Woodland Paths and Cavernous Lochs on the Rob Roy Walk
The Rob Roy Way walk begins at Drymen, near the southern shores of Loch Lomond. The trail leads you through the heart of Rob Roy country - the beautiful Trossachs National Park and finishes in the Highlands of Perthshire at Pitlochry.
You walk woodland paths through the beautiful Loch Ard Forest, which pass the Lochs - Loch Venachar, Loch Lubnaig, Loch Earn and Loch Tay. You follow a favourite route of Queen Victoria to enjoy the views of the majestic slopes of Ben Lawers and Schiehallion, and descend past the breathtaking Falls of Moness to Aberfeldy, home of the 'Birks of Aberfeldy' immortalised by legendary Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Centuries of Scotland's turbulent history - the Jacobean rebellion, local clan feuds, the background of Rob Roy’s stirring adventures - all add to the appeal of this delightful walk.
Your walk takes you to the charming town of Aberfoyle in the heart of the Trossachs, where Sir Walter Scott lived to research his novel 'Rob Roy', published in 1881. The area of Aberfoyle was home to Rob Roy and his wife for many years and you visit Balquidder church where he is buried. Nearby on Loch Ard is Rob Roys' Cave, from where he is devised many of his plots as an outlaw.
Hiking the Rob Roy Way
Sections of this walk take in open glen and high level moorland. Occasionally, mist and low cloud in these area can make visibility poor, and navigation difficult. However, the grand majority of the walk is in bright open air, with only a few parts under cover of forest canopy.
The Rob Roy Way is not an 'official' long distance path, it has come into being through the best efforts of enthusiasts and landowners. This means that although the path itself is quite straightforward, it is not waymarked - so confidence in navigation is necessary.
The latter stages of the Rob Roy Way move downstream of the River Tay to Strathtay, from where St Columba and St Cuthbert led missions in 6C bringing christianity Scotland, past Clachan an Diridh ancient four poster stone circle, to the journey's end at the bustling Highland town of Pitlochry.
The Rob Roy Way is an easy grade walk passing through some of Scotland's most picturesque scenery. The route skirts around some of the highest and most difficult terrain and primarily follows glens, forest tracks, loch side trails with a few gentle slopes showcasing the more memorable views of the surrounding mountains.
The route followed will involve road walking between various stages. These are secluded roads, calm and scenic, and should not prove too taxing.
