Guided Scotland Lochs and Glens

Itinerary Details

1. Day 1Arrival into Balloch

   Balloch, on the shores of Loch Lomond, is where you will spend your first evening.
   
   For those arriving by train (40 minutes from Glasgow) your accommodation is a short walk from the station. If you decide to arrive into Balloch by car, on-street parking is available nearby. The guide will meet you at the accommodation in the evening and there will be a chance for a chat about the next few days riding over a drink and something to eat.
   
   

   • Local accommodation
2. Day 2Balloch to Callander

   Following a hearty Scottish breakfast, you will leave the accommodation and follow a route via lochs and glens to Callander, our second night’s stop. The route takes us out into the solitude of the countryside from Loch Lomond to Loch Venacher via quiet country roads.

   After Aberfoyle we enter Achray Forest from where we will weave our way to Callander along the southern shore of Loch Venacher. There will be some climbing, with the inevitable descents, but plenty of time to enjoy the views, tranquillity and great cycling.

   • 33.6 miles
   • 3,116.5 ft
     3,116.5 ft
   • Accommodation in Callander
   • Breakfast and Lunch
3. Day 3Callander to Killin

   The countryside is different to yesterday’s riding, with a gentler landscape of farmland and woodland. A real combination of surfaces today, quiet lanes, cycle paths and a disused railway line through the beautiful Glen Ogle.

   You are now close to the birthplace of folk hero and latter-day Robin Hood, Rob Roy Macgregor, whose grave may be found in Balquhidder. The final stretch is to Killin (or nearby) where you stop for the night.
   

   • 24.9 miles
   • 2,132.5 ft
     2,132.5 ft
   • Accommodation in Killin
   • Breakfast and Lunch

   • 

     Safe cycling

     Cycle on safe National Cycle Network routes

4. Day 4Killin to Pitlochry

   The start of the day follows the 15 miles (24km) long Loch Tay to Aberfeldy, the home to Dewars World of Whisky Distillery. All road today, as you pass through Aberfeldy and Strathay, before arriving at Pitlochry – watch out for those leaping salmon!

   An optional detour can be made from here to the Edradour Distillery (2.5 miles from Pitlochry) – you’ll need no persuasion to visit Scotland’s smallest distillery, established way back in 1825. The wide glens of the river Tay and River Tummel guide you to Pitlochry and your accommodation for the night.
   

   • 37.9 miles
   • 2,952.8 ft
     2,952.8 ft
   • Accommodation in Pitlochry
   • Breakfast and Lunch
5. Day 5Pitlochry to Kingussie

   Today you'll ride through Glen Garry and over the Pass of Drummochter, the main mountain pass separating the southern and northern Highlands. Not to worry as it’s a gradual, undulating climb with lovely Highland vistas. Early sights include impressive Blair Castle, ancestral home of Clan Murray in the pretty village of Blair Atholl.

   Soon, you'll ride on a traffic free path adjacent to the River Garry with a waterfall or two spotted on the way. After conquering the pass on undulating cycle path, we‘re rewarded with 20 miles (32km) of gradual downhill to finish the day in the town of Kingussie, passing Dalwhinnie, the highest village (and distillery) in the Highlands. With time permitting, you could visit to the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore, Britain’s first open air museum and catch a glimpse at how locals have lived and worked here since the 1700s.

   • 44.1 miles
   • 2,624.7 ft
     2,624.7 ft
   • Accommodation in Kingussie
   • Breakfast and Lunch
6. Day 6Kingussie to Inverness

   The first impressive sight of the day comes immediately after leaving Kingussie. The route passes directly by the well-preserved Ruthven Barracks, built in 1719 after the Jacobite rising, sitting on an old castle mound. You can take a few minutes to explore the complex and take photos at this picturesque site. Continuing up Speyside through quieted forested roads, you soon reach the ski resort town of Aviemore with terrific views of the Cairngorm Mountains. More traffic-free sections follow on a stretch of the Speyside Way, through pleasant forest and moorland track, you might see one of the local golden eagles or osprey if you’re lucky! A few miles further, you'll reach Carrbridge with its packhorse bridge, the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands.

   Following the Slochd summit it’s mostly downhill to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness, with glimpses of the Moray Firth ahead. The final miles are steeped in history, passing the 4000 year old Clava Cairns and the Culloden Battlefield before finishing the journey on the Ness Bridge in the heart of the northernmost city in the UK. Tonight have a group celebratory evening with a wee dram or two before a good night’s rest and departure the next day.
   

   • 54.7 miles
   • 2,952.8 ft
     2,952.8 ft
   • Accommodation in Inverness
   • Breakfast and Lunch

   • 

     Scottish wildlife

     Keep your eyes open for golden eagles, ospreys and other local animals

7. Day 7Depart Inverness

   After a final hearty Scottish breakfast of the trip, time to say farewell to your fellow cyclists and start the return journey home or your onward travel. Transfers to the train station at Inverness and back to cars in Balloch will be provided.
   

   • Breakfast