Seaplane voted top ‘Must Do’ activity in Scotland

High-flying holiday-makers looking to rise above the credit crunch and enjoy an experience of a lifetime have voted a trip on the UK’s only commercial seaplane service as the perfect day out.

A UK-wide survey found visitors to Scotland consider Loch Lomond Seaplanes as one of the top ways to see the spectacular scenery of the country’s West Coast in style.

The online review of the top 10 ways to spend a perfect day north of the border was carried out by BD Network on behalf of VisitScotland, the country’s national tourism organisation. Visitors were asked to list their personal favourites out of a possible 108,000 activities.

In almost every region of the UK Loch Lomond Seaplanes was named among the top attractions with the Scots themselves voting it as the Number One ‘must do’ activity for sightseers.

“If I was going to visit another country and wanted to find out about the best places to go and things to do I would ask a local for their opinion, so it’s a tremendous honour to have been voted best day out by the people who really know what’s on offer,” said David West, founder of Loch Lomond Seaplanes.

Other activities highlighted in the VisitScotland survey included watching bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth, walking the West Highland Way, white water rafting on the River Tay and fine dining at Gleneagles.

“There are a lot of fine ways to spend a day in Scotland but I can guarantee you’ll see a lot more of the spectacular scenery and in far greater comfort onboard a seaplane,” said Mr West.

The company, which has been successfully operating charter flights out of Loch Lomond for the last four years, also operates daily services from the centre of Glasgow to Oban and Tobermory with frequent excursions to other destinations throughout the west coast.

Since April this year more than 3,000 passengers have flown by seaplane from a specially constructed terminal next to Glasgow Science Centre to Oban Bay and Tobermory – reducing journey times from hours to minutes.

Last year Loch Lomond Seaplanes won the coveted Innovation Award in the Scottish Thistle Awards – the Oscars of the tourism industry – for their success in re-establishing the seaplane as a sustainable form of transport creating minimal impact on the environment.

In the last couple of years the airline has featured in a number of popular television programmes, including ‘Britain’s favourite View’, ‘Mountain’ and ‘The Woman Who Ate Scotland’ as an accessible way to experience the beauty and isolation of the Highlands.

”English holidaymakers account for a large number of our passengers. The seaplane has opened up the whole of the west coast of Scotland to a new generation of visitors who want to see the sights and enjoy as many experiences as possible without spending hours and hours sitting in a car or on a bus,” said Mr West.

Visit Lochlomondseaplanes.com for details on the various trips available.