Balmaha Lodges

Both Balloch and Alexandria (25 minutes’ drive) are well supplied with supermarkets, pubs and eateries, but there’s still a wilderness flavour round here, thanks to the marine marvels in the Sea Life Aquarium and the displays of feathered raptors at the Loch Lomond Birds of Prey Centre. If you like your wildlife even wilder, make your way to the Blair Drummond Safari Park (40 minutes), where pretty much the whole A to Z of exotica wanders the grounds, from alpacas to zebras. Whether you’re a chilled hill rambler or a dedicated bagger of Munros, there’s a multitude of mountain paths to tread: routes up Conic Hill start right in Balmaha, while Rowardennen, 20 minutes’ drive away, is where you go to start your assault on Ben Lomond. If you prefer biking it, practice first in a park full of skinnies, drops, jumps and berms at Aberfoyle, half an hour away. Once you're the boss of mountain bikes, tackle the family-friendly circuits of Loch Ard (also half an hour away) or the demanding Glen Loin loop (50 minutes). Bodies and souls may be seeking some refreshment after that, in which case, catch a ferry over to Luss (half an hour from Rowardennen) for soaks in the spa, or tour the distilleries of Glengoyne and Loch Lomond for warming drafts of the water of life (20 minutes and half an hour).