Lochleven Castle — Attraction in Scotland

As we are members of Historic Scotland, we decided to visit this site last Friday. It was such a beautiful day and the boat trip over to the castle was lovely. Use your Sat nav to find Pier road, as it is hidden behind a housing estate. By the time we arrived we were unable to join the next motor boat as it only holds 12 passengers at a time. This was not a problem though as there is a large park and grassy area to walk around. We sat at the waters edge watching people on their paddle boards. The sailings go every 45 mins so it was no big deal to wait for the next sailing. If you are impatient though you can always book ahead. The girl steering the boat was very friendly explaining the safety rules whilst onboard before we started our sail. Once on the island we were given the directions to the only toilets on the small island. You need to take a picnic with you if you want to eat as there are no other facilities there. I felt this would be an ideal place to take children as there are flat grassy areas to run around and picnic tables. The castle and grounds are quite interesting and there are displays dotted around providing historical information and nature facts. I would definitely recommend Loch Leven castle for a family day out particularly on...

Lovely trip for an afternoon - but definitely check the wind and rain forecast.

Booked the ferry in advance (MAX 12 PEOPLE) and turned up to wait for the ticket office to open at 10am. Short journey over with some nice commentary from the captain. We were warned in advance that the wind could get bad enough that they would have to take us off the island early, but this didn't happen.

Small island - you can see all of the castle and read the boards in about half an hour, but longer if you take your time. Picnic benches both inside the castle walls and without, though neither particularly protected from wind or rain.

Toilets on the island - but no running water. Hand sanitizer provided though! Also no bins on the island, so you must take your own rubbish home.

Our group did have to split up on the return journey - with half waiting 45 mins for the next boat! - but we were a large party and a couple cut in front of us in the ferry queue, so no fault of the staff! We did get wet on the return journey as water came in over the sides of the boat - worth having a raincoat and maybe a plastic bag to sit on.

Staff were all kind...

To get to Loch Leven Castle you take a little boat which runs approx every 45 mins. It is advisable to book your ticket and boat in advance as its gets very busy during good weather amd summer.

The island is very small but I recommwnd you take a wee walk through the trees and around the outside of the castle before going. In...dont forget your midge spray!! Look out for Ducks, swans, herons, crested grebe and moor hens. You may be lucky to see an Osprey on the loch or even a White Tailed Eagle, depending on the time of year. We also found evidence of Otters....but didn't see one on our trip.

The castle is a typical scottish tower house type and whilst small it is well kept and lets you see where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned for a year and where she abdicated.

You will probably only need about an hour on the island but if you take a pucnic, there are plently of picnic benches.

The draw of this castle is the fact that you are on an Island and of course walking in the steps of Mary Queen of Scots. For a quiet and relaxing day, with the chance to see some wonderful wildlife...this is the...