Why visit Balloch
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 8 parks and trails, 26 places to eat, 14 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre, Balloch Castle, Balloch Country Park and Balloch Castle Country Park.
Weather in Balloch
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Balloch
Balloch ( BAH-ləkh; Scottish Gaelic: Am Bealach) is a village in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, at the foot of Loch Lomond.
From the Wikipedia article Balloch, West Dunbartonshire (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Balloch on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks7
Parks, trails and playgrounds8
Balloch Country Park
Park · 0.9 mi
Country park in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, UK
Restaurants and cafes26
The Balloch House
Bar and pub
18th Century pub, alongside the River Leven. Restaurant, bar and beer garden.
Balloch Rd, Balloch, Alexandria G83 8LQ
Mo-Th 07:00-23:00; Fr 07:00-24:00; Sa 08:00-24:00; Su 08:00-23:00
14 more on the map.
More about Balloch
Geography
Balloch is at the north end of the Vale of Leven, straddling the River Leven itself. It connects to the larger town of Alexandria and to the smaller village of Jamestown, both of which are located to its south. It also borders the Kilpatrick Hills. To the east of the town lies the major local authority housing scheme in the area known as 'The Haldane' or 'The Mill of Haldane'. Glasgow is located around 16 miles (26 km) to the southeast. Balloch lies on the 56th parallel at about the same latitude as Moscow.
Arts and culture
With its accessible location at the southern end of Loch Lomond and just off the main road from Glasgow to the West Highlands (A82), it is an important centre of tourism, especially from Glasgow. The village has a number of hotels, inns and pubs, and there are cruises from Balloch up Loch Lomond, and other services, including to nearby locations like Luss, and the Renfrew Ferry service. The largest number of boats cruising on Loch Lomond leave from Balloch. The village is also the home of Dunkirk vessel Skylark IX which helped rescue 600 troops during WWII. It contains Balloch Country Park and Balloch Castle, and is at the southern end of the first Scottish national park, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. There is a Sea Life Centre in the village. The Loch Lomond Youth Soccer Festival used to take place in the village. "Lochfoot" in the Jean Robertson novels of Jane Duncan is partly based on the village. The PS Maid of the Loch is currently being restored at Balloch pier and the Balloch Steam Slipway is located nearby.
Education
Balloch is served by Balloch Primary School and St Kessog's Primary school, both located at the newly built Balloch Campus. Balloch Primary School is the result of a merger between Haldane Primary School and Jamestown Primary School In 2018.
From the Wikipedia article Balloch, West Dunbartonshire, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Balloch
- Ross MurdochScottish swimmer
- George de Cardonnel Elmsall FindlayScottish recipient of the Victoria Cross (1889-1967)
Born in Balloch, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay14
Churches and places of worship7
Our Lady & St Mark's RC Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.0 mi
Ferry Loan, Bank St, Alexandria
Shopping8
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Healthcare4
Vale of Leven District General Hospital
Hospital · 0.6 mi
Main Street
Map of Balloch
88 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Glasgow Airport (GLA) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- Vale of Leven 2 mi south, about 3 min by car
- Dumbarton 4 mi south, about 6 min by car
- Helensburgh 6 mi west, about 9 min by car
- Port Glasgow 6 mi southwest, about 10 min by car
- Greenock 8 mi southwest, about 12 min by car
- Rosneath 8 mi west, about 14 min by car
- Erskine 9 mi southeast, about 14 min by car
- Gourock 9 mi west, about 15 min by car
- Kilcreggan 9 mi west, about 15 min by car
- Clydebank 10 mi southeast, about 16 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Balloch
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Openverse (see each image): photos
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Balloch9, Eddie Mackinnon, CC BY-SA 2.0
- BallochCountryPark, Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0
- BallochCastleScotland, Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0
- River Leven (Dumbartonshire), Anne Burgess, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Balloch Steam Slipway, Graham Steel, Public domain
- Walled garden, Lairich Rig, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, joostjakob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, gmc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, rudolfmayer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
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