Located just 50 miles from Edinburgh, Loch Lomond is an easy day trip. Our hour long cruise on Sweeney Cruises departed from Balloch, Scotland.

The cruise included an audio commentary on Loch Lomond by Neil Oliver, a Scottish historian and broadcaster and host of a BBC show “A History of Scotland and Coast”.

Some facts about Loch Lomond:

• the largest expanse of fresh water in Great Britain
• known as the Queen of Scottish Lochs
• much of the land around Loch Lomond was a private hunting ground for Robert the Bruce
• there are 22 island with names in Loch Lomond, plus 27 islets
• the ancestral burial ground for the clan MacGregor is on an island in Loch Lomond
• it is where the Highland Boundary Fault, or the line that divides the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland, is located
• three castles are located on or near it, Dumbarton, Buchanan and Balloch
• in 1236 Loch Lomond was the location of the last Viking invasion of the United Kingdom, initially Scotland was defeated but bad weather drove Viking ships ashore and the Scots prevailed
• Ben Lomond (3,200 feet) the most southern of the Munros (mountain in Scotland with a height over 3,000 feet), is located on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond namesakes exist in Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, the United States and Trinidad

Built in the 18th century, Cameron House is a mansion that formally belonged to the Smollett family. It is currently a luxury resort.

Arden House was built in 1868 for Sir James Lumsden. It is currently divided into luxury apartments.

This line of trees in front of the hill is the fault line that divides the Scottish Highlands from the Lowlands.