| There are now only three official Public slipways, one is located
at Mallarochy Bay, near Balmaha on the East coast of the Loch. The
others are located in at Balloch at the Southern end of the Loch.
All slipways are free at the present time but this is likely to
change in the near future.
There are also numerous other accesses to the Loch some private
and some illegal, most however are now limited in some way. Caravans
sites, boat yards & marina tend to have there own slips and
most can be used either for a small fee or as part of your accommodation.
BALLOCH - DRUMKINNON BAY
The
slipway is run by the Park Authority and the ranger service. The
slipway closes at 10pm but offer secure parking and chain down points
for your trailer. The are jetties for getting passengers on and
off and the slipway offers deep water for bigger boats. Access to
the slipway is made from Balloch Road on the west side of the River
and is located next to the "Maid of the Loch" Paddle Steamer".
This is the most secure for overnight parking of cars and trailers.
The building next to the slip is the new headquarters of the water
borne rangers and you can also register your boat here.
BALLOCH - RIVER LEVEN
The
Balloch slipway can be very busy, unfortunately the design is extremely
poor , and if you have a large boat I would not recommend it. The
road down to the slipway is found from the Moss O Balloch, the road
is narrow and twisty. Quite often you will get to the bottom to
find the access blocked by boat trailers. The slipway is not manned
by the Park Authority, and it is not un-common for tempers to get
frayed due to others being un-considerate. Although Jet-Bikes can
slip here I would not recommend this as there is a 6MPH speed limit
in the river to 150 meters from the mouth of the river.. there is
a good chance if the engine is cold that the plugs will foul before
getting onto the Loch.
MALLAROCHY BAY
Mallarochy
can also be busy especially at the weekends, this is the most popular
slipway for Jet-Bikes, the Eastern end of the Loch is somewhat windier
and is also frequented by Wind Surfers and the Loch Lomond Sailing
Club. The Slipway as you can see runs onto the shore and can be
quite shallow, I would recommend a tow bar extension. This slipway
is manned by the Park Authority, they will check your registration
and also limit cars accessing the shore. There is a speed limit
of 6MPH to 150 meters off shore but it is open water. The road to
Balmaha can be quite busy on holidays and weekends with day trippers.
|