Westertonhill Lodges, Balloch

Westertonhill Lodges sits at Ballagan on the edge of Balloch, at the southern end of Loch Lomond, and it is one of the more straightforward places in the area to arrive at with a dog. The lodges are let whole and stand in their own plots, so there is no lobby, no corridor and nobody else to walk past. You park, you unload, the dog goes straight in.

Dog owners who have stayed are unreserved about it. Groups bringing a dog for a full weekend describe the welcome as actively pet-friendly rather than merely tolerated, and the check-in staff earn repeated credit for being prompt and helpful. Two lodges can be booked next to each other, which is how larger parties use the site, and a dog moving between them stays within the property.

The outdoor space is the practical selling point. Each lodge has its own back garden with a seating area and a barbecue, bounded by wooden panel fencing between neighbouring plots, so there is somewhere to let a dog out that is not the car park. Balloch Castle Country Park and the loch shore are a short walk or a four-minute drive, and the wider national park is on the doorstep for longer days out.

A few things to plan around. The hot tub is hired separately and has more than once been slow to reach temperature, so treat it as an extra rather than a given. Check-in is late in the afternoon against a mid-morning check-out, which makes a single night with a dog feel tight. The house rules are set out firmly at booking and struck some guests as a stern welcome, and the property publishes no pet fee, weight limit or maximum number of dogs, so agree what you are bringing with the owners before you travel.

At 4.6/5, Westertonhill Lodges is a strong pick for a group heading to Loch Lomond with a dog in tow, particularly if fenced outdoor space and no shared interiors matter to you. It is less suited to a flying overnight stop, given how short the window between check-in and check-out is.