CYCLING IN SCOTLAND'S CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1   CLICK TO SEE MAP OF THE ROUTE   

SECTION 2. NATIONAL ROUTE 7 — STRATHYRE TO BALQUHIDDER
4.5 MILES LONG — MINOR PUBLIC ROAD — UNDULATING
        Route 7 north of Strathyre follows the single-track (one lane) rural road that traces the River Balvag to the hamlet of Balquhidder. Although the 4.5-mile long route edges the flood plane, it is not flat. Instead, it sticks to the natural undulations of the uneven contours of this Highlands moorland. Some of the road is forested, but much is in the open, crossing outlying farms trying to scratch a living from land that seems either too steep and rocky, or too boggy and rocky.
        Be prepared to use the passing places ("lay-bys") to make room for oncoming traffic. Cyclists share the roadway from Strathyre to Balquhidder, with the rare auto, the rarer tractor, and with occasional herds of sheep, stray long-horned Highland cows, ring-necked pheasants, and majestic red deer, including the buff monarch of Balquhidder Glen. Also occasional is the flooding of the River Balvag in the swampy flats approaching Balquhidder into what local residents call Loch Occasional.
        As you cycle into Balquhidder, you cross a single-track, hump-backed, stone arch bridge at the exit of the River Balvag from Loch Voil. To your left (west) Loch Voil fills much of the Balquhidder Glen, bordered on the north by the rounded, purple hills of the ridge immortalized by 18th century Scottish poet Robert Tannahill as the Braes o’ Balquhidder.

"Noo the summers in prime
Wi’ the flooers richly bloomin’
Wi’ the wild mountain thyme
A’ the moorlan’s perfumin’
Tae oor dear native scenes
Let us journey thegither,
Whar glad innocence reigns,
Mang the braes o’ Balquhidder."

        There’s not much to Balquhidder beyond its sumptuous banquet of beauty. Except a Scottish national monument of the first rank.
        North of the bridge you arrive at a T-intersection in the village center. Across the road is Balquhidder’s public call box, a traditional red British phone booth in front of the town hall and its public parking lot. Turn right at this intersection onto Balquhidder’s main street. This road’s wide enough for two small cars, and sees more traffic than any section of the central part of Route 7. Across the road from Keeper’s Cottage (the stately white house and former tavern on the left side) is the town’s post office and tea room, ready with light snacks and pastries and seating inside or out.
        Around the bend at the eastern end of town is Balquhidder Kirk (church) above the road on the left side. The handsome old stone country church is so rustic and rugged that it could have been carved out of the mountain behind it. The church door is locked now except during services. Vandals a few years back convinced the parishioners that security is important even here in God’s country. Its churchyard, topped with a high Celtic cross, draws thousands of visitors each year. Many now cycle in with the churchyard as their goal. You see them—especially on fine weekends—lying about the grassy cemetery, with their bikes scattered about just as lazily. Some will be poking around the monuments and examining the ruined old chapel below the church. But, with cameras out and flashes popping, most rotate impatiently past the family gravesite of Rob Roy MacGregor, best known resident of Balquhidder Glen, and most famous Scot on the far side of Sean Connery. Rob Roy is buried here in this most peaceful and lovely spot in the Highlands. He was, of course, known less for tranquility and beauty than for action and wildness. It may be that an unkempt heather and gorse covered grave by a rushing burn on some remote mountainside would have been appropriate for the wild, untamed young Rob Roy MacGregor of fact and legend. But old Rob Roy died peacefully among friends at the age of 63 in this, his adopted glen where he lived peacefully, if still larger than life.
        There’s almost no commercial enterprise at Balquhidder Kirk. Sometimes the ice-lolly truck stands nearby selling rockets and push-ups to thirsty, warm cyclists and hikers. There’s also a modest donation box suggesting visitors might wish to help with the upkeep of the church and grounds. Indeed, many do. But there will be no Rob Roy Land theme park developed here. Like all of Route 7 from Callander to Killin, Balquhidder lies within the confines of Scotland’s first national park, the incompletely named Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. With the coming of the park concurrent with the coming of the National Cycle Network, protection of the character of this extraordinary part of Scotland was ensured. Rob Roy can expect to lie at peace amidst the great beauty of Balquhidder Glen forever.

Round-trip Callander to Balquhidder: 29 miles. About 4-5 hours of mostly flat cycling with minimal traffic.
A BIKE RIDE GOOD FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN 13 & OLDER.

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