Take me away from the big city, I hear my soul cry from time to time, and after the busy Christmas period I needed to be rejuvenated, so off we went to Balmaha on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
The Oak Tree Inn has the run of the town with their hotel, restaurant, coffee shop, lodges and ice cream stand (in the summer months). Rumour has it that a fish and chip shop is planned.
My partner and I got a good little new year deal via deal website itison.com and we chose to upgrade our room to a premier deluxe room for the views of the spectacular loch and some cosy chairs to get lost in our books. There was even a TV in the bath! I’d never experienced that before and I took every opportunity to go for a soak!
Our room was part of a stand-alone cottage made up of a main entrance and other separate rooms on the same floor as us and upstairs and it was the perfect place to relax and a good base for exploring stunning Loch Lomond. On the afternoon we arrived we had a nice wee wander around the loch’s edge, becoming immersed in its beauty.
Dinner was beer battered fish & chips with pea purée, I couldn’t get enough of the stuff! Their vegan options were good too as we also ordered a delicious chickpea & sweet potato curry.
The only downside that we both felt, was that the portions weren’t enough. However that left room for dessert and then we really were full! We ordered banoffee pie and a Mars Bar cheesecake, they were very indulgent and we didn’t leave a crumb on the plate!
Apologies for the poor lighting.
Returning to the cute little cottage, we immediately felt relaxed, the surroundings are so quiet and it’s a great place for fresh air and getting some calm back into what can be a busy life.
The next morning we helped ourselves to a buffet breakfast in the main hotel. They had a really good selection of all the usual suspects – Bacon, eggs, sausages, haggis etc, cereal, yoghurt and fruit. After our generous feed we were ready to take on Conic Hill.
We certainly blew away the cobwebs with our scenic walk up Conic Hill, it also felt a little slippery as it was icy on the way up but luckily I managed to make it to the top in less than a hour to take in the glorious views of the mountains and lochs.
We’d worked up quite a thirst so we rewarded ourselves with a pint from the hotel’s very own Balmaha Brewing Co.
We stayed 2 nights with a buffet breakfast included both mornings. We left feeling refreshed and ready to take on city life again. I can’t recommend a trip to Balmaha enough and a stay at The Oak Tree Inn.
Tuggy Tucks In 