The Top 3 Must Visit Lochs in Scotland

Did you know that there are over 31,000 lochs or lakes in Scotland? There is literally a beautiful loch around every corner and that’s one of the things that we love about our beautiful country.

If you love long-distance (or short-distance) walking, being outdoors, and being surrounded by rugged scenery, then a visit to Scotland is a must. Some have famous monsters lurking beneath their waters (supposedly), many are super fishing spots and all of them are highly Instagram friendly.

And while we must admit that it was somewhat difficult to select our Top 3 favourite lochs, we’ve finally whittled it down to the five that offer every visitor, and local, something unique and unmatchable. Without any further ado - here they are!

Loch Lomond

“For me and my true love will never meet again, on the bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomond…” or so go the lyrics of the traditional Scottish folk song. Beautiful Loch Lomond is located in The Trossachs National Park and lies directly on the boundary of the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands. It is the longest inland stretch of water in Britain, measuring a sizeable 39 kilometers/ 24 miles in length!

The loch also plays home to the largest island in the British Isles, named Inchmurrin, as well as 29 other smaller islands as well. Water sports enthusiasts love Loch Lomond and it’s clear to see why – the opportunities for boating, water skiing and the like are endless!

If you have some spare time, we highly recommend taking a boat cruise out on the waters and admiring all the beautiful surrounding nature and the large form of nearby Ben Lomond, Scotland's most southerly Munro.

Loch Morar

Located in the Highlands, Loch Morar is the deepest freshwater lake in Britain and extends deeper than 300 meters/1,000 feet (that’s literally a Munro!). With beautiful surrounding views, one is able to walk along the north shore of Loch Morar to Tarbet, the walk is about 12 kilometers, however, you can retrace your steps at any time, and therefore it’s a great short distance walk, as well as a long-distance hike all in one.

What sets Loch Morar apart is the abundant wildlife that you can spot from its banks. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled to spot an otter, red deer, sea as well as golden eagles and other raptors.

On the north shore of the lake, you can spot Swordland Lodge, which, back during WWII served as a special ops training school. It’s also rumoured that the lake plays home to t’s own ‘monster’, known as Morag, who is described as being either a mermaid or the grim reaper (no in-between here it seems!).

Morag is probably the second most famous loch monster second to the Loch Ness monster, and Morag has appeared to many visitors, who describe her as a ‘rolling black ball or heap’ that appears just under the water’s surface.

Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to spot her on your visit to Loch Morar. If you’ve spotted Morag before, make sure to comment below and let us know!

Loch Maree

Lovely Loch Maree, located in the Scottish northern Highlands is considered as one of the most beautiful lakes in Scotland. The loch itself plays home to 5 big and 60 smaller islands and is rumoured to have its very own monster inhabitant too!

The legendary monster is called Muc-shelich and although no one seems to know what it really is, or if it even exists, Muc-shelich is believed to be a very large eel that causes ripples on the lake’s surface. Who knows, but we do love a bit of mystery here at The Walkers Club!!

The Isle Maree plays home to a graveyard and chapel as well as what’s left of a 7th-century monastery and back in the day it was believed that soaking in the lake was a great cure for mental illness.

Loch Maree is surrounded by some breathtaking scenery with its islands, oakwood, and mountains on the one side and the Beinn Eighe Nature Reserve on the other side, and is certainly worth the visit to snap some out-of-this-world scenery pics.

We hope you’ll come and visit our beautiful lakes and join us on the hills of Scotland on one of our four famous long-distance walks.

See you soon! The Walkers Club Team