Lochs and Glens North - Report

[Danny]

Hello Dannyg, Nice report. Would you say this route is ok for a road bike of the audax type ? Maybe I need to put some wider tyres on. Is Achray forest suitable for such a bike? Cheers

It's definitely suitable for an audax bike. My tourer had 28mm tyres, but you could probably ride the whole route on 23mm or 25mm tyres - particularly if you weren't carrying a big load.

I hope I haven't given the impression that the Ahcray forest is some kind of impenetrable primordial obstacle. It's just a managed pine planation with a big access road running through it which is quite bumpy and rutted in places, but basically not much different to forestry commission tracks in England.

There also a big visitor centre in the middle which has a nice looking cafe, a viewpoint for birds, and a fantastic looking cable runway system. As we were running a bit behind schedule we didn't stop there, but it would be a really good place to have a break.

 

[macthebike]

Achray Forest

Thanks, Dannyg. Will take your route tips with me.

 

[rualexander]

If you don't want to go through the Achray forest section just go on the road over the Duke's Pass, it's a fantastic scenic road and not usually busy. You can rejoin the forest either at the top of the pass to avoid the uphill forest sections (worth avoiding I'd say), or at Brig o' Turk (where there is a tearoom) to go along the track alongside Loch Venachar. Or just stay on the road to Callander and call in at the Harbour cafe on the shore of Loch Venachar which is good.