Visitors to one of Scotland's most picturesque lochs will be able to take advantage of a new viewpoint later this year.
Improvement works to Tarbet Pier picnic site on Loch Lomond get underway on Monday (January 29) and will run throughout the summer.
The popular visitor site will be closed for eight weeks as part of a £2.1 million upgrade.
The Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority site at Tarbet Pier is being improved and expanded after a masterplan was developed in collaboration with the local community and businesses.
As well as a new viewpoint, improvements being made to the picnic site include a new shelter, additional native woodland and improvements to internal paths, roads and car parking to ensure easier and safer movement for all users.
READ MORE: Scientists reveal what lies beneath the waves of famous Scots loch
The site will also become a sustainable travel hub, complete with a cycle hub with repair station, charging points for electric vehicles and e-bikes, more accessible pedestrian facilities and improved cycling routes.
In addition, improvements are also being made to motorhome facilities including better parking and waste disposal facilities.
To facilitate the improvements, the site will be completely closed between Monday and late March, with no access for pedestrians, cyclists, campervans or motorists. The car park, toilets, motorhome facilities and café will all be closed during this initial period.
The National Park Authority expects to partially re-open the site in time for Easter weekend at the end of March.
The site and facilities will reopen, but access for parking, coaches and motorhomes will be limited and further short closures may be required.
The works are due to be complete by late summer.
Stuart Mearns, Director of Place at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “Tarbet is a gateway to the National Park and the ambitious transformation of this site will benefit all those who use it, from day visitors and campers to the local community and businesses.
“We have worked closely with local stakeholders throughout this project, including discussions about the impacts of the upcoming construction work. While there will be disruption over the coming months, the benefits for those who enjoy the site will be felt for decades to come.
“The focus on establishing a more sustainable, inclusive and nature-positive site at Tarbet aligns closely with the future vision for the National Park set out in the upcoming National Park Partnership Plan.”
The project is supported by a £750,000 grant from VisitScotland’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF).
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here