Water bus service reintroduced on Loch Lomond
A water bus service will be officially launched on Loch Lomond later.
It aims to provide access for visitors to all sides of the loch and is designed to link in with rail and bus services in the area.
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority hopes the water buses will boost tourism and the local economy.
A pilot of the service last year attracted more than 5,000 passengers, the national park said.
It is hoped the new service will recreate the historic water transport routes which were popular in Victorian times.
Routes for the new water buses include Balloch to Balmaha, Balloch to Cameron House and Balloch Country Park, Rowardennan to Inverbeg, Inveruglus to Inversnaid and Inveruglus to Tarbet.
Operators said some of the water bus stops were just a five minute walk from train stations, making Loch Lomond accessible in less than an hour for visitors from Glasgow.
Gordon Watson, director of planning and rural development at the National Park, said: "This is the first time we have had a full network of scheduled services for visitors to come and travel around all the different beautiful places on the loch.
"They can come and enjoy the loch and don't have to drive around it or park.
"This connects up every community in Loch Lomond-side."
Stuart Cordner from Cruise Loch Lomond, which has been running a limited scheduled service since April, said it had been proving very popular.
"It gives people accessibility to some of the more remote spots on the loch," he added.
"It gives them the opportunity to perhaps take a bike across to the eastern shore, and allows walkers the opportunity to walk some of the more remote parts of the West Highland Way."
The water bus service is due to run until September.