A raft of improvements to Lochside beauty spots is underway, as the national park prepares for another busy summer.
A complete upgrade of the Conic Hill path and a masterplan to improve the popular Tarbet Pier picnic site all feature in this initial phase of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority’s programme of investment in visitor facilities.
The National Park saw unprecedented numbers of visitors throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and numbers remained high in 2022 as people continued to enjoy the places they had discovered during lockdown and foreign tourists returned.
The first stage of a £900,000 package of works to repair and improve the path on Conic Hill, near Balmaha, began last week.
At Bracklinn Falls in Callander, installation of a replacement Bracklinn Bridge is in progress and on West Loch Lomond, at Tarbet Pier picnic site, a planning application is underway for significant improvements, including expanded visitor facilities and establishing a sustainable travel hub.
The proposals would see £1.5million improvements made to Tarbet Pier site over the next two years, with further improvements to follow.
Originally envisaged as a site for day visitors arriving by car and in coaches, numbers of visitors arriving by both modes of transport have increased considerably in recent years. This combined with the growing popularity of campervans and motorhomes has created a number of issues.
The Tarbet Masterplan includes improvements to the main car park to encourage better flow of vehicles.
The changes will also see the establishment of the site as a sustainable travel hub with improved drop-off for coaches and shuttle buses, EV charging points, improved cycling routes and facilities, and better access to public transport. Improvements to the pier, space for community events, helicopter access for Mountain Rescue, and expanded visitor facilities such as toilets and cafe are also planned in the years to come.
Subject to planning approval, work is likely to begin towards the end of this year.
Stuart Mearns, Director of Place at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, said: “The national park is one of Scotland’s most popular visitor destinations and alongside ongoing work to support visitors, land managers and communities during the peak season, we are developing longer term plans to improve visitor services and infrastructure.
“These plans include upgraded facilities, paths and access routes, as well as projects which will over time ease visitor pressures and enable car-free travel.
“This month projects in some of our busiest locations, at Conic Hill, Tarbet and Bracklinn Falls, have all taken significant steps forward, helping prepare us for what we expect to be another very busy visitor season ahead.
“For each of these projects, and indeed any development work within the National Park, gains for climate and nature are vital. Providing a quality path on Conic Hill will help protect the area adjacent to the path and the important habitats and species to be found there.
“At Tarbet, while we make structural improvements to alleviate visitor pressures, we will also be improving biodiversity at the site and helping visitors embrace low emission travel.”
