Last Saturday, believe it or not, it was the start of the Scottish football season, so we drove over to the west of Scotland, to Dumbarton in fact, so that Jack could see his beloved team get beaten!

It was one of those April showers days so I ended up staying in the car and reading, rather than go for a walk around the town. I must admit that some chocolate did pass my lips!

Anyway, on the way back to the east we went via nearby Loch Lomond, it’s just a couple of miles from Dumbarton. This is a photo taken from Loch Lomond Shores which is a shopping centre which has been plonked on the edge of the beautiful loch. In the good old days before there was any such dastardly thought of turning Loch Lomond into a National Park, there would have been no possibilty of such a blot on the landscape being given planning permission. I’ve spared you a view of the shopping centre.

I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never been up ‘The Ben’ as it’s known locally, and I was brought up just a couple of miles from Ben Lomond. Apparently it’s quite an easy walk, in good weather anyway.

The paddle steamer is the good old Maid of the Loch, I often went for a trip ‘doon the watter’ on her when I was a wee girl. She has recently been refurbished and now chuggs around the loch instead of up and down the River Clyde.

This is a display of whisky which is in the Valvonna and Crolla shop at Lomond Shores, just in case anyone is interested in whisky or indeed V and C which if you read Alexander McCall Smith books you will know well. He’s forever mentioning those shops for some reason.

I heard someone on the TV during the week say that Loch Lomond had been given National Park status to promote business and development in the area. That’s exactly the opposite of what National Parks are supposed to do. John Muir started them so that places of beauty and scientific interest would be protected from the ravages of big business, he must be birlin’ in his grave at what is being done in his name. And no – we didn’t buy anything in the shops!

I’ll end with another view of the loch, this is just a wee part of Loch Lomond, there are lots of islands in it which can’t be seen from here. You can read about it here.