Balquhidder and Glen Ogle

The railway path begins a steady climb up Glen Ogle passing over a high viaduct. Beyond Killin the long distance route is in the Perthshire Area

This is a dedicated cycle route through some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland. Most of it is on the former line of the Caledonian Railway Company. This was never a terribly successful operation, they were plagued by rock falls on to the line when it went up Glen Ogle and had to send an engine up early in the morning to check it out before they sent the passenger train up. The route is now part of National Cycle Network Route 7: Glasgow to Inverness.

Being mostly on a railway the gradients are generally reasonably gentle, though there are a few short steep sections at the access points. Watch out particularly for the zig zags near Loch Earn.

The main climb is getting over Glen Ogle. The A85 road climbs steeply at this point but the cycle route takes an easier approach. Most of the route is on a smooth dirt surface but there are a few tarmac sections.

Callander has a choice of hotels, shops and tea rooms and a large number of carry out food places. The Rob Roy Centre shares an old church building with the tourist office in the centre of the town. This has an audio-visual presentation about his life with translations in Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Lochearnhead and Strathyre are smaller but both have food shops and hotels. Killin is about the same size as Callander and has the same facilities including a youth hostel and a tourist office. There's an outdoor shop which hires bikes and carries some spare parts.

Route Description

Between Killin and Strathyre the route divides into three sections. In the north the route passes through Acharn Forest, a climb or a descent of about 160 metres. The top section is quite steep so don't go too fast, particularly if you're looking at the views!

The middle section between the road crossing at the top of Glen Ogle is all on the former railway line. This includes an impressive viaduct high above the main road. Near Lochearnhead the route descends rapidly in a series of zig-zags. This section has been tarmaced but care is still necessary.

Between the Kingshouse Hotel junction and Strathyre the route uses a very quiet back road. You should visit the little church at Balquhidder and see the graveyard where Rob Roy is buried. There's a hill between Loch Voil and Strathyre.