Bagging Scotland

Bagging Scotland met up with Fiona Outdoors, Scotland’s foremost outdoors writer at Loch Lomond for a spot of Bagging. Fiona knows Scotland and her preferred method of transport is the bicycle.

Fiona Outdoors goes Bagging by Bike

Fresh from a gruelling cycle trip up and down some of the Pyrenean mountain climbs used in the Tour De France, Fiona joined us on the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond. On a fresh, windy day, we travelled around Balloch, the very gateway to the Highlands, to witness entry-level Bagging only a stone’s-throw from the Central belt of Scotland.

We’ve known Fiona for a while as one of our thousands of ‘virtual’ pals on Twitter and Facebook and although we’ve met her before, it was great to see her on her road bike and see the level of fitness she’s attained, making 20 mile bike rides in wet and windy conditions look like a… breeze.

On the afternoon in question, we tackled a few obstactles (including a puncture) and witnessed a few changes at Balloch, an area we’ve never been that blown away with, if we’re being honest. From Loch Lomond Shores (which has got lots of shops and is actually pretty decent now) we travelled round the country park that surrounds Balloch Castle. Although Balloch Castle isn’t open to the public (it’s an office for a District Council) we were pretty impressed by the park with its views up Loch Lomond. It’s manicured, it’s easy to get to, yet it could be a million miles away from civilisation.

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We also admired the pleasure craft at Sweeney’s boatyard, just beside the train station at Balloch. A lot of the loch cruisers are proper ‘pleasure’ craft now and have been beautifully refurbished. It’s clear from the number of luxury coaches parked there that a very pleasant day’s Loch cruising can be undertaken from this Boatyard, a short rail journey or drive (or cycle) from Glasgow. It’s a good few years since we’ve cruised Loch Lomond but we intend to do it again in style, shortly. It all looks very classy now.

Fiona’s arrival highlighted the fact that there’s a brilliant cycle path from the Centre of Glasgow, right to the edge of Loch Lomond. As it follows a canal for the majority of the way, it’s mainly flat, so it’s a great beginners route, perfect  for ‘all-the-family’ stuff.  So, Bagging Scotland can be done with nothing more specialised than a half-decent bike and a bit of enthusiasm. Once at Loch Lomond, the whole of the Highlands awaits you.

In our video, Fiona highlighted that there are also great cycle routes which take you up both sides of Loch Lomond and from there, you really are in Castle and Munro Bagging country. We’re possibly suffering from Loch overkill (as Loch Lomond is so well known to us) but when the sun broke through in the afternoon, it was obvious that there’s some incredibly beautiful scenery surrounding the Loch. There are also a number of Islands on Loch Lomond to bag, some which can be done from a humble (and very cheap!) Post Office boat. There’s even a number of Malt Whisky distilleries (Auchentoshan, Glengoyne and Loch Lomond) all very close by.

In short, our wee meeting with Fiona Outdoors made us rethink our views on Loch Lomond. Far from being bored with it, it’s made us realise we’re incredibly lucky to be able to Bag so many beautiful bits of Scotland, from somewhere so close to Glasgow. As Scots based in Glasgow, we take it a bit for granted and it was only when we saw the throngs of tourists pouring onto the boats at Sweeneys that we re-appraised Balloch. That’s Bagging Scotland though, full of surprises. Why not try Bagging Scotland, from Partick train station!

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