Excellent Off-road (mostly) Cycle Ride from Appletree Cottage (15 miles)
- Jun 27
- 5 min read
This is an excellent, mostly off-road cycle ride with great scenery. The ride took us an hour and a half, including a stop for refreshments at the But & Ben Cafe/Bistro near the end of our journey in Croftamie.
First of all, we turned left out of the gate at Appletree Cottage and made our way along the single-track road. This took us along past the guide camp, over the site of two old railway crossings (of the former Forth & Clyde Junction Railway) and along to the end of Old School Road, which leads down to Kilmaronock and the A811, which is known locally as The Military Road.
As we cycled down Old School Road, we had terrific views of Ben Lomond in the distance with the outline of Conic Hill on the right. The weather was fantastic, and so far we hadn't encountered a single vehicle on the road!
When we looked to the east from Old School Road, we had good views down the Forth Valley in the direction of the city of Stirling, with the range of Campsie Hills to the right.
At the end of Old School Road, we reached the main road which runs between Balloch and Stirling. This can be quite fast and is occasionally busy with traffic. Although we were only going to travel a short distance (about 300 yards) along the road, we put on our reflective jackets just to be on the safe side and set off. After the 300 yards or so, we took the turning through a gated entrance on the left-hand side. This was South Avenue and forms part of the private Buchanan Estate, so we were on our best behaviour.
We followed the track for about half a mile, downhill all the way until we reached the metal bridge over the Endrick. Once through the gate and onto the bridge, we had good views up and down the Endrick Water.
Once over the bridge, we followed the track through the estate, which is currently owned by the Duke of Montrose, and has been in his family (the Graham family) since 1682, although part of the estate was sold out of the family in 1972.
Soon, our travels take us alongside the boundary of the Buchanan Golf Course. This well-known 18-hole parkland course is beautifully maintained, although in the early 1900s, before it became a golf course, it was used to train racehorses.
As we come to a T junction on the park track, we turn left and then right, which takes us uphill, past some lovely isolated dwellings and on to the B837, which runs between Drymen and Rowardennan. We turned left and rode along the dual-purpose pavement, shared between pedestrians and cyclists.
A few hundred yards along the pavement, on the edge of the tiny hamlet of Milton of Buchanan, we took the first turning on the right and headed uphill into the woods.
We stopped for a quick breather and admired the cattle basking in the sunshine.
Saying goodbye to the cows, we continued up the hill, which became rougher and steeper. This was the steepest part of our journey, and we were thankful we had electric bikes.
The track continued upwards until we reached a signpost at a clearing.
At the signpost, we took the path to Drymen, passing round the side of the single-bar gate. The views through the trees were expansive with glimpses of the Campsie Hills and Loch Lomond.
A few walkers passed us on their long trek along the West Highland Way, which runs 96 miles between Milngavie in the north of Glasgow, to Fort William on the western shore of the Highlands.
Quite a hot day to be undertaking that walk, although preferable to doing it in the rain.
A mile or so further on, we arrived at the Garadhban Forestry Car park above Drymen. This is a popular car park for dog walkers and sightseers who come to admire the expansive views in this area.
At the entrance to the car park we crossed the single-track road which runs between the villages of Drymen to Gartmore, often known as the back road, and continued along the West Highland Way. From here it was mostly downhill all the way home!
First of all we cycled the track, following the signage to Cragievern, through the tall trees.
At the end of the path we came to the driveway up to Craigievern Farm. We turned right though, onto our second encounter with a main road. This time the A811 between Drymen and Stirling. Again, this was a fast road, and so with our high viz jackets on, we turned left, and we made our way as quickly as we could along the two hundred yards to the end of the first right, a quiet single track road leading towards Gartness hamlet. This was the least pleasant part of our journey.
Once on the nice, quiet single road, we had very clear views to the south and the fantastic skies of that day.
Still descending, we followed the quiet road down to a T junction where we turned left, and then after about one mile joined the trackbed of the Former Forth and Clyde Junction Railway, which would take us back to Croftamie. On our way to Croftamie, we crossed over the Endrick Water again on a narrow bridge constructed on top of the former railway piers.
From the bridge, looking northwest, we could see the Luss Hills and part of the Arrochar Alps. What a beautiful day!
After a quick refreshment in the excellent But&Ben cafe/bistro in Croftamie, we took the short journey back to Appletree Cottage.
According to Komoot, the cycle app, our journey distance was 15.6 miles witn an ascent of 988ft.
