Loch Lomand transportation

Scotland public transportation planner:
https://www.travelinescotland.com/public-transport

. . . . directly to a B&B in the Loch Lomand area.
from their B&B to Oban

This depends where exactly their B&B is in "the Loch Lomond area" (spelling). Getting from London to that area, or to Oban is not too difficult by train. But it takes a long time.
You can check train times on http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ London to Balloch (town at the southern end of the loch) by train takes 6 hours. Plus 1 hour from Heathrow into London. Plus 1 hour minimum after landing to go through immigration and exit the airport. Unless you land very early you will not be able to get to Balloch the same day.

Bigger problem is that only gets you to one end of the loch. The loch is 36.4 Km long (I looked it up), mostly thinly populated. Part of the east side has no roads at all. Is it even possible to get to your B&B by public transport? You will have to look up where it is, and/or post the address so we can look it up.

If you can't make the last few miles to your B&B via public transportation (and don't want to walk the last few miles), consider contacting your B&B host of car service recommendations.

I see a rather critical issue here. When are they going to buy that rail ticket to the first overnight stop? It's risky to commit to a specific train when you're coming off a transatlantic flight. The flight could be late; there could be a significant back-up at Immigration; there could be a delay in retrieving baggage (though that is less likely). Then, once ready to leave the airport, they have to get to the departure station in London (Kings Cross??), and who's to say how many minutes will be lost getting there?

So the general advice is to buy that rail ticket after arrival. But I've just looked at ticket prices to Stirling for tomorrow (it's a bit late to be looking at today's departures), and I see that what is left ranges from £170 to about £190. That's a minimum of $222 per person, one way. I don't know what sort of fare they'd be able to get if they bought their April tickets as soon as they go on sale. (Also, perhaps this is one of those situations in which split-ticketing would help??)

The travel time will be close to 7 hours, so they're going to have quite a long day right after a possibly-sleepless night. I have a friend who's going to be in a somewhat similar situation next year, and I've suggested that she crash for the first night at Heathrow (if energetic, she can go to Windsor on arrival day) so she's able to buy a non-refundable/non-changeable Advance ticket north for Day 2. The Premier Inn near at Heathrow Terminal 4 is relatively new and typically has amazingly good rates.

Hi, Kristen,

First of all, the trains from London to Glasgow depart from Euston, and terminate at Glasgow Central. The commuter trains to Balloch leave from Queen Street station, so your friends will have to make their way from one station to the other. There is a taxi stand right outside Central. There is also a free shuttle bus between the two stations. They only need to show the driver their train tickets. The bus runs very frequently. It's about a 15 minute walk, but your friends may not be up for that after a transAtlantic flight and a five hour train ride. Especially if they have a lot of luggage.

Secondly, the trains to Oban depart from Queen Street as well. So your friends should get a ticket from London Euston to Glasgow, the cheapest way possible, make their way across to Queen Street, then buy separate round trip tickets from Queen Street to Balloch. They won't need to reserve ahead, as this service is operated by ScotRail, and it's a commuter train, so it's rarely full. If it is, there will be seats available after Dumbarton.

Once they get to Balloch, they may have to rely on the good graces of the B&B owners for a lift to their accommodation. Many B&B owners are happy to provide this service, especially if your friends are staying for more than one night. If not, they may have to disembark at Alexandria, as taxi service is woefully lacking at Balloch station.

Once your friends have spent time at Loch Lomond, they can return from Balloch to Queen Street, and catch the train for Oban. There are four trains daily that would fit nicely in to their schedule. They can get round trip tickets from Glasgow to Oban, again, the cheapest possible. If they are not returning to Glasgow after Oban, then they'd only need a one way ticket. I think that there's something called "Two Together," which gives train going travelers a discount. I'm sure that others on this forum will chip in with more information.

If they get in to Glasgow too late in the day to get to Balloch (There are trains every half hour - the last one leaves around 11:00 p.m.), they could stay overnight in central Glasgow, and catch an early train the following day. The trip from Glasgow to Balloch is just under an hour.

As far as cost goes, the cheapest round trip fare I've found is 160 pounds from London to Glasgow. That's on Virgin Trains. They would have to estimate what time they'd be getting to Euston, in order to book a specific train. That's the off-peak fare. If they miss that train, and have to take a later off-peak train, it's an extra 10 pounds each. However, if they end up having to catch a peak train, it's 10 pounds plus the difference in fares. The fares go up exponentially from off-peak to peak.

If they don't mind 11 hours on the road, Megabus goes from London to Buchanan Street Glasgow for 10 pounds 10 pence. I've done that route. It's no fun! :( I even went from London to Aberdeen on the bus one year. 14 hours of pure torture!

Hope that helps!

Best wishes!

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: Have your friends made transportation arrangements for when they arrive on Mull?

p.p.s.: Have your friends considered flying from LHR to Glasgow, or have they already planned to do so? If their transAtlantic flight is on a British based carrier, they may be able to tack on the round trip from LHR to GLA at less cost than the train plus the tube. Plus the flight to GLA is only 90 minutes, and they wouldn't have to carry their luggage from LHR to Euston. British Airways is offering some incredibly low round trip airfares on that route during April. Even if their overseas flight is on a non-British based carrier, they may be able to fly north on FlyBe or one of the budget carriers. However, they have to watch out for add-ons, like luggage allowances. And avoid RyanAir! Plus, they don't have to go through Immigration until they get to Glasgow. It's a heck of a lot easier.

Two Together is a railcard product which allows two travelers (don't need to be related) to obtain 34% off many fares. Not valid before 9:30 am. Passport sized photos required. Both travelers need to be together at all times on the discounted train trips.
If buying from overseas it needs to be sent to a UK address - which won't work for your friends. They can buy one (£30 for one card for two people) at the window at Euston station. They can still buy discounted tickets on line taking into account the discount, they must have the card in their hands before they board the train on which they have claimed a discount.

https://www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk is the official website.

I feel the need to speak up here about Loch Lomond. It was the greatest disappointment of my trip to Scotland. Do your friends have a particular reason for heading there? We went by train from Glasgow and then onto Oban when we were done. We ended up wishing we had simply gone straight to Oban.

There is nothing particularly remarkable about this Loch, at least if you live where I do and lakes are plentiful. The hiking was okay, but once again, nothing remarkable.

Hi, Carol,

I just went back and re-read the original post. It just says that they were "...going directly to a B&B in the Loch Lomand (sic) area." So it's possible that they were not going specifically to Loch Lomond, but one of the towns/villages nearby. Balloch, for instance, or Drymen, which is a staging area for the Rob Roy Way, and a stop along the West Highland Way.

I have to agree with you, though, regarding Loch Lomond. Although fabled in story and song, it is not one of Scotland's more beautiful lochs, especially as seen from the western shore. (Although Luss is an attractive village.) However, the eastern shore is quite the more picturesque, especially as you get farther away from the southern end. The hike up Ben Lomond (tourist route) is not too strenuous, and you're rewarded at the summit with a good view up and down most of the length of the loch.

I'm sure that Kristen's friends will make the most of their time in the Loch Lomond area, and will enjoy Oban, and presumably Mull and/or Kerrera.

Mike (Auchterless)

To add to what Mike says, you can connect to the West Highland line from Glasgow Central going down to the lower level station, platforms 16 and 17, and catching a train to Dalmuir where a connection can be had.

For the West Highland line, if you are travelling at a weekend in summer, booking is strongly advisable.