A tour of some iconic places in Scotland
Many people go touring on the islands of Scotland. The mainland is much easier to get to. This is a fun tour starting and finishing in Glasgow. This 200 mile route can be done in four or five days. I'll not be putting detailed maps in this, you can use Google maps or get OS maps from Bing (better) and you should have a paper map at 1:100,000 to take with you. The Contour Road Book of Scotland is interesting too.
There are images in the text and some more in a gallery at the end of this page.
The route starts from Glasgow, a very iconic part of Scotland. It's a big place so I will start the route description at our Maryhill workshop, where you might have popped in for a last minute spare inner tube or to top up your water bottles.
Turn right out of Chapel Street, down Ruchill Street and right again onto Maryhill Road. On your right you will see the red sandstone pub called Framptons. Head along Maryhill Road following the signs for Milngavie. You may wish to stop and amuse a local by mispronouncing that place.
After the Science Park you will enter Bearsden and it's time to look out for the first important junction. After the petrol station take the right fork for Milngavie. You don't want to be on the huge roundabout.
After a bit in Bearsden you will find the Bears Way cycle route. It's not finished and not popular in this car dominated posh suburb. Sometimes sharp things are strewn on it by cycle haters. Keep following the signs for Milngavie until you come to a roundabout with a sign for Strathblane. After another mile or so you will finally leave the built up area and be in the countryside.
You could avoid this tedious part by getting the train to Milngavie, no need to book your bike.
In Milngavie you will see a sign for the West Highland Way long distance footpath and be tempted to try that. Don't. It's not suitable for bikes and has lots of steps.
The climb up past Craigmaddie Reservoir is steady and you soon emerge into open countryside with sheep and lambs gambolling about. This is still a busy road but the cars are used to bikes and usually give you space. There's a steep bit, then you are up onto a plateau and should see the hills of the Trossachs in the distance. This is a good bit of the route. The road starts going down towards Strathblane. Don't get carried away here as there's a sharp corner.
There are images in the text and some more in a gallery at the end of this page.
The route starts from Glasgow, a very iconic part of Scotland. It's a big place so I will start the route description at our Maryhill workshop, where you might have popped in for a last minute spare inner tube or to top up your water bottles.
Turn right out of Chapel Street, down Ruchill Street and right again onto Maryhill Road. On your right you will see the red sandstone pub called Framptons. Head along Maryhill Road following the signs for Milngavie. You may wish to stop and amuse a local by mispronouncing that place.
After the Science Park you will enter Bearsden and it's time to look out for the first important junction. After the petrol station take the right fork for Milngavie. You don't want to be on the huge roundabout.
After a bit in Bearsden you will find the Bears Way cycle route. It's not finished and not popular in this car dominated posh suburb. Sometimes sharp things are strewn on it by cycle haters. Keep following the signs for Milngavie until you come to a roundabout with a sign for Strathblane. After another mile or so you will finally leave the built up area and be in the countryside.
You could avoid this tedious part by getting the train to Milngavie, no need to book your bike.
In Milngavie you will see a sign for the West Highland Way long distance footpath and be tempted to try that. Don't. It's not suitable for bikes and has lots of steps.
The climb up past Craigmaddie Reservoir is steady and you soon emerge into open countryside with sheep and lambs gambolling about. This is still a busy road but the cars are used to bikes and usually give you space. There's a steep bit, then you are up onto a plateau and should see the hills of the Trossachs in the distance. This is a good bit of the route. The road starts going down towards Strathblane. Don't get carried away here as there's a sharp corner.
Strathblane is a lovely village but is small, so you are soon through it heading along a great bit of undulating road towards Aberfoyle. You'll pass Glengoyne distillery. They do tours if walking round a chemical plant is your thing.
A few miles to the west of this road is Loch Lomond, a very iconic place. We'll go there on the way back. On this road you may notice some huge pipes. These carry fresh water from Loch Katrine to Glasgow.
At Aberfoyle there is a choice of routes to Callander. The shortest and least hilly way is to turn right and take the A81 past the Lake of Menteith. The A821 Dukes Pass is very scenic and steep, with a great downhill to Loch Achray and then a fairly level road to the north of Loch Venachar. The Sustrans route through the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park can be found easily a few hundred metres along the Dukes Pass. It's very steep at the start and uses gravel forest roads, and then a bumpy beautiful path along the side of Loch Venachar. If you have a "Gravel Bike" you'll want to go this way, though it's entirely rideable on a standard tourer with 28mm tyres.
A few miles to the west of this road is Loch Lomond, a very iconic place. We'll go there on the way back. On this road you may notice some huge pipes. These carry fresh water from Loch Katrine to Glasgow.
At Aberfoyle there is a choice of routes to Callander. The shortest and least hilly way is to turn right and take the A81 past the Lake of Menteith. The A821 Dukes Pass is very scenic and steep, with a great downhill to Loch Achray and then a fairly level road to the north of Loch Venachar. The Sustrans route through the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park can be found easily a few hundred metres along the Dukes Pass. It's very steep at the start and uses gravel forest roads, and then a bumpy beautiful path along the side of Loch Venachar. If you have a "Gravel Bike" you'll want to go this way, though it's entirely rideable on a standard tourer with 28mm tyres.
If you've gone by the Dukes Pass, you can pick up the Sustrans path before Kilmahog. From Callander it's easy to find by the river. This is a lovely path by the river and then Loch Lubnaig. At Strathyre the Sustrans path takes a detour along the minor road to Balquhidder. You can avoid this by going on the main road, which although busy is wide at this point.
There's a campsite at Strathyre. I didn't like it.
There's a campsite at Strathyre. I didn't like it.
The Sustrans path here has some very steep bits to get up to the old railway line through Glen Ogle. This part of the path is definitely better than the main road. The view over Loch Earn is great. After a long steady climb, steep for a railway, the path crosses the main road near Lochan Lairig Cheile. This is a popular spot for car campers. Our route takes to the main road, so turn left onto the A85. Stay on the A85 at the next junction. Killin is lovely but we're not going there today.
The road to Crianlarich along Glen Dochart has no hills to trouble a cyclist and is pleasant enough if the traffic is light. Crianlarich is what passes for a metropolis in these parts, and has a few hotels, a Youth Hostel, a railway station, and a shop. Take the A82 and head for Tyndrum, another place with restaurants and shops, then keep going for Glencoe. There's a bit of a hill out of Tyndrum, then the road is gently graded to Bridge of Orchy. You're really in the Highlands now, and the scenery will just get more and more spectacular.
After crossing the Water of Tulla you'll see the road ahead rise. This is a big hill, but it's not too bad. There's a viewpoint car park where you can rest and eat something while your heart rate goes back to normal. From here it's a more gentle ascent to a flatter section as the road crosses a corner of the vast Rannoch Moor. On the OS map Rannoch Moor is just contour lines and rivers, devoid of roads, tracks and settlements.
Soon you will be in the Pass of Glencoe itself, with vast mountains to either side and a long descent to sea level. Halfway down, the road goes through a cutting at the meeting of the three waters. It was near here that Monty Python filmed the Tim the Sorcerer scenes in Holy Grail. If you are planning to camp wild, start looking for a good place now as it gets a bit busier lower down. Just after Loch Achtriochtan you can turn right onto the old road to Glencoe. This is more fun than the main road.
Digression: Roads Old and New
The roads in the Highlands are ancient. Some began as animal tracks in prehistory, most routes were created by early humans on foot and horseback. These human created roads will choose the easiest way and are seldom one gradient for very long. They go up, go round, are flat for a bit, wiggle about. This makes them interesting to cycle along. You get a rest every so often, and lots of exciting corners to go round on the way down.
With the rise in motor traffic, roads have been straightened and gradients reduced and made more consistent. You will see this illustrated later in the tour at the Rest and Be Thankful. The old road goes along the valley, only becoming very steep at the top in a series of switchbacks. The new road is cut into the side of the valley and graded so that a lorry can drive up it without changing gear all the time.
Glencoe is the scene of a famous massacre in 1692. There are campsites; the Red Squirrel gets good reviews and is written up in national newspapers, and the Invercoe campsite has great views and a cooking shelter for campers.
Sustrans have created a route from Glencoe to Oban, and most of it is very good. Some is on the pavement beside the main road, some on an old railway line. Unlike the path near Strathyre, where the path has to change elevation this is done with a well graded switchback so you won't have to push. This route is easy to follow. You will pass the Creggan Inn who have created a special Route 78 burger, recommended for the hungry carnivorous cyclist.
After the Connel Bridge the Sustrans route leaves the line of the main road and old railway line and recommends you use an unclassified road to get to Oban. This road is very steep and not especially scenic. The main road isn't that busy and is much flatter.
After the Connel Bridge the Sustrans route leaves the line of the main road and old railway line and recommends you use an unclassified road to get to Oban. This road is very steep and not especially scenic. The main road isn't that busy and is much flatter.
Digression: Paid by the mile.
Sustrans do good work, but their paths aren't alway the best way to go if you want to get somewhere. Their national standards mean that they never send you along B roads. This makes sense in populated areas near big cities, but in the Highlands of Scotland even some A roads have hardly any traffic on them. For example it's 15 miles from Inverness to Nairn along the A96, 16 miles by the lightly trafficked B roads, and 26 miles the way Sustrans send you.
The view from Oban harbour shouldn't be missed. There's lots to see in Oban, and it's a good place to spend a rest day off the bike.
The Roseview Campsite a bit to the south is pleasant, and has the fantastic luxury of an electric kettle campers can use.
It's time to return to Glasgow. You could go back the way you came, but that's boring. Let's see some more iconic places.
There are two ways from Oban to Taynuilt. The interesting way is the back road out of Oban past the golf course and down Glen Lonan. The flatter way is back along the main road. From Taynuilt it's up the Pass of Brander to Loch Awe. You'll pass the visitor centre for the Ben Cruachan power station. It's a pump storage hydropower plant. At the north end of Loch Awe you will see the ruin of Kilchurn Castle. After this take a right turn onto the A819 for Inverary. The road's been flattish for a while but after Cladich it starts to climb again until you cross the watershed into Glen Aray. This is one of the few sections of the tour where you spend longer going downhill than up, as the road descends to Inveraray.
Inveraray is a popular tourist town with many cafes and souvenir shops. After you have bought your fridge magnets, turn left and head over the old humpback bridge for several miles of pleasant lochside pedaling as you travel round the head of Loch Fyne. Visible on the other side is a road going up the side of the hill called Gleann Beag of Hell's Glen. We're going to go a different way, up the slightly less scarily named Bealach an Easain Duibh. Keep following the A83 up Glen Kinglas. This passes Loch Restil. Considering some of the other hills this route has gone up, it's not really that bad a climb. At the top there's a carpark and sometimes a burger van. The view down the other side towards Arrochar is famous. The road here is the Rest and Be Thankful. You can see the old military road, and the new road cut into the side of the hill. Both roads are frequently closed for days at a time by landslides.
Sustrans do good work, but their paths aren't alway the best way to go if you want to get somewhere. Their national standards mean that they never send you along B roads. This makes sense in populated areas near big cities, but in the Highlands of Scotland even some A roads have hardly any traffic on them. For example it's 15 miles from Inverness to Nairn along the A96, 16 miles by the lightly trafficked B roads, and 26 miles the way Sustrans send you.
The view from Oban harbour shouldn't be missed. There's lots to see in Oban, and it's a good place to spend a rest day off the bike.
The Roseview Campsite a bit to the south is pleasant, and has the fantastic luxury of an electric kettle campers can use.
It's time to return to Glasgow. You could go back the way you came, but that's boring. Let's see some more iconic places.
There are two ways from Oban to Taynuilt. The interesting way is the back road out of Oban past the golf course and down Glen Lonan. The flatter way is back along the main road. From Taynuilt it's up the Pass of Brander to Loch Awe. You'll pass the visitor centre for the Ben Cruachan power station. It's a pump storage hydropower plant. At the north end of Loch Awe you will see the ruin of Kilchurn Castle. After this take a right turn onto the A819 for Inverary. The road's been flattish for a while but after Cladich it starts to climb again until you cross the watershed into Glen Aray. This is one of the few sections of the tour where you spend longer going downhill than up, as the road descends to Inveraray.
Inveraray is a popular tourist town with many cafes and souvenir shops. After you have bought your fridge magnets, turn left and head over the old humpback bridge for several miles of pleasant lochside pedaling as you travel round the head of Loch Fyne. Visible on the other side is a road going up the side of the hill called Gleann Beag of Hell's Glen. We're going to go a different way, up the slightly less scarily named Bealach an Easain Duibh. Keep following the A83 up Glen Kinglas. This passes Loch Restil. Considering some of the other hills this route has gone up, it's not really that bad a climb. At the top there's a carpark and sometimes a burger van. The view down the other side towards Arrochar is famous. The road here is the Rest and Be Thankful. You can see the old military road, and the new road cut into the side of the hill. Both roads are frequently closed for days at a time by landslides.
That's the last big hill of the trip. It's now a fast freewheel down to Arrochar, an easy gentle pass to Tarbet and you are at the beautiful (and iconic) Loch Lomond. The new A82 down the side of Loch Lomond is very unpleasant and has poor views. Fortunately the old road by the lochside is still there and ideal for cycling on. It's not that well signposted but if you carry along the pavement at the side of the main road you will find signs to a picnic area called Firkin Point. Go down there and turn right. The road here has fantastic views and passes the very picturesque village of Luss. At Balloch stop and look back up Loch Lomond, it's one of the best views in Scotland.
From Balloch to Glasgow you can use the cyclepath. It's easy to find the start, just a few metres east of the Railway station beside the River Leven. This was the first Sustrans path in Scotland. The path it follows by the River Leven is ancient and dates back to at least the 6th century. It's easy to get lost in Dumbarton, which has an iconic Castle and Rock. Hopefully you can find the path again, which leaves the town parallel to the active railway and joins the canal at Bowling. You then pass under the iconic Erskine Bridge on your way to Clydebank. You may notice there aren't many old buildings in Clydebank. It was heavily bombed in WW2. There is an iconic old crane there you can visit.
After Clydebank there are two ways to get to Glasgow. You can carry on along the canal and come into the north west of the city, or take the cyclepath to the city centre. Or you might have got fed up of cycling already and get on the train. The local trains carry bikes for free and you don't have to book a space. You can get on at Balloch, Dumbarton, or any other station.
If you take the canal route you will find it takes you back to the starting point at the Maryhill Workshop.
From Balloch to Glasgow you can use the cyclepath. It's easy to find the start, just a few metres east of the Railway station beside the River Leven. This was the first Sustrans path in Scotland. The path it follows by the River Leven is ancient and dates back to at least the 6th century. It's easy to get lost in Dumbarton, which has an iconic Castle and Rock. Hopefully you can find the path again, which leaves the town parallel to the active railway and joins the canal at Bowling. You then pass under the iconic Erskine Bridge on your way to Clydebank. You may notice there aren't many old buildings in Clydebank. It was heavily bombed in WW2. There is an iconic old crane there you can visit.
After Clydebank there are two ways to get to Glasgow. You can carry on along the canal and come into the north west of the city, or take the cyclepath to the city centre. Or you might have got fed up of cycling already and get on the train. The local trains carry bikes for free and you don't have to book a space. You can get on at Balloch, Dumbarton, or any other station.
If you take the canal route you will find it takes you back to the starting point at the Maryhill Workshop.