We hadn't visited here for years and were pleasantly surprised at how much the whole area has been upgraded. We weren't really interested in the shops. Having our dog with us, we found lots of great places to explore around the loch

I have reviewed many places and hotels from various parts of the world, but this time I am reviewing an attraction just two miles from my home. Loch Lomond shores is a mixed retail and leisure centre near the village of Balloch at the southern end of Loch Lomond. The retail part is a crescent of various shops and cafes. For many years the most prominent retailer was Jennings, an upmarket company whose flagship store was in Princes Street, Edinburgh. However, like many others, it stopped trading a few years ago, and their place was taken over by Mike Ashley, and houses two of his businesses, Sport Direct and Frasers.The other stores are a mix of clothing, Scottish souvenirs, a whisky shop, and one selling a great range of spices etc. However, be warned, make sure you have plenty of credit on your card, for prices are high. Most people who visit don't come for the shopping, but to participate in activities on offer, or just to walk around the shoreline and admire the stunning views of the loch. There are boat trips, you can hire rowing boats, canoes, kayaks, paddle bords, pedalos and bikes. A major attraction is the paddle steamer, Maid of the Loch, which operated for about 30 years until around 1980. Since then it has spent most of the time idle alongside a pier. In more recent years a group of volunteers set up a charity to restore the ship, it has been a very slow process with lack of funds making it difficult, but now she is out of the water and undergoing restoration to hopefully see her back sailing again. Theer is also a Sea Life Centre, housed in a round tower building, at the top there is a cafe from which you get amazing views. You can access it without having to pay and visit the acquarium. Other attraction include a bird of prey centre, a treetop experience with walkways suspended between the trees , picnic areas, crazy golf and a large childrens play area. At times there is a land train to take you around the area, and twice monthly there is a farmers market Car parking is free, and there are hundreds of spaces, including a large number of disabled spaces. This is a popular visit for tourists, but being only 40 minutes from Glasgow by train, and similar to drive, weekends are busy during the spring to autumn seasons, but still popular even in winter, when the nearby Ben Lomond is often snow clad. The village of Balloch is just a short walk away, here you will find a few shops, pubs, restaurants and a supermarket. More boat trips operate from here. If you have never been, I would recommend you give it a visit.

A quiet walk and shopping with the family Visited the shores shopping centre after a drive about the loch. Popped into the village of LUSS Which where "take the high road" was filmed. Beautiful views Shopping centre full of designer gear and Scottish keepsakes. Picked up some bits and bobs, had a lovely scone and cup of coffee. Definitely worth a look and a visit to LUSS.

Came upon this place while driving around Loch Lomond. It’s a place for the summer with bike rental, boat cruises, places for food and an aquarium. Good for families. First impression wasnt great though, walk into building and there was a sport direct store, then I see it’s for foreign tourists who arrive in buses.

Toilets. Or more precisely, the lack of toilets available to visitors. At one end of the ‘mall’ building there is a Thornton’s Caffé coffee shop. The kind of place you would stop by for a coffee and snack, then toilet break, and then continue the visit. Paraphrasing slightly here: “Excuse me, but where are your toilets?” Standing with small child, and a sense of urgency. “We don’t have any in the cafe. There is one just outside the cafe door into the mall, but it’s closed to the public.” In fact, closed to the staff as well. I was initially directed along the mall to inside the Fraser’s unit. Keep going through it until reaching the perfume section. (There has to be a joke somewhere in this!) Yes, there are toilets. All locked. “Out of order”, said the signs - see the photo. So I asked a worker in the Fraser’s cafe - Cafe Zest - where the nearest toilets were…. So I kept walking through the length of the Fraser’s shop, then through Sports Direct and to the main centre entrance. At last! The long and winding road led me to their door. Well, the entrance at least to the public toilets! What a farcical and potentially embarrassing and uncomfortable situation for anyone in urgent need after a pit stop at a coffee shop. We had earlier been in the upstairs Jurassic Grill food place, and the sign facing the entrance at the top of the first set of stairs does have the good old “polite notice” that the toilets are for patron’s use only. Why have that unless people are repeatedly trying to use their toilets? I spoke at length with the manager of the cafe, and she completely understood my frustration with the situation, but she said that the toilets and how they operate are managed by, I believe, the Loch Lomond Shores Management Company - SC191326. If this is the correct management company, I wonder if they would care to comment? (If it is not this company then I imagine they would be quick to correct this.) ps - the automatic doors at the entrance are also out of order. pps - if you are a patron of any of the retail units then it would seem eminently fair that you can nip upstairs to Jurassic Grill toilets seeing as they are managed by the same company. (No sniggering at the back for pps now!)