BALLOCH HOUSE HOTEL
ACCESS : Easy and level pedestrian access. There is a small carpark for patrons. You can walk from here into the Balloch Country Park on this side of the Leven or cross the bridge to get to the cruise boats or Lomond Shores.
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This inn with a popular restaurant is located on the east side of Balloch Bridge. This is no coincidence. Before the bridge was built, this was the location of a ferry crossing. The very name "balloch" comes from the Gaelic “bealach” meaning a pass.
The Balloch House was built in the early 18th Century and became a hotel the following century. Loch Lomond has been a must-see place to visit for a very long time and this building was the obvious place to find refreshment or possibly stay over. Over the course of its existence it has seen a number of signficant visitors which have included Hans Christian Anderson in 1847 and the Empress Eugenie, wife of Louis-Napolean Bonaparte's nephew in 1860.
A view from the west bank of the River Leven with the bridge to the right.
In this map of 1916 we see the hotel, somewhat smaller than today in a prime position between Balloch Station and the southern end of Balloch Park. A curling pond sits behind it. A temperance hotel is across the road from the station (the original location) and that has a pumping station to one side. NLS © as ref below,
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND : MAPS : Map Showing Balloch Estate and Loch Lomond Park. Date: 1916. https://maps.nls.uk/view/245960220
VALE OF LEVEN PROJECT : http://www.valeofleven.org.uk/images/balloch01L.jpg
VINTAGE INN : https://www.vintageinn.co.uk/restaurants/scotland-northern-ireland/theballochhouselochlomond#/
