I’ve reviewed Loch an Eilein before – see here – and covered how to swim from the top of the loch to the island. This is just a quick alternative if you don’t have much time and would like to swim out the island and back as there is good path from the car park, easy access from the bank opposite the island and it’s only a few hundred metres to swim to it and back.
REVIEW
Ease of Access:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
It can be busy and you’re likely to see people on the bank taking photos of the island so remember to hold in your gut and strand straight.
Water quality:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Very clear.
Swim Quality:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Very shallow around the foreshore and the island.
Other People:
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
It can be busy.
Would I go back:
Absolutely. You’re surrounded by the Cairngorms. It’s nice and sheltered. And did I mention the castle?
Loch Ard is considered to be the source of the river forth . The river flows nearly 50km into the North Sea near Edinburgh. Which means you could attempt to swim from Loch Ard all the way to Scotland’s capitol. I only had enough time to swim for 10 minutes. Edinburgh will have to wait!
You can either swim at the start of the Loch (if you are coming from Aberfoyle) as there are a couple of parking spots and easy access to the shore or you can drive to Kinlochard and park at the village hall.
There is lots of parking at the hall but the gate is always locked. Which I think symbolically represents how the locals feel about people visiting.
I normally park on the road beside the hall. It can get very busy here so expect to have a bit of trouble parking close to the shore if the weather is good.
The entry point is an old boat dock. Its very shallow here. I can walk out about 50 meters before the water goes over my head.
There is occasionally blue/green algae here but its pretty rare.
The water was nearly 20C as there had ben allot sunshine lately.
Ease of Access:
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
It can be very busy at the weekend so get there early or park further away and then walk/bike to the start.
Water quality:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
The water is pretty clear for a loch. The west end is pretty sheltered so there aren’t many waves even on a windy day
Swim Quality:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
A good place to swim but it can be very busy so don’t expect to have it to yourself.
Other People:
⭐
Rating: 1 out of 5.
It can be very busy.
Would I go back:
It is good for beginners and it is a great starting point for people who want to try outdoor swimming.
Pinkston is an outdoor water facility just outside Glasgow city center. It offers swimming a number of different times a week (https://pinkston.co.uk/activities/swimming/) I like to go to the 0800 Wednesday slot as I can head to work afterwards.
It wasn’t very busy. There was 4/5 others swimming. The full length of the basin was open which meant I could get a nice 400m loop in. The water temperature was surprisingly in double figures (10C) I’d worn my full winter swimming kit but I could have worn less and still been okay.
The changing rooms used to be beside the water but they are now next to the car park. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving my stuff there as anyone could walk in unannounced. There are lockers but you will need a padlock.
REVIEW
Ease of Access:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
The area around Pinkston is getting regenerated. Local roads and access points are sometime closed so always check Google maps first to find the best way there.
Water quality:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The water is murky. Don’t expect to see the bottom of the basin. The pool is not that deep. I can stand up at any point in it (I’m 6ft tall)
Swim Quality:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Their is a 400m-ish loop when the basin is fully open. The site is open to the east and west which means it can be tricky swimming at sunrise/sunset as the sun shines directly into your face.
Other People:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
There is plenty of room to swim in.
Would I go back:
Yes – it is convenient to have somewhere in the city. It is good for beginners and it is a great starting point for people who want to move from the pool to outdoor swimming.
I said then that “I’ll try again next month once the temperature rises a few degrees.”
Thankfully the water temperature has increased. it was a more pleasant 9.9C. I had a quick dip and it was cold but not unpleasent. Hopefully next month I can do longer swims.
Check out the video to see what a swim in Carron Valley Reservoir is like.
Braighe is an apt name for the beach as it means sandy strand in Gaelic. The sandy side of the beach is a fine sandy strand between two parts of the island.
You can swim on either side but normally the west side is calmer as it faces a protected bay.
Although when I visited (Sep 2022) it was the east side that was flat as a pancake.
The water temperature was 13C and the tide was fully in. Be careful when swimming that you don’t go too close to the shore there are posts sticking up from the beach that you can’t see when the tide is in. I hit one with my hand and it was sore!
REVIEW
Ease of Access: There are three car parks available. The middle one has toilets. It is only a 10 minute drive from Stornoway to the beach.
Water quality: The water quality is crystal clear and perfect for swimming although on a wild day it can get a bit sea weedy on the bay side.
Swim Quality: Cold. In December the temperature was 7C. I had a short swim in a circle. In the summer I’ve been here and swam the length of the beach.
Other People: Not a soul.
Would I go back: Yes. Its the easiest place to get to have a sea swim that is near my parent’s home in Stornoway. Normally one side of the beach will protected from any bad weather.
San Francisco has Alcatraz island. Aviemore has Loch an Eilan castle. While Alcatraz may have the world famous prison and is infamous for the murderers, gangsters and scoundrels who have stayed there, Loch an Eilein, was once voted Britain’s Favourite Picnic Spot in a poll organised by Warburtons to commemorate National Bread Week. So, while both places might have islands with buildings on them, there’s only one place you want to have a flask of tea and a sandwich.
And I have to agree with Warburton’s. This is a cracking spot for a picnic. It’s also a cracking spot for a swim.
There’s a large car park (which you need to pay for, when manned), a short walk to a small ‘beach’ a the top of the loch, and then a gentle slope into the loch with just smooth stones underneath. For that alone, it’s a great spot for a swim. But what makes it a swim spot you won’t want to miss is the ruined castle on an island in the middle of the loch. It’s around 500m from shore but you can follow the shoreline until you get closer to the island to avoid swimming in the colder, deeper parts of the loch. You can then swim across and around the island to see the ruins.
You might be tempted to go ashore to explore the castle when you first cross but I would recommend swimming to the eastern side of the island where it’s easier to walk ashore. You can then have a picnic, if you haven’t drowned your sandwiches on the way.
REVIEW
Ease of Access:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
It can be busy as it’s a popular spot but I was there on a Sunday evening at 6pm and there were only half a dozen car in the car park.
Water quality:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Very clear.
Swim Quality:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Very shallow around the foreshore so plenty of good places to swim if you don’t want to venture too far from shore. For those that do, it’s got a castle! A castle!!!.
Other People:
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
It can be busy.
Would I go back:
Absolutely. You’re surrounded by the Cairngorms. It’s nice and sheltered. And did I mention the castle?
There are certain places that are perfect for doing swim/bike/run events that have just one major problem – no parking!
Loch Ard is on of those places. It would be amazing to have a triathlon here but there is so little parking available it would be impossible to have more than a handful of people attend it.
Instead of a proper race I decided to do my own triathlon here. I call it Myathlon.
Myathlon is virtual sprint triathlon where you choose your own course. It comprise a 750m swim, a 20km bike ride and a 5 km run. You can do it anywhere you like.
I choose to do it at Loch Ard.
Even though I was here for 0900 there wasn’t much parking available at Kinlochard. People were already out swimming or using stand up paddle boards. Its a popular spot!
There are orange buoys in the water. i thought if i aimed for one and then another one that was slightly further our then that would be about 400m. I could then return the same way which would give me the swim distance.
The water was calm, the tempreture was about 15C and the swim was very enjoyable. Spotting the buoys was easy and it was a straightforward swim in nice conditions.
REVIEW
Ease of Access:
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
It can be very busy at the weekend so get there early or park further away and then walk/bike to the start.
Water quality:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
The water is pretty clear for a loch. The west end is pretty sheltered so there aren’t many waves even on a windy day
Swim Quality:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
A good place to swim but it can be very busy so don’t expect to have it to yourself.
Other People:
⭐
Rating: 1 out of 5.
It can be very busy.
Would I go back:
It is good for beginners and it is a great starting point for people who want to try outdoor swimming
Last month I wrote “It doesn’t feel like summer has really got started properly. May and June have been a lot less sunnier than recent years.”
I could start off this review the same way. it still doesn’t feel like summer has started.
I’ve been swimming consistently in Carron valley one or two times a week and its not been the best summer for swimming here. A near constant easterly wind has whipped up the waves in the reservoirs and there’s barely been a swim when I’ve not had to battle waves.
Last year I barely saw a wave all summer!
The water is constistently 15C-ish at present and its not very peaty but if you don’t like waves then you might not enjoy swimming here.
Hopefully next month I’ll report that summer has arrived at last.
Check out the video to see what a swim in Carron Valley Reservoir is like.
Loch Mareee is famous for its islands. It has more than forty and they contain the nearest thing to natural woodland left in Britain – fragments of the original Caledonian Pine Forest.
Because of the islands its a popular spot for kayak-ers and canoeists. I was staying nearby in Kinlochwee and I fancied a swim before my breakfast so I thought I would give the Loch a try.
I found this game in the hotel. think it is true for all wild swimmers.
Ease of Access: I parked at the Bein Eighe car park beside the Loch. There are toilets and you can get down to the shore easily.
Water quality: Cold! Even in June it was only 13.8C. It was a tricky Loch to get into from the shore as its very shallow and rocky. The rocks were very slippy. Its OK if you have swim shoes/socks on or if you just drop to your back and float out to where its deeper.
Swim Quality: Excellent – there’s beautiful mountain views all around.
Other People: The car park can be busy. I went early in the morning but there was a number of camper vans parked there.
Would I go back: Yes. Its such a beautiful spot to swim in.
Twin brothers swimming, cycling and running in Scotland 