by the station for lunch at the end.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
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The day
Balloch
The whole morning is on foot, by the south end of Loch Lomond. Walk up through the trees to the castle, look for the fairies in the glen, then come down to the water for the play parks before a warm lunch in the village.
About three hoursAbout 3.5 miles on foot
Balloch Castle Country Park
An attraction
Park at the Moss o' Balloch car park on Drymen Road, at the south end of the park, with a play park and toilets beside it. It gets very busy on sunny summer days, so arrive early. From there it's about 15 minutes' walk up through the trees to Balloch Castle, a steady climb on paths that suit a pushchair. The castle is seen from outside only, with the loch spread out below its lawn. The toilets at the castle open from 9am to 2.30pm. The Fairy Glen is about 8 minutes' walk north of the castle, where a small burn, or stream, runs under the trees. Look out along the paths for the park's Fairy Trail, carved from the stumps of felled trees, and let the children lead the hunt. Then it's about 15 minutes' walk down to the loch shore below the castle, where there are two fenced play parks, one for little ones and one for older children, with toilets beside them. The loch is open water, so keep small children close at the edge.
20 min on foot
The Tullie Inn
Lunch
From the shore play parks it's about 20 minutes' walk along the path beside the River Leven and over the bridge into Balloch village, to the Tullie Inn, a family pub beside the station. It serves food all day from a full menu and is open every day from 7.30am, or 8am at weekends. Children and dogs are welcome. The car park is 7 minutes' walk back over the bridge.
If it rains
On a wet morning, skip the glen and go across the river to SEA LIFE Loch Lomond at Loch Lomond Shores, where the whole visit is under a roof, then have lunch at the Tullie Inn as planned.
Worth a detour
- Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre
The Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre keeps and flies owls, hawks and falcons at Loch Lomond Shores, on the village side of the River Leven, a few minutes from the Tullie Inn. It opens at 10am every day from the second week of February to the end of October, and there's no need to book; dogs aren't allowed. It adds about 6 minutes of driving.