Loos at last for Loch Lomond’s busiest picnic area

Temporary toilets have been installed at one of the busiest tourist spots beside Loch Lomond, after years of unsuccessful campaigning.

Hundreds of thousands of people call at the Duck Bay picnic area every year – but it has been without public toilets since the 1990s.

Now toilets will be available from May to October, thanks to funding from the Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, the Hannah Stirling Loch Lomond Trust, the national park authority and Argyll and Bute Council.

Sponsorship is also being provided by the Cawley Group who own the Duck Bay Hotel, and Alan Cawley has allocated staff to regularly clean the toilets and provide toiletries and cleaning materials.

MSP Jackie Baillie, who led a walkabout on the site last August for public bodies and the Cawley family, welcomed the news.

“The Friends are to be congratulated for taking the initiative to provide much-needed temporary toilets at this popular Loch Lomondside picnic area,” she said.

“This means that thousands of site users will no longer  face the indignity of having to toilet outdoors and can now visit the site in the safe knowledge they will have access to toilets which are well maintained and hygienic.”

James Fraser, chair of the Friends, said the site looked ‘tired’ but had the potential to b a jewel in the crown of Loch Lomond.

“It has been a long hard struggle to get to this point, but we are delighted that our determination to make something happen at this site has finally paid off and we are grateful to all the partners for contributing to the funding package to enable long overdue and desperately-needed toilets to be provided here,” he said.

“I am also grateful to Alan Cawley who has willingly stepped in to support the initiative with practical day to day assistance as well as investing heavily in the neighbouring knoll and viewpoint which once again can now be enjoyed by thousands of visitors to the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.”

Mr Cawley is restoring the knoll and viewpoint, which he bought last year.

Rhododendrons have been removed to open up views of the loch and path repairs have been completed, including the replacement of a footbridge which will be named in memory of Hannah Stirling, the founder and late president of the Friends of Loch Lomond.