Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ation - you can nip aboard for a look around. It is hoped that her steam engines will be re-
stored to working order in 2013.
Unless it's raining, give Loch Lomond Shores a miss and head for the little picture-
postcard village of
Luss
. Stroll among the pretty cottages with roses around their doors
(the cottages were built by the local laird in the 19th century for the workers on his es-
tate), then pop into the
Clan Colquhoun Visitor Centre
( 01436-860814; Shore Cottage,
Luss; adult/child £1/free; 10.30am-6pm Easter-Oct)
for some background history before enjoy-
ing a cup of tea at the Coach House Coffee Shop.
Sleeping & Eating
DROVER'S INN££
( 01301-704234;
www.thedroversinn.co.uk
; bar meals £7-12; lunch & dinner)
This is one howff
(drinking den) you shouldn't miss - a low-ceilinged place with smoke-blackened stone,
bare wooden floors spotted with candle wax, barmen in kilts, and walls festooned with
moth-eaten stags' heads and stuffed birds. There's even a stuffed bear and the desiccated
husk of a basking shark.
The bar serves hearty hill-walking fuel such as steak-and-Guinness pie with mustard
mash, and hosts live folk music on Friday and Saturday nights. We recommend this inn
more as an atmospheric place to eat and drink than somewhere to stay - accommodation
varies from eccentric, old-fashioned and rather run-down rooms in the old building (in-
cluding a ghost in room 6), to more comfortable rooms (with en suite bathrooms) in the
modern annexe across the road. Ask to see your room before taking it.
| Inn
LOCH LOMOND SYHA£
( 01389-850226;
www.syha.org.uk
; dm £19; Mar-Oct; )
Forget about roughing it,
this is one of the most impressive hostels in the country - an imposing 19th-century coun-
try house set in beautiful grounds overlooking the loch. It's 2 miles north of Balloch and
very popular, so book in advance in summer. And yes, it
is
haunted.
| Hostel
COACH HOUSE COFFEE SHOP £
(mains £6-11; 10am-5pm; )
With its chunky pine furniture and deep, deep sofa in
front of a rustic fireplace, the Coach House is one of the cosiest places to eat on Loch
Lomond. The menu includes coffee and tea, home-baked cakes, scones, ciabattas and
more substantial offerings such as smoked salmon and prawns with Marie Rose sauce, and
haggis with neeps and tatties (mashed potatoes and turnip).
| Cafe
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