Tarbet

Tarbet Pier site regeneration

Our popular visitor site, Tarbet, Loch Lomond, remains under construction while improvement works continue.

The site will partially reopen ahead of the Easter holidays, with limited facilities:

• Very limited parking
• Less than 20% capacity
• Toilets open, Cafe open
• Cruise access
• No cycle path access
• No picnic area
• No waste disposal facilities and very limited parking, the site is not suitable for motorhomes and campervans at this time.

The National Park Authority-managed grey and black water disposal will be closed for the duration of the works. We ask that visitors plan ahead and find an alternative disposal point.

There are other areas on the west side of Loch Lomond where motorhomes and campers could find a spot for the night. (Note: As the National Park Authority do not manage these sites there are no guarantees of availability)

For more information on the regeneration word that is being done please follow the link to the FAQ page

Viking Raids

This valley that connects the two lochs is fairly low lying and was long used as a portage route for boats. In 1263, Viking raiders following the Norwegian King Haco pulled their boats out at Arrochar and across the isthmus to Loch Lomond, from where they sailed south to plunder the settlements around Loch Lomond. After burning and raiding the islands of Loch Lomond they sailed south down the River Leven to the Clyde.

Explore the loch by boat

The pier at Tarbet provides a perfect boarding point to loch cruises and waterbus services, the former having been plying Loch Lomond since Victorian times. Cruises take visitors north to explore the quieter stretches of the loch and south to explore the lochs’ islands. Waterbus services link Tarbet to Inversnaid and Rowardennan on the eastern shores, providing access to climbing Ben Lomond, walking sections of the West Highland Way, visiting RSPB Inversnaid and more.

West Highland Line

The village is also served by the West Highland Line, (the Arrochar & Tarbet station) linking Glasgow and Mallaig, which is consistently voted one of the most scenic train journeys in the world. From the railway station it’s about a 10 minute walk to the loch.

Walking

Walkers coming to Tarbet can link up with Cowal Way and Three Lochs Way and walk north up to Inveruglas and connect back by an afternoon waterbus service via Inversnaid. Cyclists can pedal south along the West Loch Lomond Cycle Path from Tarbet to Luss and back on a traffic-free path.

Did you know?

The name of the village comes from the Gaelic for ‘isthmus’, which is a small strip of land separating two larger pieces.

Find out more…

• If you wish to find out more about the local Tarbet community and the work they do
• Access the Community Action Plan to find information on what it is like to live in Tarbet and the surrounding area, the aspirations and priorities for the future of the local community and how they will be achieved.
• Visit our camping pages on Loch Lomond, Loch Long and the surrounding area.
• Download a copy of our NatureScot Landscape Assessment to learn more about the landscape of the village.