.jpg){kind=link}
Tarbet pier car park: charges, motorhome bays and Tarbet Isle
Charges, overnight rules, Tarbet Isle and ways to arrive without a car
Tarbet pier car park is pay and display, run by the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority. The tariff it published in 2022 was 50p for 30 minutes, £1 for 2 hours, £2 for 4 hours and £4 for the day. The pier site has since been rebuilt and we found no newer published tariff, so these 2022 figures may be out of date. Check the current charge on the pay machine at the car park or on the National Park Authority's car parking pages.
- Tarbet Pier car park. National Park Authority pay and display next to the pier. The published tariff dates from 2022, so check the machine.
- All day (2022 tariff)
- £4
- Up to 2 hours (2022)
- £1
- Tarbet Isle, daytime
- Free
- Tarbet Isle, Stay the Night
- £10
How much is Tarbet pier car park?
The last tariff we could find is from 2022: 50p for 30 minutes, £1 for 2 hours, £2 for 4 hours and £4 all day. It comes from the National Park Authority's announcement of pay and display charging at the pier picnic site. The page is undated in our copy, and the National Park's two pages on the rebuilt site give no tariff, so treat £4 as the likely day price and check the machine.
The site was rebuilt in a project of more than £2 million. The Authority's pages list the car park, motorhome waste disposal point, overnight motorhome parking spaces, toilets, café and pier as open, with electric vehicle charging points and a bike repair station listed as coming. The council's car park list shows the car park as private, managed by the National Park, opposite the Tarbet Hotel on the A82, with postcode G83 7DE.
If the pier car park is full, or you are driving a motorhome, Forestry and Land Scotland runs a small car park at Tarbet Isle, north of the village on the A82. Daytime parking is free there. For the next village, see where to park in Arrochar. For everything else about the village, see on to Tarbet and car parks around the loch. To arrive without a car, read getting there without a car.
Tarbet pier car park, Tarbet Isle and the car-free options
The car parks at Tarbet set beside the ways to arrive without a vehicle. Prices and times are as they stood on the date shown above, and we say where we have no value.
| Option | Cost | Hours | Overnight | Notes | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarbet pier car parkLoch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, pay and display. | 2022 tariff: 30 minutes 50p; 2 hours £1; 4 hours £2; all day £4. Not republished for the rebuilt site on the pages we read. | Not recorded. | Overnight motorhome parking spaces are listed as open. We found no price on the Authority's pages. | Postcode G83 7DE. Toilets, café and pier are listed as open. Electric vehicle charging points and a bike repair station were listed as coming. The 2022 scheme gave free priority parking for school drop-offs and collections at Arrochar Primary School in term time. | Open in maps |
| Tarbet Isle car parkForestry and Land Scotland. | Free in the day. One motorhome space under Stay the Night at £10, paid by RingGo. | Stay the Night is one night only, self-contained vehicles, with first come, first served. | One motorhome space, and no caravans or large motorhomes. The car park is on a slight slope, so levelling blocks are recommended. | North of Tarbet on the A82 on the inland side, down a short steep drive. Nearest postcode G83 7DG. No height barrier. Leave a 4 m gap between motorhomes. Toilets are not mentioned. | Open in maps |
| Arrochar & Tarbet stationScotRail on the West Highland Line, Glasgow to Mallaig. | Fares not recorded: check the operator. | Times not recorded: use Traveline Scotland. | Not applicable. | It is about a 10 minute walk to the loch, according to the National Park. We found no station car park record. | |
| Cruise or waterbus from the pierCruise Loch Lomond, loch cruises and waterbus services. | Fares not recorded: check the operator. | Cruises run at least three times a day to Inversnaid in high season, according to the RSPB. | Not applicable. | The waterbus connects Inversnaid and Rowardennan on the east shore. Inversnaid parking: prices and busy times covers the other end. |
The first two rows are car parks. The others are ways to arrive without a vehicle.
What it costs and how to pay
Expect pay and display
The National Park Authority introduced pay and display at the pier picnic site in 2022. Take the 2022 tariff as a guide to the day price, then read the machine.
Pick your band
The published bands were 30 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours and all day. A walk or a cruise rarely fits the shortest two, so price the day.
Motorhomes: choose the pier or Tarbet Isle
The pier has overnight motorhome parking spaces listed as open, with a waste disposal point. Tarbet Isle has one space under Stay the Night at £10. The scheme takes one night only, between 6pm and 10am, and you cannot return to the same car park within 48 hours.
Do not pitch a tent in a car park
Car parks are for vehicles. For tents and van sites, where to camp around Tarbet lists what we could confirm.
Or leave the car and take the train
Arrochar & Tarbet station is about a 10 minute walk from the loch. Pair it with a Cruise Loch Lomond sailing to Inversnaid.
Rules, charging points, toilets and how busy it gets
- The tariff is from 2022. The National Park rebuilt the site afterwards, and its pages give no new figures. We give the 2022 prices and say so.
- The overnight price for the motorhome spaces at the pier is not on the Authority's pages that we read, so we give none.
- Spaces and fill times: no source we found states the number of bays or when the car park fills. In summer, arrive early (our judgement, not a measured figure).
- Electric vehicles: charging points were listed as coming in the New Year. The pages are undated, so check on arrival.
- Toilets and café: the Authority lists both as open. We have no opening hours.
- Tarbet Isle: no toilets are mentioned for the car park, and it suits one self-contained motorhome rather than a family car on a busy day.
- Tariffs change. We say when we read each figure, and how we check facts explains how.
From the car park: what is close
Everything below starts at or near the pier.
- Food and a pintA meal in Tarbet covers what we can confirm from each business's own pages.
- A bed for the nightThe best Tarbet stays covers the hotel and the options nearby.
- ArrocharThe village at the head of Loch Long is 1 mile away on the A83. Parking in Arrochar has the council tariff.
Eat, stay and park nearby
If you plan a night in the van or tent, the camping page for Tarbet is the next stop.
For the other places to leave a vehicle on the west shore, the all-villages comparison lists each tariff.
Questions people ask
Where can I park in Tarbet?
At the National Park's pier car park, opposite the Tarbet Hotel, or at Forestry and Land Scotland's Tarbet Isle car park north of the village. Both are described above.
How much is Tarbet pier car park?
The tariff published in 2022 was 50p for 30 minutes, £1 for 2 hours, £2 for 4 hours and £4 all day. The rebuilt site's pages give no new figures, so check the current charge on the machine at the car park or on the National Park Authority's parking pages.
Where can I park my campervan in Loch Lomond?
Near Tarbet, the pier car park has overnight motorhome spaces and Tarbet Isle has one Stay the Night space at £10. Motorhome permits are also available at Firkin Point and Inveruglas, according to the National Park.
Where can I park my campervan overnight for free?
We found no free option near Tarbet that the operators describe. Tarbet Isle charges £10 a night through Stay the Night, and the pier's overnight spaces are paid.
Can you legally sleep in a layby?
We cannot give legal advice. Inside the National Park's camping management zones, camping from 1 March to 30 September needs a campsite or a permit, and a breach can cost up to £500. Check the rules before you stop.
Is there a charge for parking at Tarbet Isle?
Daytime parking is free. Stay the Night costs £10, one night only, paid by RingGo.
Are there toilets at Tarbet pier?
The National Park lists toilets and a café as open on the rebuilt pier site. We have no opening hours.
Is there an electric vehicle charger at Tarbet pier?
The Authority listed charging points as coming in the New Year. Check on arrival, as the pages are undated.
How do I get to Tarbet without a car?
Take the West Highland Line to Arrochar & Tarbet station. It is about a 10 minute walk to the loch.