Loch Katrine Accessibility Guide
We have prepared this document to help you plan your trip to Loch Katrine and advise you of our arrangements to make it as accessible as possible. If you have any questions before your visit, please don't hesitate to contact us. When on-site, any one of our team members will be happy to assist, and then after your visit, let us know if you have any feedback about ways to improve accessibility.
Website Accessibility
Click on the icon at the bottom right-hand corner of this website to open a menu of features to adjust it to be responsive to different needs. Features include changing text size, preventing animations, changing backgrounds, and applying a dyslexia-friendly appearance.
Disabled Parking
At Trossachs Pier, there are designated disabled bays at the top end of the car park (closest to the loch); these are adjacent to the toilet block on the left and the café building on the right and below the cycle hire building. At Stronachlachar, there are designated spaces next to the Pier Cafe. There are no parking charges for disabled visitors.
Carers
Visitors to Loch Katrine with disabilities are treated equally with all other visitors, and tickets are charged at the standard rate. However, we recognise that some disabled visitors may need help on-site, and we, therefore, offer free entry for up to two accompanying carers; this can be applied at the time of purchase.
Café Access
The lift to the first-floor café at Trossachs Pier is out of service, awaiting repair. However, the gift shop has food and drink options with some tables and is wheelchair accessible. The full Steamship Café menu is available here too.
Dogs
Dogs are permitted on board our boats, and assistance dogs go free of charge. Dogs must be on a lead and be supervised at any time. Owners must pick up after their dogs.
Accessible Toilets
There are accessible toilets at Trossachs Pier, and a key code for the door is available from the gift shop, ticket office or any staff member. There is an accessible toilet at Stronachlachar Pier and onboard Steamship Sir Walter Scott.
Wheelchair Access (Trossachs Pier)
The gift shop (by the loch edge at the top end of the car park) is accessible by wheelchair. Disabled visitors can book cruise tickets and receive the code for the accessible toilets. The road alongside the loch is smooth for wheelchair use (although there are gradients), with gaps in the speedbumps to allow easier wheelchair access.
Baby Changing Areas
These are located in all of the all-ability toilets on the complex and on each vessel.
Accessible Accommodation
We have a fully accessible eco-lodge with a wheelchair ramp, wider doors, and a specially adapted wheelchair-friendly picnic table on the raised outdoor patio. There is also a special emergency phone in the lodge.
Commentary Alternative
There are live commentaries on all sailings and audio stories on the pier walkway, and a large print version of the commentary text is available on request. Mini guides with a map are also on sale at various outlets on site as well as the boats and are available in 7 languages.
Steamship Sir Walter Scott
Wheelchairs and mobility scooters can also be taken onboard the Steamship Sir Walter Scott (please mention this when booking so we can reduce capacity slightly onboard to allow for a chair/chairs). Since it is a historic vessel, space can sometimes be at a premium, so if you are bringing a group, please let us know beforehand.
Access to the steamer is via the pier walkway 80 meters and over the bridge to the vessel. A small ramp provides access to the ship itself – this is a little uneven so assistance is provided by the crew on duty. Subject to availability, wheelchairs can be borrowed to help get along the covered pier to board the Steamship.
Once on board, access is easy to the upper deck only, with the forward cabin providing shelter on inclement days. This also contains a bar and an all-abilities toilet.
Steamship Exhibition
On the pier to the Steamship, we have a new exhibition about the history of Steamships on Loch Katrine, and this includes audio stories, a video with no sound and a tactile model of the Steamship close to the end of the pier, with braille identifications of its main features. The exhibition was designed to be as accessible to as many people as possible.
Safety on Boats
Warning areas are highlighted onboard our well-maintained cruise boats with yellow markings. Please ask any of our staff if you require assistance boarding or safe mobility on board a sailing.
