Moray Club: Glen Ogle

Showing posts with label Glen Ogle. Show all posts

Saturday

Glen Ogle to Callander

-The final bit-

Balquhidder at it's best

Sunday 19th February

The old rail track (NCN7) we had followed from the head of Glen Ogle now joins the narrow 'B' road
which runs the length of Balquhidder Glen.

From Easter to September this road isn't quiet - it leads tourist traffic to the Kirk graveyard to view the last resting place of Rob Roy MacGregor who died in 1734.

Being February - it had very light traffic.

Although cold when cycling there was real warmth in the sun, especially when we sat in front of a white painted house wall....

It turns out that Andy has an 'old' friend who lives in the glen, so in the best Scottish tradition we decided to pay a visit.

As Donald was out, (or hiding from our invading horde) we had no option but to lounge on his front lawn.......

....which was covered by a mass of snowdrops.

We joked about the neighbours telling Donald about a group of cyclists making themselves at home.

Unfortunately we didn't leave at note -

turns out he was told about us, but couldn't work out who we were!

This noisy group were also 'at lunch', no guessing the alpha female....

Our route to Strathyre passes through the small hamlet of Balquhidder and immediately turns south on a delightful quiet single track road. Hardly any car bound tourists come along here.

For 2.5 km it is 'pan flat' - this allows gab time, as not much concentration is needed....

"Are you talking about us"?

At this point we have looped back on ourselves, it's less than one kilometre from the Glen Ogle railway cycle route, the flood plain of the River Balvaig is the barrier. Pretty boggy!

Boys will be boys......

....pretty impressive boulder balance

Reaching Strathyre, we said goodbye to Ron and Elizabeth,

we never did meet up with Jim, but I suppose it's in keeping with our tradition!

Back in Callandar we puzzled over the masons marks on Ivy Cottage.

Any ideas?

Answers on a postcard, or alternatively use the comments form......

Tuesday

Glen Ogle to Callander

-The middle bit-

Freezing on the Freewheel

Sunday 19th February

The flipside of downhill cycling is you don't generate much heat.

So our plan of using the 500+ feet of descent for an easy and sociable day out meant clothing layers, and lots of them.

Thermal vest, fleece shirt, double-sided pile jacket, warm hat, gloves, thick socks....in fact anything that stopped the 'cycling wind' cutting through you.

We were glad of the sun's weak warmth.

Deirdre wasn't the only dirty one today.

Bill, even with panniers over his rear guard, was covered in mud droplets.

Roni was even muddier, and accused Andrew of being the culprit!

Andrew took off through woodland, it was hard going,

but did warm him up.

Views over Lochearnhead and Loch Earn are particularly good

Route 7 has a variety of distinctive waypoint markers, we've never managed to work out the local connections, any ideas on this one?

Elizabeth seemed to be studying Andrew....

...who was peering at something small.

It was cold after all.

Above Lochearnhead the track descends steeply

in a series of hairpin bends.

This must be the cycling equivalent of a river kayakers waterfall.
Rapid, dodging obstacales and exhilerating.
You have to be alert to other 'uphill' bikes, who are usually walking.

The track is gently undulating as it leaves the village,

winding it's way amongst woodland and crossing

the memorial bridge over Glen Kendrum.

We had lost our covering of ice and snow,

it was still cold but blue skies are fab!

The posts across the track signal the approach of the minor road leading to Balquhidder.

We had covered 6.5 miles from the top of Glen Ogle in under an hour.

Hardly the stuff of 'serious' cyclists...

Mostly downhill & not terribly strenuous, but very enjoyable.

Time for some lunch.

Monday

Glen Ogle to Callander

-The top bit-

May the force be with us

Cycle route 7

Sunday 19th February

In case you are wondering about the title - it's all to do with gravity.

Most guide books describe the route from Callander to Killin, but knowledge of the terrain (or a look at a map) shows that the least cycling effort is from Glenoglehead back to Callander.

It's easy riding downhill......but make sure you have left a car at your chosen finish point or it's uphill on the way back!

The parking place at the top of the pass is around 950' and here the cycle surface is well engineered.

Its a super link piece, designed to keep cyclists safe from the A85 traffic, the road does have a poor safety record - it's known as one of Scotland's five most dangerous roads.