Visiting Inchcailloch

Yesterday we visited the small Scottish island of Inchcailloch, a 52 hectare piece of land situated in Loch Lomond and reached by a short ferry ride from the little village of Balmaha on the loch's eastern shore.

Inchcailloch lies in the south east corner of Loch Lomond, within Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and is cloaked by oak woodland which is particularly important because of its rich flora and distinctive communities of mosses, lichens and birds. There are also deer on the island but we didn't see any during our short visit.

The ferry goes from Balmaha boat yard, which is a short walk from the free public car park. The return trip costs £5 per person and runs from 9am to 5pm. The 'Margaret' was our boat, a beautiful wooden vessel that was built in Cockenzie in 1947 for the Balmaha Boat Yard.

The crossing to the North Pier on Inchcailloch took around 5 minutes and then we had two hours to explore the island. The paths are well marked and very easy to follow. We headed to the 'summit' which at 85 metres above Loch Lomond gives some great panoramic views of the loch and the mountains. We sat with our picnic taking in the breathtaking views.

The island is covered in trees of different varieties and at this time of year the ground is carpeted in bluebells (see yesterday's blog), wild garlic and other wild flora.

Inchcailloch is steeped in history and has been a site for the Christian faith for 1300 years since Saint Kentigerma established a nunnery on the island. In fact the name Inchcailloch means 'Isle of the Cowled Woman' in Scottish Gaelic, a direct reference to the Nuns who lived on the island.

There is also a burial ground for the Clan MacGregor and MacFarlane. There was a 13th century church dedicated to Saint Kentigerma but it fell into disuse after 1770 but the burial ground was still being used right up to 1947.

On the south side of the island is a small beach at Port Bawn which is a favourite of visitors using the ferry and also with boats owners and kayakers. While we were on the island there were several BBQs underway but we wanted some peace and quiet so headed further up the path to find a smaller beach located a short walk away.

We headed back to the North Pier to catch the ferry back to Balmaha.

CLICK HERE for more information on Inchcailloch