Scotland part 1: The Trossachs and Argyll
The Highlands in miniature
During this first part of the journey we cycled around 220 kilometres through the Trossachs and North Argyll. This region is full of lochs from tiny meres to gigantic ocean inlets pushing far inland. Valleys (glens) are lush and luxuriant, often bounded by gentle slopes or deeper and steep-sided in more remote areas. Single lane roads gently winds around rolling hills and steep bumpy trails are often the only option to go from one valley to the next.
On the train to Scotland
On a busy Friday night we frantically packed up our trailers, loaded up the bike and checked a hundred times that we didn't forget anything crucially important (we did not, or if we did I forgot). The next day we set off very early to catch a first train from Cambridge to Peterborough, then we jumped into a fast LNER train up to Edinburgh. We had planned to take a third and last train to Stirling, the starting point of the adventure... But... all the trains were cancelled that day. Damned! Plan B, we managed to get on a train which dropped us in Dunferline 30 km from Stirling. We actually started to cycle a day earlier than expected and it turned out to be a nice warm-up on a quiet and easy off-road cycle path. We even managed to arrive before dusk and had a short stroll in the quaint Stirling town centre. First night in a lovely and comfortable Ravenswood Guest House
Up and down the hills to Killin
During this first (planned) step we rode from Stirling to Killin following the spectacular national cycle path 7 through the Trossachs National park. The path went down and (mostly) up the hills via the lovely town of Callender and along the loooong shore of Loch Lubnaig. After a last climb and an exhilarating downhill section through a pine forest, we made our way to the Fall of Dochart in the picturesque village of Killin where we stayed for the night in a cosy flat booked via AirBnB
Riding along Loch Lyon (and sleeping in sheep shearing hut)
This was a particularly epic section, certainly one of the most demanding and rewarding of the trip. It started with a gentle but steady climb along the river Lochay which then suddenly became much harder as the small gravel road climbed steeply up to a pass via a series of hairpin turns. We had to push the bikes a few times when the slope was too steep to pedal but it was well worth the effort. Then after that riding on the rocky path along Loch Lyon was tough and very technical but definitely rewarding as well. The panorama on the loch and further down the glen was breathtaking.
This was the first wild camping night was planned but the weather was threatening and very windy, which had the benefit of keeping the midges at bay. Luckily, we were able to shelter in a disused sheep sheering hut full of huge torn open wool bags where we pitched our tent and had a very good night.
The following day we continued our way along the loch and had to cross quite a few fords, which Oscar enjoyed a lot. It took us a few hours to cycle back to civilisation at the Bridge of Orchy. Overall this route was absolutely stunning but certainly more suitable for MTBs (we saw a few) than gravel bikes. Still, we were very impressed by our Niner bikes, even if it was hard work.
Argyll through rain and smoke
After the Bridge of Orchy it started drizzling, then raining, then pouring down... We followed a small winding road along the River Orchy. I seemed pretty but to be honest we just kept pushing hard for a few hours, during which Oscar had a long nap nested in the warmth of his trailer. We allowed ourselves a small detour and a short pause to dry off and buy smoked salmon, hot drinks and cake at Inverawe smokehouses. Finally, we stopped for the night in a rustic hut found on AirBnB a couple of days ago. Nonetheless, it was a very welcome stop which allowed us to dry our drenched gear around the wood burner and to rest our legs after this long rainy day.
The following day was much drier and we only had a short distance to get to Oban. We followed the National cycle route 78 through the stunningly beautiful glen Lonan, where we ran away from a mildly aggressive herd of Highland cows charging us out of their land. We arrived in Oban just before noon, but had to rush buying so extra wet weather cycling gear (in anticipation for the dire forecast). At the end of the day, we grab sandwiches and jumped into the ferry to the Hebrides without having time to sample Oban's renowned freshly caught shellfish on the seafood huts by the pier.
