Family-friendly woodland path near Loch Lomond given £30k upgrade

MORE than £30,000 of investment has been used to improve footpaths in Balloch Country Park, allowing families and other walkers to safely explore the Whinney Hill Woods where they can enjoy stunning views of Loch Lomond.

Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Vice-Chairman John Urquhart at the improved Whinney Hill footpath. Picture: Friends of Loch Lomond

The funding was provided by several groups including the independent conservation and heritage charity, Friends of Loch Lomond, the local tourism organisation, Love Loch Lomond, and The Woodland Trust, the charitable body which manages the Whinney Hill Woods on a long-term lease.

Friends Vice-Chairman John Urquhart said the improvements were the “culmination of many years of effort by the Woodland Trust” to improve access to the woods, which previously consisted of a mainly “unmade trod” which had become a “real mess” due to an increasing numbers of walkers using them.

Urquhart is delighted by the results of the investment, he said: “It is fantastic that folk can now enjoy this improved facility which offers an excellent walking experience so close to Balloch which is the premier gateway to Scotland’s first National Park.”

“This upgraded path is a welcome addition to the range of family friendly paths for visitors and locals in the Balloch area which is an important southern gateway to the National Park It is essential that visitors arriving at Balloch have a top quality experience as they set out to explore the National Park and the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond and we are delighted that our contribution has helped the Woodland Trust deliver on these aims.”

Karen Donnelly, Destination Manager of Love Loch Lomond, added: “It is great to see the repairs on the Whinney Hill footpath finally completed after a long process which has borne fruit in the end, thanks to the tenacity of the Woodland Trust to see it through. It has been a team effort by everybody involved, from a practical and financial point of view, and we hope that the newly-repaired facility will be enjoyed by many visitors to Loch Lomond.”

Sarah Brown, Funded Projects Officer at the Woodland Trust, said: “This marks the completion of an intensive programme of work which could not have been carried out without the support of these two organisations. We are extremely grateful to the Friends and to Love Loch Lomond for their funding support in delivering a path improvement scheme that I am sure will prove popular with visitors and locals.”