The other side of Loch Lomond
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I had Friday off for the September Weekend and Jo was working so I had the day free. Seemed like an ideal opportunity for a paddle. Since I would be heading out early I decided to see if I could get a space at the lay-by at Aldochlay. It’s been a long time since I paddled round the islands on this side of the loch so I was overdue a visit.
I’ve avoided coming here for two reasons. The main one is the lay-by is often full at the weekend and paddling from Luss involves a big open crossing with the wind often against you on the return when you are tired. The other issue is that in the summer these islands can be pretty busy and it can detract a bit.
Anyway I got parked no problem and was soon ready for the off.
On the drive up it had been heavy rain but now it was dry with little wind but still overcast. Looked like I might be lucky with the weather.
Heading round the north of Inchtavannach and Inchconnachan into the narrows I was a bit concerned when I saw a half dozen boats moored on one side and another few on the other. It was looking like the islands were still busy.
I paddled past these boats without landing to the bottom of the narrows. There were no boats of people here. In fact as it turned out there were no boats or people at any of the other parts of the islands I visited.
I’d been paddling for minutes now so it was time to land and have my second breakfast. I landed at the bay at the south of Inchconnachan.
On all the islands they have installed these boards every hundred yards or so round the shore. Not sure if they are working or not but there was less rubbish than I’ve seen on previous trips. Of course it may just be because the summer rubbish has been cleared away.
Not sure why but even though I see a lot of oak trees it is only the ones at Loch Lomond that seem to have a heavy crop of acorns on them.
From here I paddled over to Inchmoan and along to its eastern end. I landed here for a look about. In part this trip was to scout out possible winter camping spots for when the islands are quieter. The Judy is still out on this. Still the weather was brightening up and it was a joy to be out.
I’ve been using this folding insulated seat while camping for a while now. I’ve found it to be really handy. I use it in my camp chair for insulation. I can lift it out and use it as a foam mat to kneel on when I’m working on the ground or I can use it as a seat with some back support if I want to sit on the ground. Today I thought I might try it while paddling just to give a bit of back support. I must say I’m very pleased with how it worked out. It also insulates your lower back which could be handy in the winter.
I headed from here round to the south of Inchmoan and toward the island that had Tam’s Doorway on it. I was a bit more exposed to the breeze here so there was some wave action but nothing exciting.
Landing was interesting as the trees are all overhanging the rocky shore. I managed it eventually and celebrated with a pre lunch snack :)
Of course I had a poke around the ruins too. This would make a nice spot for an overnight trip except you’d need to bring your own firewood (no big deal) and being a very small island and almost entirely rocky there would be nowhere to bury a poo. So you’d need to pack that out if the need arose.
Managed to catch a fish on the island. Not sure the dogs were that impressed.
Back on the water I paddled the short hop over to the western end of Inchmoan. The berries were even more plentiful than the acorns.
Again I was surprised by how little rubbish was here. There used to be a camp set up for most of the summer that just got abandoned at the end of the season. There is also a ruin here too.
So much for my optimism. Inside the ruin in a corner was the abandoned tent, inflatable mattress, barbecue and two burst bin bags full of cans and other rubbish. Surely it would have been as easy to put these in your boat as to “stash” the in the corner of the ruin.
To cheer myself up after this depressing find I had a play on the swing I found nearby. Growing old is unavoidable, growing up is optional ;)
There is a big sandy beach on Inchmoan. It is a good spot for the dogs to have a run about and part of what attracts all the visitors in the big boats during the summer.
Back on the water I headed back round the south end of Inchconnachan and round it’s eastern side.
There are some great Scots Pine trees on these islands. Many really stand out on the points of the island. This one, as you can see has literally burst from the rocks.
Coming toward the north of the island I saw the tour boat again. I think I’d seen this pretty much every time I was paddling. Not sure if they thought I was tracking them :)
I landed on the north of Inchconnachan to let the dogs stretch their legs for a last time before we headed back to the car. I didn’t see any wallabies on this trip but that’s not surprising with the dogs in tow. I did see a wood ant nest though.
Looking north you can see it really was an ideal paddling day.
Back on the water we past another classic Scots Pine as we rounded the end of the island.
Soon we were heading back into the bay at Aldochlay with the crannoch ruin.
Just meters from the shore the first drops of rain started. Perfect timing. 5 hours paddling with no rain.
Not sure how I feel about camping on these islands now. There are a lot of options that would be okay but they seem so heavily used and the many signs on them really take away any wild feel. Either way it was a good paddle and well worth the effort.
I’ve avoided coming here for two reasons. The main one is the lay-by is often full at the weekend and paddling from Luss involves a big open crossing with the wind often against you on the return when you are tired. The other issue is that in the summer these islands can be pretty busy and it can detract a bit.
Anyway I got parked no problem and was soon ready for the off.
On the drive up it had been heavy rain but now it was dry with little wind but still overcast. Looked like I might be lucky with the weather.
Heading round the north of Inchtavannach and Inchconnachan into the narrows I was a bit concerned when I saw a half dozen boats moored on one side and another few on the other. It was looking like the islands were still busy.
I paddled past these boats without landing to the bottom of the narrows. There were no boats of people here. In fact as it turned out there were no boats or people at any of the other parts of the islands I visited.
I’d been paddling for minutes now so it was time to land and have my second breakfast. I landed at the bay at the south of Inchconnachan.
On all the islands they have installed these boards every hundred yards or so round the shore. Not sure if they are working or not but there was less rubbish than I’ve seen on previous trips. Of course it may just be because the summer rubbish has been cleared away.
Not sure why but even though I see a lot of oak trees it is only the ones at Loch Lomond that seem to have a heavy crop of acorns on them.
From here I paddled over to Inchmoan and along to its eastern end. I landed here for a look about. In part this trip was to scout out possible winter camping spots for when the islands are quieter. The Judy is still out on this. Still the weather was brightening up and it was a joy to be out.
I’ve been using this folding insulated seat while camping for a while now. I’ve found it to be really handy. I use it in my camp chair for insulation. I can lift it out and use it as a foam mat to kneel on when I’m working on the ground or I can use it as a seat with some back support if I want to sit on the ground. Today I thought I might try it while paddling just to give a bit of back support. I must say I’m very pleased with how it worked out. It also insulates your lower back which could be handy in the winter.
I headed from here round to the south of Inchmoan and toward the island that had Tam’s Doorway on it. I was a bit more exposed to the breeze here so there was some wave action but nothing exciting.
Landing was interesting as the trees are all overhanging the rocky shore. I managed it eventually and celebrated with a pre lunch snack :)
Of course I had a poke around the ruins too. This would make a nice spot for an overnight trip except you’d need to bring your own firewood (no big deal) and being a very small island and almost entirely rocky there would be nowhere to bury a poo. So you’d need to pack that out if the need arose.
Managed to catch a fish on the island. Not sure the dogs were that impressed.
Back on the water I paddled the short hop over to the western end of Inchmoan. The berries were even more plentiful than the acorns.
Again I was surprised by how little rubbish was here. There used to be a camp set up for most of the summer that just got abandoned at the end of the season. There is also a ruin here too.
So much for my optimism. Inside the ruin in a corner was the abandoned tent, inflatable mattress, barbecue and two burst bin bags full of cans and other rubbish. Surely it would have been as easy to put these in your boat as to “stash” the in the corner of the ruin.
To cheer myself up after this depressing find I had a play on the swing I found nearby. Growing old is unavoidable, growing up is optional ;)
There is a big sandy beach on Inchmoan. It is a good spot for the dogs to have a run about and part of what attracts all the visitors in the big boats during the summer.
Back on the water I headed back round the south end of Inchconnachan and round it’s eastern side.
There are some great Scots Pine trees on these islands. Many really stand out on the points of the island. This one, as you can see has literally burst from the rocks.
Coming toward the north of the island I saw the tour boat again. I think I’d seen this pretty much every time I was paddling. Not sure if they thought I was tracking them :)
I landed on the north of Inchconnachan to let the dogs stretch their legs for a last time before we headed back to the car. I didn’t see any wallabies on this trip but that’s not surprising with the dogs in tow. I did see a wood ant nest though.
Looking north you can see it really was an ideal paddling day.
Back on the water we past another classic Scots Pine as we rounded the end of the island.
Soon we were heading back into the bay at Aldochlay with the crannoch ruin.
Just meters from the shore the first drops of rain started. Perfect timing. 5 hours paddling with no rain.
Not sure how I feel about camping on these islands now. There are a lot of options that would be okay but they seem so heavily used and the many signs on them really take away any wild feel. Either way it was a good paddle and well worth the effort.