If you are following along with my birthday adventures, you know I love finding those hidden details that make a place come alive. When you are looking for that perfect, postcard-worthy view of Loch Ard, the secret lies in a beautiful, lonely bench sitting right in front of a walking path along the main road. The view from this specific bench explains the magic of the loch so well; it frames the water, the islands, and the distant mountains perfectly.
To get there, there is a fantastic free car park area nearby provided by Forestry and Land Scotland. However, a little heads-up for when you plan your trip: when you park there, you won't be right at the water’s edge. You will need to take a short, scenic walk down to this specific roadside location with the bench in front of it. Trust me, every single step is worth it.
Is it Man-Made or Natural?
Unlike some reservoir lochs in Scotland that were heavily altered or completely created by Victorian engineering, Loch Ard is 100% natural. During the last Ice Age, massive moving glaciers carved out its deep basin. When the ice melted, it left behind a beautiful, sheltered valley sitting just north of the Highland Boundary Fault.
Ancient Roots & Prehistoric Secrets
Human beings have been drawn to the shores of Loch Ard for thousands of years.
Even more fascinatingly, the loch holds the secrets of at least two crannogs—ancient, man-made wooden islands built for safety during the Iron Age, which are now partially or completely submerged beneath the water.
Medieval Castles and Clan Wars
Loch Ard has three distinct islands: Eilean Gorm (The Green Island), Briedach, and St. Mallo (which ancient rumors say held an old secluded chapel).
But the most famous historical footprint sits on the rocky promontory of Dundochil. Here, you can still observe the crumbling stone remains of a castle built by Murdoch Stewart, the Duke of Albany, in the early 1400s. Duke Murdoch served as the Regent of Scotland while the English held King James I captive.