Loch Goil is just west of Loch Lomond just over an hour from Glasgow. Follow the old military road (A83) west of Tarbet up the pass to rest and be thankful (you can see why it has the name) turn left down the beautiful winding B828 descending into the secluded Glenn Mor and finally reaching the small town of Lochgoilhead. My wife, four month old son and I stayed at the Shore House Inn for a little treat after 3 weeks in our campervan. The room was beautiful with a great view of this long thin Loch. For the Wild campers there were a few spots along the Western shore of Loch Goil which was the location of a number of swimming holes.
The Lettermay Burn rises off the Western shore of Loch Goil up into the heart of the Cowal peninsula. We only had time to explore its lower course although it felt more like an upland stream. We visted three of many waterfalls all marked on the Explorer 363 map. You can walk up a track for 100m on the Cowal Way past some holiday cottages. The Cowal Way swings left to the South you should turn right for another 100m then follow the track down a slight hill. Go through a gate and you are at the river. You can walk up a small tricky path on the left or cross the river and walk up a larger track on the right . The waterfalls are all in the next km of walking.The track and area was under construction which reduced the beauty of the walk slightly but not the river itself. The river level was low but there were still a few areas you could have plunge or brief swim. There was a gorge I scrambled up further upstream but there was a lot of fallen trees in the course and this would be dangerous in higher water.
Parking GR190000.
Place Categories: Waterfall or Gorge and Wild Swim.
Well worth a visit if you’re in the area! The best part for me was a 20′ jump, which more or less completes the gorge walk. It’s best to do the whole thing as there’s some pretty cool parts further downstream as well. A rockslide and a rope swing are pretty obvious, (and fun) features, but there’s some hidden charms as well! Not far from the rock slide is a submerged rock with a whole through it. The challenge is to dive under water and squeeze through it! Takes guts but is actually really easy and is over in about 3 seconds.
Take some time and enjoy this beautiful area. Plenty of great wild camping spots with loads of fire wood around. There’s also another fantastic wild swimming gorge at the other side of the village called Donnich water.
This is a place to explore! Unfortunately the midges can be a major problem though. Best to vistit before june or after september.