Rob Roy Way

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Rob Roy Way
Landschaft am Rob Roy Way bei Killin.jpg
The Rob Roy Way near Killin
Length127 kilometres (79 mi) or 154 kilometres (96 mi) [1]
Location Stirling and Perth and Kinross, Scotland
Established2002
Designation Scotland's Great Trails
Trailheads Drymen
56°03′57″N4°27′09″W / 56.0658°N 4.4524°W / 56.0658; -4.4524 (Rob Roy Way (Drymen trailhead))
Pitlochry
56°42′08″N3°43′57″W / 56.7022°N 3.7326°W / 56.7022; -3.7326 (Rob Roy Way (Pitlochry trailhead))
Use Walking
Elevation
Elevation gain/loss2,325 metres (7,628 ft) gain [1]
Hiking details
Waymark Yes
Website http://www.robroyway.com
Signage on the Rob Roy Way south of Loch Tay. Rob roy way sign.jpg
Signage on the Rob Roy Way south of Loch Tay.

The Rob Roy Way is a Scottish long distance footpath that runs from Drymen in Stirling to Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross. The path was created in 2002, [2] and takes its name from Rob Roy MacGregor, a Scottish folk hero and outlaw of the early 18th century. It traverses countryside that he knew and travelled frequently. [3] The route crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, a geological fault where the Highlands meet the Lowlands. Views from the trail overlook Loch Lubnaig, Loch Earn, Loch Venachar and Loch Tay. [3] The way is 127 kilometres (79 mi) in length if the direct route along the southern shore of Loch Tay and the River Tay is followed between Ardtalnaig and Aberfeldy. An optional loop also links these places via Amulree: choosing this option increases the length by a further 27 kilometres (17 mi) to 154 kilometres (96 mi). [1] [4]

The Rob Roy Way was designated as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot in spring 2012, [5] and also links to two further Great Trails, meeting the Great Trossachs Path near Callander, and the West Highland Way just north of Drymen. [1] [6] The Rob Roy Way also shares sections of route with Route 7 of the National Cycle Network, which also links Drymen and Pitlochry. [7] Shared sections include the minor road on the south side of Loch Tay and the section following the route of the former Callander and Oban Railway, including Glen Ogle viaduct. [6]

Besides Drymen and Pitlochry, the way passes through Aberfoyle, Callander, Strathyre, Killin, Amulree and Aberfeldy. [8]

About 3,000 people use the path every year, of whom about 450 complete the entire route. [9]

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Callander Human settlement in Scotland

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Stirling (council area) Council area of Scotland

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Drymen Human settlement in Scotland

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Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross Human settlement in Scotland

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Kilmahog Human settlement in Scotland

Kilmahog is a hamlet situated half a mile to the west of Callander, Scotland.

Killin Human settlement in Scotland

Killin (; is a village situated at the western head of Loch Tay in the central highlands of Scotland. The village is administered by the Stirling council area but is more closely tied to the historic county of Perthshire, Scotland. Killin is a historic conservation village and sits within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.It is the central settlement of the historic region of Breadalbane.

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The Killin Railway was a locally promoted railway line built to connect the town of Killin to the Callander and Oban Railway main line nearby. It opened in 1886, and carried tourist traffic for steamers on Loch Tay as well as local business. The directors and the majority of the shareholders were local people, and the little company retained its independence until 1923.

National Cycle Route 7 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from Sunderland to Inverness.

Strathyre Human settlement in Scotland

Strathyre is a district and settlement in the Stirling local government district of Scotland. It forms the south-eastern part of the parish of Balquhidder and was, prior to the 1973 reorganisation of local government, part of Perthshire. It is within the bounds of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. In Gaelic, the district is Srath Eadhair and the village is An t-Iomaire Riabhach or an t-Iomaire Fada.

Loch Lomond and Cowal Way

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Great Trossachs Path

The Great Trossachs Path is a 48-kilometre (30 mi) long-distance footpath through the Trossachs, in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It runs between Callander in the east and Inversnaid on the banks of Loch Lomond in the west, passing along the northern shores of Loch Katrine and Loch Arklet. The path is suitable for walkers and cyclists; much of the route is also suitable for experience horse riders, although the middle section along the shoreline of Loch Katrine is tarmacked and so may not be ideal for horses.

Three Lochs Way Long-distance path in the west of Scotland

The Three Lochs Way is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) long-distance path in Argyll and Bute in Scotland that links Balloch and Inveruglas. The path crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, which divides the Scottish Highlands from the Lowlands, and is named for the three major lochs linked by the route: Loch Lomond, the Gare Loch and Loch Long. About 1,500 people use the path every year, of whom about 300 complete the entire route.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Rob Roy Way". Scotland's Great Trails. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  2. "Rob Roy Way Guidebook". Rucksack Readers. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 "The Rob Roy Way". Walking Scotland. VisitScotland. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  4. "The Walking Route". SCSupport Ltd. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  5. "Walking News - Scotland's Great Trails". SCSupport Ltd. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50000. Sheet 57 (Stirling & The Trossachs).
  7. "Lochs and Glens North". Sustrans. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  8. "The Rob Roy Way Long Distance Walking Route". I-Net Support. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  9. "Scotland's networks of paths and trails: key research findings" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. August 2018. p. 6. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
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Coordinates: 56°27′38″N4°17′45″W / 56.4605°N 4.2957°W / 56.4605; -4.2957 (Rob Roy Way)