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Erl B. WilkieLOCH ARD CIRCLE

From 25 Cycle Routes - Stirling and Trossachs, Mercat Press, Edinburgh

Distance: 19km, (11.87 miles) circular route

Map: OS Landranger - sheet 57. Explorer - sheet 11

Start and Finish: The centre of Aberfoyle

Terrain: Generally undulating forest tracks with some short stretches of steep hills.

Refreshments: There are places to eat in Aberfoyle. En route, I recommend taking a picnic.

The route:

The route begins at the car park just off Main Road, Aberfoyle. Head to the west end of this car park and turn left into Manse Road. Commence across the bridge over the River Forth and after a short distance turn right and travel uphill past the Covenanters Inn. A little way past this hotel open country is reached and it is not far to the beginning of Loch Ard Forest.

After about a kilometre a junction is reached. Leave the main track here and turn right onto a much narrower path which is marked by a blue Forest Enterprise cycle sign and commence down a slight gradient and begin to skirt the edge of Lochan Sling. After about a kilometre, a junction is reached. Turn left, continuing along this undulating path back to the junction with the main track once again. Turn right passing a picnic area known as Gartnaul before coming to a junction with the private road Duchray House. Here turn left following the cycle sign.

This estate includes Duchray Castle on the south bank of Duchray Water, built by the Graham's of Downie at the end of the sixteenth century. Alas this castle cannot be seen from the track. The castle was the gathering place of a troop raised on behalf of the ninth Earl of Glencairn in 1653 to support the restoration of the Stuart Monarchy. A few days later they defeated a detachment of Cromwell's Army near Aberfoyle.

Continue along this undulating road through this working forest, so be careful of any forestry vehicles which may also he using the track. At the next T-junction carry straight on. There follows a junction with a road to the right with a bridge over a burn. This is also an access road into Duchray Estate so ignore it and stay on the main track. Continue along this main forest avenue for 2 km, to where a cottage is located.

There is a track off to the right continuing down a hill to an aqueduct at the bottom. This is the aqueduct which carries Glasgow's water supply from Loch Katrine to the reservoirs in Milngavie. Continue past this track, again keeping to the main forest avenue for another kilometre at which point turn right, following once more a cycle sign, this time a green one. The following hill although not arduous is the steepest that will be encountered on this route. The track now runs parallel to Duchray Water for about a kilometre and here among the trees Black Linn of Blairvaich (Waterfall) is located and although it cannot he seen from the track, it certainly can be heard. The path to the Linn is found at the bridge over the river soon to be crossed. A short distance further on, the track opens out into an area where the forest has been harvested leaving the moorland empty with its crisscross of trenches looking something like a war zone. Cross the Duchray Water by a fairly recently constructed bridge and continue on the other side to a T-junction. Turn right following yet another cycle sign. Carry on uphill, passing underneath another aqueduct carrying Glasgow's water supply high over the valley below.

At the top of this hill there is a three-way junction. Here turn to the left following a red cycle sign and commence downhill towards Couligarten. At the first junction located on this stretch of' road take the right fork there soon follows a four-way junction. Here turn right and go along the track which for the most part meanders along the south bank of the beautiful Loch Ard.

After 2 km a little diversion can be taken by turning left and following this track as it continues alongside the loch, passing as it does a Crannog and the little Island of Eilean Gorm. Once back to the main track turn left and after about 500 m there is another junction. Here take the right fork. If however, you take the left track which once more follows the banks of the loch to come to an end after about 500m, four small islands can be seen just offshore. On the most easterly of these islands stands the ruins of Duke Murdoch's Castle which was built by Murdoch Stewart, the Duke of Albany (1362 to 1425). Alter spending some years as a prisoner in England along with King James 1, Murdoch was released and returned to Scotland to succeed his father as Regent of' Scotland whilst James still remained a prisoner. However he lacked the capacity to carry out this task effectively and when James I eventually returned to Scotland he had him executed for perpetrating acts of bad government and his estates were forfeit

On returning back to the main track continue for another 3 km keeping close to the loch until a gate is reached. Pass through this gate and continue past some cottages to a road junction. Now in Milton turn left and follow this road down to the B839 and turn right. Commence along this road for just over a kilometre back to Aberfoyle. Turn right into Manse Road and then quickly left back into the car park from where the route began.