We came here from Glasgow City Centre by train which took about 45 minutes and cost a very reasonable £14 return for two people in total (off peak) The train stops at the terminus, Balloch, and the station is a five minute walk from the lakeside from where you can take a boat ride on the loch. The boat rides are either of one hour duration or two hours and there are refreshments on board. There are places to eat and drink in Balloch as well as places to stay and some small shops. You can access a path to take you around Balloch Castle gardens by walking across the bridge, which you will see on the main road by the train station. We felt that the boat trip was the best way to see as much of the loch as we would be able to given the fact that we were on foot and had limited time. In addition, the boat includes an audio narrative of the loch and the surrounding area which you can sit and listen to in comfort as the boat glides across the loch. After departing the boat, we crossed the bridge and took the footpath up to Balloch castle and its gardens which in the autumn sunshine was at its best. It also provides some great vistas of the loch. Super!

I have reviewed many places and hotels from various parts of the world, but this time I am reviewing an attraction just two miles from my home. Loch Lomond shores is a mixed retail and leisure centre near the village of Balloch at the southern end of Loch Lomond. The retail part is a crescent of various shops and cafes. For many years the most prominent retailer was Jennings, an upmarket company whose flagship store was in Princes Street, Edinburgh. However, like many others, it stopped trading a few years ago, and their place was taken over by Mike Ashley, and houses two of his businesses, Sport Direct and Frasers.The other stores are a mix of clothing, Scottish souvenirs, a whisky shop, and one selling a great range of spices etc. However, be warned, make sure you have plenty of credit on your card, for prices are high. Most people who visit don't come for the shopping, but to participate in activities on offer, or just to walk around the shoreline and admire the stunning views of the loch. There are boat trips, you can hire rowing boats, canoes, kayaks, paddle bords, pedalos and bikes. A major attraction is the paddle steamer, Maid of the Loch, which operated for about 30 years until around 1980. Since then it has spent most of the time idle alongside a pier. In more recent years a group of volunteers set up a charity to restore the ship, it has been a very slow process with lack of funds making it difficult, but now she is out of the water and undergoing restoration to hopefully see her back sailing again. Theer is also a Sea Life Centre, housed in a round tower building, at the top there is a cafe from which you get amazing views. You can access it without having to pay and visit the acquarium. Other attraction include a bird of prey centre, a treetop experience with walkways suspended between the trees , picnic areas, crazy golf and a large childrens play area. At times there is a land train to take you around the area, and twice monthly there is a farmers market Car parking is free, and there are hundreds of spaces, including a large number of disabled spaces. This is a popular visit for tourists, but being only 40 minutes from Glasgow by train, and similar to drive, weekends are busy during the spring to autumn seasons, but still popular even in winter, when the nearby Ben Lomond is often snow clad. The village of Balloch is just a short walk away, here you will find a few shops, pubs, restaurants and a supermarket. More boat trips operate from here. If you have never been, I would recommend you give it a visit.

Toilets. Or more precisely, the lack of toilets available to visitors. At one end of the ‘mall’ building there is a Thornton’s Caffé coffee shop. The kind of place you would stop by for a coffee and snack, then toilet break, and then continue the visit. Paraphrasing slightly here: “Excuse me, but where are your toilets?” Standing with small child, and a sense of urgency. “We don’t have any in the cafe. There is one just outside the cafe door into the mall, but it’s closed to the public.” In fact, closed to the staff as well. I was initially directed along the mall to inside the Fraser’s unit. Keep going through it until reaching the perfume section. (There has to be a joke somewhere in this!) Yes, there are toilets. All locked. “Out of order”, said the signs - see the photo. So I asked a worker in the Fraser’s cafe - Cafe Zest - where the nearest toilets were…. So I kept walking through the length of the Fraser’s shop, then through Sports Direct and to the main centre entrance. At last! The long and winding road led me to their door. Well, the entrance at least to the public toilets! What a farcical and potentially embarrassing and uncomfortable situation for anyone in urgent need after a pit stop at a coffee shop. We had earlier been in the upstairs Jurassic Grill food place, and the sign facing the entrance at the top of the first set of stairs does have the good old “polite notice” that the toilets are for patron’s use only. Why have that unless people are repeatedly trying to use their toilets? I spoke at length with the manager of the cafe, and she completely understood my frustration with the situation, but she said that the toilets and how they operate are managed by, I believe, the Loch Lomond Shores Management Company - SC191326. If this is the correct management company, I wonder if they would care to comment? (If it is not this company then I imagine they would be quick to correct this.) ps - the automatic doors at the entrance are also out of order. pps - if you are a patron of any of the retail units then it would seem eminently fair that you can nip upstairs to Jurassic Grill toilets seeing as they are managed by the same company. (No sniggering at the back for pps now!)

Spent a couple of hours here on a very wet Boxing Day morning. Nice that everything is in one place and under cover. Not so nice that the only seating available was outside the building in the wet. There was a cafe, however, which served delicious food and drink with an excellent view of the Loch. I do not walk very well so usually sit somewhere quietly and let her wander around. Without seating, this was impossible.

A trip on Loch Lomond was fantastic, with lovely views, lots of information from the skipper and interesting wild life. A wander through the woods was very relaxing. The surprise was the shopping outlet, which was much bigger than expected. Nice shops and cafes.

We read there was a Christmas Fair and went to see. Not sure what it was all about really. Market style set up with everything from fast food to dog food stalls alongside its bitsy things. The centre itself housed Frasers and Sports Direct alongside several local shops. It felt like an ordinary shopping mall. Outside was a Sealife Centre, which we did not visit.

Came upon this place while driving around Loch Lomond. It’s a place for the summer with bike rental, boat cruises, places for food and an aquarium. Good for families. First impression wasnt great though, walk into building and there was a sport direct store, then I see it’s for foreign tourists who arrive in buses.

A quiet walk and shopping with the family Visited the shores shopping centre after a drive about the loch. Popped into the village of LUSS Which where "take the high road" was filmed. Beautiful views Shopping centre full of designer gear and Scottish keepsakes. Picked up some bits and bobs, had a lovely scone and cup of coffee. Definitely worth a look and a visit to LUSS.