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Loch Lomond from near Tarbet, a small island below the hills and a rock pool in the foreground.
Loch Lomond

Tarbet

The village on the narrow neck between Loch Lomond and Loch Long, below the Arrochar Alps, where Vikings dragged their boats.

Welcome

Tarbet sits on the west shore of Loch Lomond on a narrow neck of land between Loch Lomond and the sea at Loch Long, and its name comes from the Gaelic for an isthmus.

The jagged peaks of the Arrochar Alps rise just behind it, and it is a crossroads: the A82 runs north up the loch, the A83 heads west over the Rest and Be Thankful, and the West Highland railway stops at the station on the hill.

In 1263 the men of King Haakon of Norway came up Loch Long, hauled their boats across this narrow neck from Arrochar and launched them on Loch Lomond to raid the settlements around its shores. Today it is a quieter place of hotels and walkers, a base for the Arrochar Alps and for the loch. Cruise boats sail from Tarbet pier. Look out for ospreys and eagles over the water.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Not farCastle Hill, Dunoon20 milesSee itCastle Hill, Dunoon
Before you go

Tarbet is on the A82 on the west shore of Loch Lomond, where the A83 turns west; Arrochar and Tarbet station is on the West Highland line.

Roads
A82 and A83.
Railway
Arrochar and Tarbet station.
Boats
Cruises from Tarbet pier.

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Where it is

The west shore of Loch Lomond.

Close byAt Tarbet.
  1. The road climbing Glen Croe to the Rest and Be Thankful between steep green hills.Rest and be ThankfulThe pass at the head of Glen Croe, 803 feet up, where travellers have stopped to rest since the military road of 1749.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Picnic tables under the trees by the loch.Firkin PointA lochside picnic spot on the west shore of Loch Lomond, with views to Ben Lomond and a level path either way.3 miles 5 min by road
  3. Loch Lomond and its hills from the slopes of Ben Lomond.Ben LomondThe southernmost Munro, above Loch Lomond on the Highland line, with a well-made path from Rowardennan and views the length of the loch.3 miles 10 min by road
  4. Snow on Ben Vane and its neighbours above the loch.Ben VaneThe smallest of the Arrochar Munros but one of the steepest, climbed from Inveruglas on Loch Lomond past Loch Sloy.6 miles 23 min by road
  5. Loch LomondLoch LomondBritain's largest inland stretch of water, with more than thirty islands and the Highland Boundary Fault across its middle.9 miles 14 min by road
  6. Snow on the hills above Loch Long and a line of white houses.Loch LongA twenty-mile sea loch from the Firth of Clyde to Arrochar, beneath the Arrochar Alps, once a torpedo range.16 miles 26 min by road
Directions
Walkers descend a rocky hillside path beside a tumbling burnAttractionsThe Cobbler6.6 miles
Kayaks on the sand at Luss beach, the loch beyond.AttractionsLuss Beach8.2 miles
Village street with parked cars, a stone building and church spire beyondAttractionsLuss8.2 miles
Luss Parish Church at a bend in the drive among trees.AttractionsLuss Parish Church8.2 miles
Land Rover Defender descends a hillside track above a forested lochAttractions4 x 4 Adventures Scotland8.3 miles
The Village Rest, a whitewashed cottage with a red timber porch in Luss.CafeThe Village Rest8.3 miles
The shop's front with its round sign, in Luss.RestaurantsLuss Fish & Chip Co8.5 miles
Church Road in Luss, the café's sign by the street and the church spire beyond.CafeCoach House Coffee Shop8.5 miles
Two ribs on the loch.ActivityLoch Lomond Leisure Boat Hire8.6 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

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

A 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
  • 8 miles from Tarbet
Check datesSeal Cabin, Argyll and ButeSeal Cabin
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Lochgoilhead
  • 8 miles from Tarbet
Check datesA dark timber cabin with a pitched metal roof stands among ferns and birch trees.Kabn
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Cairndow
  • 10 miles from Tarbet
Free 17–19 NovA Highland calf walks across a lawn before a pink harled house, a stone wall and outbuilding visible behind.Monachyle Mhor
  • To stay
  • In Balquhidder
  • 14 miles from Tarbet
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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The collections it is in and more in Loch Lomond.

CollectionThe Prettiest Villages in Scotland
More in Loch Lomond
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