The Best Places To Wild Swim: Loch Lomond & Trossachs
Looking for the best wild swimming spots in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park? My guide has you covered, with easy to access beaches, beautiful spots, and hidden gems. Plus, you’ll find helpful tips on where to park, and the best cafes to warm up after your dip!
Finding beautiful places to go wild swimming in Scotland has become a mission – luckily for me, there are plenty to choose from. One of the best places I’ve found for a wild swim is Loch Lomond and the surrounding Trossachs National Park.
Whilst there are 22 incredible lochs across the Trossachs to choose from, some have easier access into the water than others. Making these lochs perfect places to reconnect with the wild AND get back to your car to warm up after your swim.
These are some of the best places to go wild swimming in the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park:
The Best places to wild swim in LOch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park
1. Loch Lomond
Take your pick of incredible wild swimming spots on Loch Lomond, Scotland’s largest freshwater loch. Beautiful Loch Lomond is edged with sandy beaches and shallow pebbly shores, making this the perfect place for paddling. Despite being only a few hours from Glasgow and Edinburgh, it’s an incredibly beautiful place, surrounded by lush forests and towering mountains.
Where can you wild swim in Loch Lomond? There’s lots of options, including some secluded hidden gems, especially along the West Loch Lomond cycle path. However, these are the best places for a swim in Loch Lomond which are also easily accessible:
Luss: the pretty village of Luss on the western shore of Loch Lomond has a little beach, and is easily one of the prettiest places to go wild swimming in Loch Lomond. There’s plenty of car parking (in summer this fills up very quickly) plus heaps of cafes to warm up in (The Coach House is my favourite).
Firkin Point: also on the western shore, where the shallow edge makes a great place to enter the water. There’s a car park, toilet facilities, and best of all the stretch of shoreline is long, meaning there’s privacy from the picnic area further along the water’s edge. In my opinion, this is of the very best places on Loch Lomond to swim.
Milarrochy Bay: a stunning stretch of Loch Lomond with gorgeous views on the eastern shore. Warm up after your wild swim at St Mocha Coffee Shop in nearby Balmaha.
Inveruglas: one of the very best places to wild swim in Loch Lomond near the northern tip, there’s a hidden beach and easy access into the water directly from the visitor centre car park. Ignore the jetty, which is busy with boats, and instead head through the trees at the rear car of the car park.
How to get there: Loch Lomond is easily accessible by public transport with regular trains from Glasgow to Balloch, and a local bus service around Loch Lomond. However, this is a rural area and having a car is the easiest way to get around.
2. Loch Earn
As a place to go wild swimming, Loch Earn is less visited than some of the other more famous Trossachs swim spots. Yet it’s just as beautiful. Here the deep-blue waters are fringed by trees and overlooked by mountains. At Lochearnhead you’ll find a quaint village, though there’s no access to the water directly here – instead drive a few miles along the road to find sheltered bays and rocky beaches where you can leave your clothes.
A busy spot in the peak summer months, I recommend wild swimming in Loch Earn early in the morning (or during spring or early autumn) to avoid the crowds.
Refuel: A five-minute drive to The Village Store in St Fillans for Danish pastries and coffee.
How to get there: Take the A85 from Lochearnhead village towards St Fillans. There’s a big lay-by with plenty of car parking around halfway along Loch Earn at S22120S - look out for parking signs. From here you can step down onto the pebbly beach.
3. Loch Lubnaig
This lovely loch is a Trossachs wild swimming dream. Small but stunning, freshwater Loch Lubnaig is nestled amongst the mountains and is so perfectly still on calm days it reflects the peaks like a mirror. This gorgeous spot is one of the most scenic in the Trossachs and the water is unbelievably fresh, though usually cold! Also, due to its sheltered position it’s also incredibly calm and still, which makes it popular with outdoor swimmers.
Refuel: A hot chocolate in The Cabin café, right on the shore.
How to get there: Loch Lubnaig is between Callander and Strathyre, on the A84. There’s a good car park on the water’s edge.
4. Loch Voil
Loch Voil near the village of Balquhidder is reached via a narrow, single-track road that cuts through a dramatic glen. Expect to have freshwater Loch Voil all to yourself for a wild swim in beautifully calm water amidst towering mountains.
Refuel: In Monachyle Mhor, a luxe hotel overlooking Loch Voil. Their café is open every day for tea, scones, and lunch.
How to get there: Drive the A84 north to Mhor 84, where you’ll take the cut off for the village of Balquhidder. From there it’s a 4-mile drive to Loch Voil. Look out for the signpost for The LookOut pavilion, where you can park. Or park at Monachyle Mhor if you’re heading in for food after your swim.
5. Lord Ard
The glassy waters of Loch Ard near Aberfoyle are perfect for a wild swim on a sunny day and the Trossachs landscape of rolling hills and trees is astonishingly picturesque.
There are a few perfect places to wild swim in Loch Ard, but I like the small jetty near the village hall at Kinlochard – it’s a gorgeous spot with a grassy bank to leave your clothes.
Refuel: We think Maggie’s Kitchen cafe in nearby Aberfoyle is lovely!
How to get there: Loch Ard is a 10-minute drive from Aberfoyle, along the B829. Parking is available at the Kinlochard Forestry car park, just a few minutes’ walk from the jetty.
I’ve got loads more Trossachs lochs on my swimming list and I’ll update this list when I find great ones to share! And if you have favourite wild swim spots in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park let me know in the comments below.
