Loch Lomond parking: every car park compared
Charges, hours and overnight rules, village by village
Mostly, yes: you pay. Luss costs £1.20 an hour, and Balmaha, Rowardennan and Loch Lomond Shores charge £4 or £5 for the day. Sleeping overnight in a vehicle is not allowed in the council car parks we checked.
- Luss
- £1.20/h
- Balmaha
- £5/day
- Rowardennan
- £5/day
- Shores
- £4/day
Do you have to pay?
Mostly, yes. Argyll and Bute Council charges at Luss and Arrochar Glenloin, Stirling Council at Balmaha, Forestry and Land Scotland at Rowardennan, and Wise Parking at Loch Lomond Shores. Prices run from £1.20 an hour at Luss to £4 or £5 for a day at the Shores, Balmaha and Rowardennan.
Loch Lomond Shores was free from 2002 and began charging on 28 January 2026, so older pages that call it free are out of date. Aberfoyle’s riverside car park is the exception we found: the local destination site lists it as free, but confirm with Stirling Council before you rely on that.
For the south end, the village of Balloch has the train station, the Shores and the castle park, and trains from Glasgow run about twice an hour. Further up the west shore, Tarbet and its pier and the village of Inveruglas are the next car and coach stops; we have no checked tariff for Inveruglas, so read the sign there. On the east shore, the Rowardennan shore is where the Ben Lomond path begins.
Every car park we have checked
Charges, hours and overnight rules as they stood on the date shown above. Where a cell says “not captured”, we have no verified value, so read the sign and the machine.
| Car park and operator | Price | Charging hours | Payment | Overnight | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luss car parkArgyll and Bute Council, pay and display. 250 spaces. | 35p for 15 minutes, £1.20 for an hour, then £1.20 an hour. | Every day, 9am to 6pm. Check the signs. | Machine or app. | Not allowed, motorhomes included. | Open in maps |
| Balmaha car parkStirling Council, pay and display. | Up to 1 hour free (display the ticket), £3 for 2 hours, £4 for 4 hours, £5 all day. | Monday to Saturday 8:45am to 5pm, and Sundays too. | Cash, or RingGo for cashless. | Sleeping in a motorhome overnight is not allowed. Motorhomes may use one bay. | Open in maps |
| Rowardennan car parkForestry and Land Scotland (Queen Elizabeth Forest Park). | £2 up to 1 hour, £5 all day, £14 for a minibus or coach all day. Blue Badge free. | Not captured: check the machine. Public toilets open Easter to October. | Coins, card or RingGo. Annual passes available. | Not stated in our sources: check the signs. | Open in maps |
| Loch Lomond Shores car parkWise Parking, with number-plate cameras (ANPR). | 50p for 30 minutes, £1.50 up to 2 hours, £2 up to 4 hours, £4 all day. Blue Badge holders must pay. | Pay on arrival. Charging hours not captured: check the signs. | Three pay machines (one takes cash and card, two card only), RingGo or PayByPhone. | Not stated in our sources: ask Wise Parking. | Open in maps |
| Tarbet Pier picnic siteLoch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority. | 2022 figures: 50p for 30 minutes, £1 for 2 hours, £2 for 4 hours, £4 all day. Prices may have risen. | Not captured: check the signs. | Not captured: check the machine. | Built for day visitors. Two paid overnight motorhome bays were planned, so check on site. | Open in maps |
| Arrochar Glenloin car parkArgyll and Bute Council, pay and display. 58 spaces. | £1.20 an hour, £10.30 for the day. | Every day, 9am to 6pm. | Not captured: check the machine. | Not allowed, motorhomes included. | Open in maps |
| Arrochar Loch Long car parkNot stated in our sources. | 2022 figures: £1.20 an hour, paid on exit. Electric vehicle charging was £0.26 per kWh, minimum £1.80. | Not captured: check the signs. | Paid on exit. | Not stated: check the signs. | Open in maps |
| Callander car parksPay and display at Riverside, Station Road and Riverside Meadows. | £3 for 2 hours, £4 for 4 hours, £6 all day. | Every day, 8:45am to 5pm. | Not captured: check the machine. | Not stated: check the signs. | Open in maps |
| Aberfoyle Riverside car parkNot stated. Confirm with Stirling Council. | Listed as free by the local destination site. Confirm before you rely on it. | Not stated. | Not needed if free. | Not stated: check the signs. Public toilets with Changing Places. | Open in maps |
| Balloch Castle Country ParkTwo car parks: the main one at Moss O’ Balloch in the town centre, and a smaller one by the castle with few disabled bays. | Not captured: check the signs. Very busy in summer. | Not captured. | Not captured. | Not stated: check the signs. | Open in maps |
Open in maps searches by name and, where we have it, postcode. Always follow the signs on arrival.
Rules and how to pay
Pay when you arrive
At Loch Lomond Shores, pay on arrival: cameras read your number plate, and there are three pay machines plus RingGo and PayByPhone.
Display the ticket where asked
At Balmaha the first hour is free, but the ticket must still be displayed. Stirling Council takes cash, with RingGo for cashless payment.
Blue Badge holders
Blue Badge holders park free at Rowardennan but must pay at Loch Lomond Shores.
Sleeping in a vehicle
Sleeping overnight in a motorhome is not allowed in Stirling Council car parks, or in the Argyll and Bute car parks at Luss and Glenloin. For an overnight stay you need a permit or a campsite: how camping permits work.
Have a plan B for fine weekends
We have no verified fill times, so for the busiest villages keep a second option ready. Public transport to the loch lists the trains, buses and coaches.
Check on the day
- Luss’s 15-minute charge rose from 30p to 35p on 19 June 2026, so older tariffs are out of date. Luss parking is free for two weeks before Christmas.
- The Tarbet Pier and Arrochar Loch Long prices come from 2022 announcements. Read the machine before you pay.
- Loch Lomond Shores has two double electric vehicle points in the coach park, free to use, though parking still applies. An upgrade to eight superchargers was planned for summer 2026, so check whether it happened.
- Disputing a Shores charge? Wise Parking’s contact details are info@wiseparking.co.uk and 03301 334522.
- Always read the sign and the machine. Councils and operators change tariffs part-way through a year.
Parking for walks, bus links and the map
Leaving the car for a hill? A day on Ben Lomond starts at Rowardennan, and Conic Hill on foot starts at Balmaha. A full hill day outlasts the free first hour at Balmaha, so work out your hours first.
Walking the West Highland Way? Leaving the car in Drymen covers where to leave a vehicle while you walk. On the quieter upper loch, Inversnaid car parks and fill times has the detail for that village.
Going without a car: Rowardennan has no bus service, but a summer waterbus connects it with Tarbet. To see every place at once, open the interactive map. We explain how each price is checked and dated on how we check facts.
Questions people ask
What is the closest town to Loch Lomond?
Balloch, at the southern end of the loch, with direct trains from Glasgow about twice an hour.
Do you have to pay for parking at Loch Lomond?
Mostly yes. Luss costs £1.20 an hour, and Balmaha, Rowardennan and Loch Lomond Shores charge £5, £5 and £4 for the day. Aberfoyle’s riverside car park is listed as free. Check the machine for today’s rates.
Where can you park a campervan at Loch Lomond?
Not overnight in the Argyll and Bute car parks at Luss and Glenloin, or in Stirling Council car parks. Motorhomes may use one bay at Balmaha. For an overnight stay, the National Park lists motorhome permit locations at Firkin Point, Inveruglas and the Three Lochs Forest Drive; the page we used looks dated, so check before you go.
Is parking free at Loch Lomond Shores?
No. It has charged since 28 January 2026, with £4 for all day. Blue Badge holders must pay.
Can I pay for Loch Lomond parking by phone?
Often. Luss takes a machine or app, Balmaha and Rowardennan take RingGo, and Loch Lomond Shores takes RingGo and PayByPhone. Check which app the sign names.
What is so special about Loch Lomond?
It is a long freshwater loch you can reach by train from Glasgow, with cruises, villages on both shores and walks from Conic Hill to Ben Lomond.