National Cycle Route No. 7

At long last, some cracking weather. The word about some big blue skies and some glorious sunshine must have got out as it looked like every available parking space in the glen was full this weekend.

In search of some family friendly biking, we found ourselves a bit off the patch, down the A82 & A84 towards Stirling, in the small village of Strathyre.


Here you can pick up the National Cycle Route No. 7 and follow relatively low gradient and easy trails all the way into Callander. Well away from the traffic, its a scenic ride round the far side of Loch Lubnaig and then down past the Falls of Leny.

The Cycle Route continues on through the Trossachs to the south, or through Glen Ogle and to Killin to the north, and I can see us coming back to explore some of these other sections in due course. Stopping off at the top of Glen Ogle and then riding down the old railway line, bypassing Lochearnhead and then heading on the Balquidder looks a favourite for the next visit.

The only problem with the plan is getting back to the car once you've reached your destination. However, for me its a chance to get the legs working again with a sprint back along the track. And with a play park by the river in Callander, and sweet shops that sell huge gobstoppers, it wasn't really an issue for us!