cycling around crieff and Loch Tay

rendo

Going to crieff for a long weekend in a few weeks time, do looking for some ideas on some long road routes. the obvious one looking at the map, is Crieff, Aberfeldy, Loch Tay, lochearnhead and back to crieff.
Anyone have any experience of these roads. what is the best road around loch tay, north shore or is the road on the south shore a suitable for a road bike.

Any other ideas appreciated

pneumatic

From Crieff, the sma' glen is a must; a really attractive scenic ride. When you get to Amulree, try Glen Quaich (much better from the South than the North but watch the descent to Loch Tay; it's VERY steep). After that, the South road along Loch Tay is much quieter but a switchback, so you need to enjoy a lot of short sharp climbs. On the North side of the Loch, things are a bit more civilised.

Steve928

Then continuing on from L. Tay, the climb over to Bridge of Balgie is nice (stop at the excellent tea-room there), then down the Lyon to Aberfledy and back over Glen Cochill to Amulree.

The climb between L.Tay and Bridge of Balgie is great done in either direction.

rendo

can you cycle glen quiach all the way to kenmore, its not too clear from a map what the road surface would be like.

Steve928

Yes - tarmac all the way.

rendo

cheers for that, wow that road back south from Bridge of Balgie to loch tay, has a bit of elevation in it. 550m acc: to OS maps. does look like a good route and keeps me off the main roads (mostly).
away to check out the mileage

Foz72

There's some discussion of that route on this thread http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... &start=165
starting round about 30th December (pg 12).

My family live in Comrie which is en route, but I've not ridden that route yet, partly because the road through Glen Ogle in particular (north of Lochearnhead) can be pretty busy - it's on the main route from Edinburgh and Stirling to the whole of the West Highlands. Maybe try to knock it off early?

As a possibly less fraught alternative, I was out yesterday, out from Methven, up to Meikleour, across to Dunkeld and back. Some good and quiet roads, especially round about Loch of Craigie and Loch of Lowes - more or less deserted. You could add miles to it by starting in Crieff, heading down Glen Almond (B8063) to get started and get back from Dunked via Amulree (A822)?? As a general rule there are more wee back roads east of Crieff than there are west if it.

Anonymous

rendo wrote:

cheers for that, wow that road back south from Bridge of Balgie to loch tay, has a bit of elevation in it. 550m acc: to OS maps. does look like a good route and keeps me off the main roads (mostly).
away to check out the mileage

Thats the Ben Lawers climb...very stunning....you'll be taking a major risk at this time of year as I've seen snow up there in April...but I would worry more about Glen Quaich than the Ben lawers climb...one of the steepest climbs in Scotland...I find the climb from both directions very sore but I must admit I'm a bit more scared of the Side from Amulree...

The Climb up from Aberfeldy is a cracker aswell...it is a main road but not busy at all...and don't forget the Scheallion climb upto Loch Rannoch -outstanding

Stunning routes.

nwallace

Glen Ogle gives 2 options, use the old railway (is it surfaced?) or the road.

I had to use the road when I was up there as it was not long after the landslides. The descent is long and fast. I didn't find too many people trying to overtake me when i was doing 50 but that may be luck.

That time I did from the car park at the summit to Balquhidder and back, definately preffered dropping glen ogle!

Not tried this route yet though
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Cr ... n-circular

A few notes on the Amulree road:

After the 2005 Saltire rallly club test day a member and his co-driver were determined to return to Ayrshire using old drove road by Amulree. A few days later some pictures arrived in Faithers in box of the 2 of them digging their rather priceless motor car out of a snow drift they hadn't been able to bash through.

One of the club members lives in the Kenmore area, at the beginning of November his phone line had been playing up and the BT engineer was late, very late. The guy was in his first week of a posting up north having been london based for many years. On leaving a job in Creiff his sat nav pointed him over by Amulree.
One of the locals managed to get him to take a more sensible route.

Tayside Polis have requested this years drivers briefing remind the competitors that it is winter and Wintery road conditions are to be expected. They never requested that when we ran the event in Fife.

pneumatic

RICHYBOYcp wrote:

but I would worry more about Glen Quaich than the Ben lawers climb...one of the steepest climbs in Scotland...I find the climb from both directions very sore but I must admit I'm a bit more scared of the Side from Amulree....

Just tracked it on Memory Map

Your choices are

From Amulree, a nice daunder for a few km and then, after the cattle grid, 2.6km at an AVERAGE of 10%.

From Kenmore, straight onto the hill for 5km at an AVERAGE of 9% and then a skitter down the other side.

Either way, you're screaming by the top, but think of the sense of achievement!

KeithG

Another nice and obscure tarmaced road which is not on a lot of maps is heading West out of Killin (about 20 miles from Crieff via Glen Quaich or Glen Ogle) go up Glen Lochay for 7 miles and then take a right uphill where there is a switch-backed hydro board road which used to be gated but is now open to all traffic and this crosses over into the top of Glen Lyon and is a scenic road you could combine with a crossing of the other road mentioned (the Ben Lawers rd) to take you back from Glen Lyon into Loch Tay.
Going down Glen Lyon though is very pretty and probably Scotlands 2nd most scenic glen (Glen Affric is #1).

Brian B

Yep thats another good one Keith although I feel that Glen Tilt is the most spectacular in Scotland. Why not do all the climbs? In summer I do a great run that starts in the Sma glen then over Glen Quaich and around the South side of the the Tay. Then from Killin head up to the Wateboard climb and down to Bridge of Balgie. Climb from there back over to Loch Tay and take the North side to Kenmore. From there back over Glen Quach the harder way and back to Amulree.

Its a great route to check out summer fitness and is as bad as some of the major sportives and the views are great. It must be about 90 - 100 miles or at least it feels like it.

nwallace

KeithG wrote:

Another nice and obscure tarmaced road which is not on a lot of maps is heading West out of Killin (about 20 miles from Crieff via Glen Quaich or Glen Ogle) go up Glen Lochay for 7 miles and then take a right uphill where there is a switch-backed hydro board road which used to be gated but is now open to all traffic and this crosses over into the top of Glen Lyon and is a scenic road you could combine with a crossing of the other road mentioned (the Ben Lawers rd) to take you back from Glen Lyon into Loch Tay.
Going down Glen Lyon though is very pretty and probably Scotlands 2nd most scenic glen (Glen Affric is #1).

When was the gate removed? The estate that road is on was purchased from the Hydro Board by a wealthy Swiss man around 2 years ago.

This road was according to a BTP (Showing BRS drivers conveying concrete from Killin station to the Giola dam) film meant to be transferred to the public after construction.

Foz72

I was discussing that road with my parents a while back - I think they said it's been open a few (at least 3 or 4?) years and it was definitely open in July when I drove over it. The road surface is pretty desperate in places, particularly near the summit of the road, so a bit of care needed on the descent on a bike.

Anonymous

Waterboard climb has been open for years...I did routes over that over 6 years ago...a stiff climb indeed with atrocious surface at the bottom....

pneumatic

All I can say is, bring on Midsummer! That sounds like a day out to rival the Marmotte.

but it might take me 18 hours of daylight to get around it!

Which should I take; the Dawes Super Galaxy with 32c's or the Spesh Roubaix on 23's?

nwallace

Suppose it's covered by land access for bikes anyway regardless of what the new owner wants to do with the gate.

Just wondering if the new owner is leaving the gate open as well.

As for the route I drew on Bikely, I wasn't even thinking Sardar, was thinking Zaskar :shock:

KeithG

Sorry about the gated comment on the Lochay/Lyon road in last post. There hasn't been a gate for many years and I have never seen one closed, it was only really a rumour from way back, I think.