Day 10, August 21, 2007

Beautiful landscapes, fantastic routes and roads for motorcycles, now superb weather and unfortunately we are already on our way home in stages, *sniff*.

Our desired destination for today is also celebrated in song by our favorite band, so we finally wanted to see this "place" for ourselves. We drove 290 km from Ballachulish via Crianlarich – Lochearnhead – Strathyre – Aberfoyle – the Trossachs Trail – Drymen and Balloch to Luss.

We left Ballachulish along Glen Coe, where countless tourists and their tour buses crowded the parking lots of this beautiful valley. We therefore only enjoyed the view while driving and stopped for a break a good way later near Bridge of Orchy. Morning mist still clung to the mountaintops, but the sun was breaking through here and there, which was a good sign.

After that, we continued along the A82 until we spotted the turnoff for the A85 to Lochearnhead. This route passes Rob Roy's grave , which we didn't visit due to time constraints. Instead, we turned onto the Trossachs Trail (A821) before reaching Callander. This was the most challenging road we'd encountered so far in terms of curves – small, tight bends that seemed tailor-made for a CB500. 😉Unfortunately, the road surface wasn't as smooth as usual; it was rather bumpy. The Trossachs Trail is surrounded by small lochs and extensive forests – simply picturesque.

In Drymen, we left the main road and followed the signs to Rowardennan, which lies on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond. Upon arrival, we discovered a small information hut where we learned that Loch Lomond is part of Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, Scotland's first national park. We also learned that a great deal is being done here to conserve nature and prevent erosion. After a short, photo-filled, and informative break, we drove back along the same route (it was a dead end), around the southern end of Loch Lomond, and onto the A82 to Luss, to our B&B for the night, Darroch House, which was built in 1846 and is lovingly run by Carol.

Since we arrived quite early, we only dropped our things off in our room and then headed out to the north shore of Loch Lomond, spontaneously making a short detour onto the A83 towards Argyll Forest. This route was also a lucky find, as it leads through a beautiful valley called Glen Croe, surrounded by the mountains Beinn Ime, The Cobbler (Ben Arthur), and Ben Donich, and was extremely winding. There's a viewpoint there called "Rest and be thankful"—and how thankful we were!😉

After about 30 km, we turned around, filled up the tanks in Arrochar, and rejoined the A82 to reach the northern shore of Loch Lomond. Near Inveruglas, we stopped for a short photo break at the almost deserted visitor center and spotted a hydroelectric power station right next to Loch Lomond.

As time wore on, we headed back to Luss for something to eat. However, there was nothing to be found on the main street of the small village, and everything at the tourist hotspot was already closed. On a side street, we found the restaurant "The Village Rest." This place was the highlight of our culinary odyssey in Scotland. The food was plentiful and delicious, the prices were reasonable for this country, and the service was friendly. With food, drinks, and a cappuccino for dessert, we only spent 17 GBP – an absolute exception.

Anyone traveling towards Loch Lomond and passing through Luss should definitely visit this restaurant. Coming from Balloch, turn right towards Luss, and once you enter the village, it's the first right. After about 20 meters, you'll see the restaurant's menu board on the left.

After the excellent meal and a sunset at Loch Lomond (that was simply a must), we went back to the B&B to once again check the now obligatory weather forecast and end the day with a cup of coffee.