I woke and got up for a wee at 5am and was amused to find that the toilet block still had piped music going on at that time! I went back and slept fitfully for a couple of hours then had breakfast, packed away, and set off at 9:20 – one of the last Roamers to set off. I’d planned to do the rolling route today with a couple of detours to Balquhidder (for Rob Roy’s grave) and Dull (twinned with Boring, US). I set off into Callander along the bumpy former railway path, with my legs feeling the efforts of the previous day. Riding through Callander I noticed a few Roamers at a cafe having breakfast, and not long after I turned off onto NCN 7, the former Callander to Killin railway line, returning to the route of my first ride in Scotland five years ago. I rolled along the cycle path, passing the site of the former Roman fort of Bochastle and coming to the A821. Here I turned left and then almost immediately right into Bochastle forest. This was the start of a stiff climb that turned into a bit of hike-a-bike at times, but as I climbed a lovely view over to Loch Venakar opened up.
The track rolled on and afforded some excellent views ahead to Loch Lubnaig and back towards Callander, before descending back to pick up NCN 7 via a couple of hairpin bends. I rode through Forest Holidays Strathyre park and alongside Loch Lubnaig before coming to a little climb with more hairpin bends up to a higher track. Shortly after here the route dropped into Strathyre, and I called in at the Broch Cafe for a coffee and something to eat. While I was in the cafe I decided to drop plans for the diverts as I was still feeling heavy in the legs. Leaving the cafe I rejoined the path through Strathyre, crossing a road where my Garmin beeped to inform me I was off course. I ignored it and continued along the path, running alongside the A84 for a while until I came to Lochearnhead where another series of hairpin bends took me higher to get a good view of Loch Earn. I passed a couple of Canadian hikers and stopped for a chat. I was starting to feel better by now, so decided that I might go to Balquhidder after all, however I spotted the beginnings of the Glen Ogle Viaduct on the track ahead and realised that the beeping I’d heard earlier was the road to Balquhidder I should have taken! Ah well. I stopped just before the viaduct to take a photo, taking off my sunglasses so I could see what I was doing.
I took a video riding over the viaduct, and after I’d gone a hundred yards past it I realised I’d left my sunglasses behind! I went back to fetch them and set off again, coming in a short while to Lochan Lairig Cheile. Here I stopped again for a photo, walking down to the shore of the Lochan to get a better view. Remounting I crossed the A82 and headed into the forest, where I came across a memorial on the ground. Stopping to have a look I noticed that it commemorated two RAF pilots who died when their plane crashed on the hills, and was staggered to see that the first was born just four days before Sandra, and four weeks before me! I then noticed the date of the crash, and was amazed to see that it had occurred on my birthday thirty-two years ago! It made me reflect for a while on how lucky I was to be still fit and active at my age.
Resuming my ride, at a gate on the path I came across a couple on e-bikes coming in the opposite direction who held the gate open for me. They told me I’d enjoy the downhill on NCN 7, however I sadly told them that my route was taking me uphill, up the forestry road, and set off on the track up into the trees. After a while I came to a T junction where my Garmin took me right up a steep climb. More hike-a-bike ensued, but when I stopped it was utterly peaceful with not a single sound. Remounting I passed a couple of sheep on the track, and then came to a spot where some trees had been felled, and this gave a great view down to Killin and over Loch Tay.
I rode on to another gate, and this led to a downhill on a tarmaced road which popped me out onto the road running south of Loch Tay, where I turned left to head into Killin. After crossing the bridge by the Falls of Dochart I headed to the local Co-op for supplies, and when I came out another Roamer arrived to do the same. I watched his bike while he shopped, and checking Google Maps I saw that my campsite was four and a half miles away, although it did warn of a steep hill on the route. Sure enough, after I crossed the River Lochay on the outskirts of Killin the road headed up, although not too steeply and not for long and I was soon rolling along on the north of Loch Tay. I stopped at a point to take a photo of the loch and the opposite side, where I thought I’d had the splendid Killin viewpoint in the forest, and noticed a buzzard hovering above the loch. A short while later I arrived at the campsite and checked in, set my tent up and then went for a meal at the Boathouse Kitchen and Bar, which was a fair trek down a steep rode. An excellent Cullen Skink starter and Haggis, Neeps and Tatties main with a beer and whisky gave me the energy to walk back up the road to my tent, hopefully for a good night’s sleep.
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