Cycling the Rob Roy Way near Aberfoyle
- lomondappletree
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
"Can you cycle the Rob Roy Way?" we were asked.
Well as it is only ten minutes from Appletree Cottage we took our bikes to find out what it was like.
We drove through Drymen and parked in the Old Drymen Road Car Park just above Drymen Road Cottage.
From the elevated position of the car park, we enjoyed the panoramic views to the north towards Aberfoyle and the hills around the Trossachs. The little village of Gartmore was clearly visible in the distance with its whitewashed houses clinging to the side of the hill.
The Rob Roy Way is a footpath which starts at the village of Drymen, Stirlingshire and runs via Aberfoyle, Callander, Strathyre, Killin, Aberfeldy, with the final destination being Pitlochry in Perthshire.
At 79 miles long (127km), the trail is said to follow routes used by Rob Roy MacGregor, the infamous herdsman and later cattle rustler and outlaw who lived from 1671 to 1734. Rob Roy’s story was made famous in literature and film, including the Sir Walter Scott novel of the same name and the feature film Rob Roy (1995) starring Liam Neeson in the title role.
Once we had unpacked our bikes, we crossed the Old Drymen Road. Replaced by the A81 long ago, this quiet single-track route is now a back road with very little traffic and forms part of Sustrans Cycle Route 7.
On the other side of the road, we joined the Rob Roy Way. A waymarker confirmed we were on the right track.
The first part of the way is a very pleasant, slow descent on a mostly smooth tarmac single-track road. After a couple of miles, the tarmac becomes rougher and eventually a grave forestry track. With a few uphill sections, the predominant feel is that the journey to Aberfoyle is mostly downhill. Before we entered the woods, magnificent views were to be had looking northeast.
As we progressed along the route, we were aware of running along the aqueduct line connecting Loch Katrine with Glasgow. For most of our journey, the aqueduct was buried underground, with only the occasional distinctive stone shaft or access tower to remind us that it was close by.
It was a pretty cycle ride through the dappled light of the forestry tracks. For the most part, the gravel road was reasonably smooth with occasional sections of rougher gravel where repairs had been made. We passed only a couple of people on our journey, and soon we arrived at the outskirts of Aberfoyle village.Â
After a quick ice cream cone from the excellent outlet in the main car park, we made our way to the east end of the car park, where the former railway track had been laid with tarmac to create a cycle track.
The railway to Aberfoyle was created to transport slate from the Aberfoyle Slate Quarries to the cities of Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh.
The quarry can still be seen when driving south along the Duke's Pass between Loch Achray and Aberfoyle. It has recently been worked on again.
A narrow-gauge railway transported the hewn slate from the quarry site down to Aberfoyle station, where the quarried material was loaded onto standard-gauge goods wagons.
Opened in August 1880, the line was an extension of the Blane Valley Railway. However, like many railways, it succumbed to road competition, which resulted in closure to passenger traffic in 1951, with the line closing completely in 1959.
There are few surviving visual records of the line, however, one station was captured on a feature film.
Geordie (1955) starring Bill Travers has a scene where the young Geordie departs his highland glen for the big wide world, to compete in the summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
His departure is shot at Gartmore Station - the first stop along the line from Aberfoyle.
If the line were still open today, it would surely be a popular tourist attraction.
From Aberfoyle car park, we rode beside a very young River Forth and swathes of bluebells in bloom until the railway path joined the road leading up to the pretty little village of Gartmore.
We crossed over the bridge over the Forth by a tranquil-looking campsite on the banks of the river. An idyllic spot in the beautiful weather.
From there, it was a climb for about a mile to reach the little village of Gartmore and its excellent Black Bull pub for a well-earned refreshment!
