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Loch Lomond

Loch Arklet

A remote reservoir between Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond, dammed in 1914 to water Glasgow, with the Arrochar Alps beyond.

Welcome

Loch Arklet is a remote loch high on the road to Inversnaid, lying between Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond, about two and a half miles long and half a mile wide, with the jagged Arrochar Alps rising across Loch Lomond beyond it.

It is a reservoir: a dam was built across its western end between 1909 and 1914 as part of the Loch Katrine waterworks that supply Glasgow, and its water once gave the city drinking water and hydraulic power too.

The loch has a place in Rob Roy's story, for it was near its shore that the outlaw married. The only road is the single-track B829 from Aberfoyle, past Loch Ard and Loch Chon, which makes it a quiet place, with the Arklet Water running down from it to the falls at Inversnaid. Watch for red deer, ospreys, golden eagles and the wild goats that roam these hills, and there is trout fishing with a permit.

A short drive awayThe Pier CafeThe family café at Stronachlachar at the far end of Loch Katrine, with one of the finest views of any café in Scotland.3 min by roadSee itThe café's white building by the pier, Loch Katrine and the hills beyond through the trees.
Before you go

Loch Arklet is on the B829, the single-track Inversnaid road from Aberfoyle.

Road
The B829 from Aberfoyle.
Size
About 2.5 miles by 0.5.
Where it is

Between Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond.

Close byOn the Inversnaid road.
  1. The Inversnaid falls pouring through green woods into Loch Lomond.Inversnaid WaterfallThe falls of the Arklet Water tumbling into Loch Lomond at Inversnaid, which moved Wordsworth and Hopkins.3 miles 4 min by road
  2. Loch KatrineLoch KatrineThe loch of Scott's Lady of the Lake, the birthplace of Scottish tourism and Glasgow's water supply, with a steamer of 1899.3 miles 9 min by road
  3. Boats moored at a wooden jetty on a tree-lined Highland lochLoch Katrine and the SS Sir Walter Scott3 miles 9 min by road
  4. Loch Chon among autumn woods, a white house on the far shore.Loch ChonA quiet wooded loch on the Inversnaid road, with a campsite, a seven-mile circuit and a kelpie of legend.5 miles 6 min by road
  5. Loch Ard still as glass, reflecting trees and hills.Loch ArdA long loch west of Aberfoyle in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, with forest trails along its shores.8 miles 10 min by road
Directions
The café's white building by the pier, Loch Katrine and the hills beyond through the trees.CafeThe Pier Cafe1.7 miles
A wooden footbridge over a burn in the green forest.AttractionsQueen Elizabeth Forest Park9.4 miles
The Duke's Pass winding through autumn hills, the road curving away below.AttractionsThe Duke's Pass14 miles
A loch winds through forested hills beneath a grey, cloudy skyAttractionsThree Lochs Drive14 miles
The forest drive winding past a loch through the woods, from above.AttractionsThree Lochs Forest Drive15 miles
Autumn woodland reflected in a calm loch, framed by bare branchesAttractionsLoch Achray17 miles
The Daily for 20 October, from Scotland with love. The broken stone walls of a lochside castle rise from a small tree-covered island, autumn foliage glowing orange against the dark water and forested hillside beyond.

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the loch, and when each is next free.

A Highland calf walks across a lawn before a pink harled house, a stone wall and outbuilding visible behind.Monachyle Mhor
  • To stay
  • In Balquhidder
  • 9 miles from Loch Arklet
Check datesA stone cottage with a slated roof sits nestled among dense woodland, two paddleboards resting on the lawn in front.Red Squirrel Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Lochgoilhead
  • 13 miles from Loch Arklet
Check datesSeal Cabin, Argyll and ButeSeal Cabin
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Lochgoilhead
  • 13 miles from Loch Arklet
Check datesSuie Hunting Lodge, Loch LomondSuie Hunting Lodge
  • To stay
  • In Luib
  • 14 miles from Loch Arklet
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Loch LomondAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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For further reading, before you go.