Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond

This weekend passed I was at Loch Lomond swimming I’ve stayed on a number of sites along Loch Lomond, but the campsite at Luss has to be my favourite. I like this side of the Loch better, I’m not really sure why, it’s just personal preference. I have found Milarrochy and Cashel to be busier sites, possibly because they are along the west Highland way, I’m not sure, they just seem to be busier in and out of the water.

Don’t get me wrong Luss is a big site but it feels different, it’s well set up and with trees and little nooks and you do not feel like you are lined up in a regimented fashion. I was in pitch 23 in my wee van Daisy, it’s not water front pitch, but it’s a perfect place, just back under a few trees but with a perfectly acceptable view of the loch from my bed. I can open my curtains to watch the sunrise, and then decide if it looks like the perfect one to swim into! There have been a few very early swims from here..There is a little beach area, suitable for sitting, picnicking and swimming from, I’ve also got an inflatable kayak and I enjoy pootling about in this bay.

It can be an intimidating Loch and is busy with jetskis and tourist boats but as long as you make yourself visible with the use of a tow float and stay parallel to the shore it’s a lovely swim. The water is clear and there is a good sloping entry, with a mix of stones but then turning to sand further in, you can hear the noise of the road and other users so it’s not a peaceful swim, (unless you get up at 6am) but it is fun and there is lots of camaraderie from others in the water.

As we got up early we were treated to a beautiful milky sun, it lasted only a few moments and had disappeared before we entered the water, but it set us up for the day. We had three swims on the Saturday, 7.30am, 10am and then the 4pm swim in the pouring rain. Each time it got easier to get into the water, it’s as if our bodies had acclimatised to this particular Loch; like it understood we were going in repeatedly so it was less of a shock each time. As my friend and I are both skins swimmers we are careful though to listen to our bodies though and get out before the real shudders and shivers start.

Lots of swims equals lots of food and warm tea and the wee stove in my van was kept busy making brews and soup all day.

We had a walk into Luss, it’s well worth a wander, there are some great little gift shops, we found one in particular had a fabulous selection of quirky books, and we could easily have spent a fortune. We found a great little cafe, tucked away and unassuming, but step inside and the feeling was welcoming and homely and I thoroughly enjoyed a banoffee coffee- very delicious!

These wee two night breaks just restore me, it’s the combination of water, swimming, and just kicking back. When I’m with my friend we play games; scrabble, dominoes and mastermind are currently in the van. When I’m on my own I read, write and people watch, it’s all very restorative. As the tourist season slows and the midges subside, the days may shorten but my enjoyment of these times grows longer.