![Rob roy way sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Rob_roy_way_sign.jpg)
The Rob Roy Way is a
Scottish long distance footpath
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...
that runs from
Drymen
Drymen (; from gd, Druiminn ) is a village in the Stirling district of central Scotland. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now popular with visiting tourists given its location near Loch Lomond. The village is centred aroun ...
in
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
to
Pitlochry
Pitlochry (; gd, Baile Chloichridh or ) is a town in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is historically in the county of Perthshire, and has a population of 2,776, according to the 2011 census.Scotla ...
in
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...
. The path was created in 2002, and takes its name from
Rob Roy MacGregor
Robert Roy MacGregor ( gd, Raibeart Ruadh MacGriogair; 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Scottish outlaw, who later became a folk hero.
Early life
Rob Roy was born in the Kingdom of Scotland at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, a ...
, a Scottish
folk hero
A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; a ...
and
outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
of the early 18th century. It traverses countryside that he knew and travelled frequently.
[ The route crosses the ]Highland Boundary Fault
The Highland Boundary Fault is a major fault zone that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east. It separates two different geological terranes which give rise to two distinct physiographic terr ...
, a geological fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
where the Highlands
Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau.
Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to:
Places Albania
* Dukagjin Highlands
Armenia
* Armenian Highlands
Australia
*Sou ...
meet the Lowlands
Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland.
Definitions
Upland and lowland are portions of p ...
. Views from the trail overlook Loch Lubnaig
Loch Lubnaig (Loch Lùbnaig in Gaelic) is a small freshwater loch near Callander in the Stirling council area, Scottish Highlands. It lies in the former county of Perthshire. It is part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
Th ...
, Loch Earn
Loch Earn (Scottish Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic, ''Loch Eire/Loch Éireann'') is a freshwater loch in the southern Scottish Highlands, highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling (council area), Stirling.
Th ...
, Loch Venachar
Loch Venachar (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Bheannchair) is a freshwater loch in Stirling district, Scotland.
Geography
The loch is situated between Callander and Brig o' Turk. It lies approximately above sea level, and is long with a maximum ...
and Loch Tay
Loch Tay ( gd, Loch Tatha) is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the Perth and Kinross and Stirling council areas. It is the largest body of fresh water in Perth and Kinross, and the sixth largest loch in Scotland. The ...
. The way is in length if the direct route along the southern shore of Loch Tay and the River Tay is followed between Ardtalnaig
Ardtalnaig (; ) is a hamlet on the south shore of Loch Tay in Perth and Kinross in Scotland. It is approximately from Kenmore in whose parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division withi ...
and Aberfeldy. An optional loop also links these places via Amulree
Amulree (Scottish Gaelic: ''Àth Maol Ruibhe'', 'Ford of t.Maelrubha') is a small hamlet in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies in hilly country on the A822 road, east of Loch Freuchie in Strathbraan, west of Dunkeld and north of Crieff. It ...
: choosing this option increases the length by a further to .[
The Rob Roy Way was designated as one of ]Scotland's Great Trails
Scotland's Great Trails are long-distance "people-powered" trails in Scotland, analogous to the National Trails of England and Wales or the Grande Randonnée paths of France. The designated routes are primarily intended for walkers, but may have se ...
by NatureScot
NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and ...
in spring 2012, and also links to two further Great Trails, meeting the Great Trossachs Path
The Great Trossachs Path is a 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 shore ...
near Callander
Callander (; gd, Calasraid) is a small town in the council area of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands.
The town ser ...
, and the West Highland Way
The West Highland Way ( gd, Slighe na Gàidhealtachd an Iar) is a linear long-distance route in Scotland. It is long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the r ...
just north of Drymen
Drymen (; from gd, Druiminn ) is a village in the Stirling district of central Scotland. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now popular with visiting tourists given its location near Loch Lomond. The village is centred aroun ...
.Ordnance Survey
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Landranger 1:50000. Sheet 57 (Stirling & The Trossachs). The Rob Roy Way also shares sections of route with Route 7 of the National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...
, which also links Drymen and Pitlochry. 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
The Callander and Oban Railway company was established with the intention of linking the sea port of Oban to the railway network. This involved a long line from Callander through wild and thinly populated terrain, and shortage of money meant th ...
, including Glen Ogle
Glen Ogle (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Ogail) extends 7 miles north westwards from Lochearnhead to Lix Toll, where it opens into Glen Dochart.
The Ogle Burn flows within the steep sides of the glen, from the Lochan Lairig Cheile at the glen's head.
...
viaduct.[
Besides Drymen and Pitlochry, the way passes through ]Aberfoyle Aberfoyle may refer to:
*Aberfoyle, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
*Aberfoyle, Stirling, Scotland
* Aberfoyle, Ontario, Canada
*Aberfoyle, Texas
Aberfoyle is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Hunt County, Texas, Hunt Count ...
, Callander
Callander (; gd, Calasraid) is a small town in the council area of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands.
The town ser ...
, Strathyre, Killin
Killin (; (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cill Fhinn'') is a village in Perthshire in the central highlands of Scotland. Situated at the western head of Loch Tay, it is administered by the Stirling Council area. Killin is a historic conservation village an ...
, Amulree
Amulree (Scottish Gaelic: ''Àth Maol Ruibhe'', 'Ford of t.Maelrubha') is a small hamlet in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies in hilly country on the A822 road, east of Loch Freuchie in Strathbraan, west of Dunkeld and north of Crieff. It ...
and Aberfeldy.
About 3,000 people use the path every year, of whom about 450 complete the entire route.
References
External links
*Web page o
Rob Roy Way from Scotland's Great Trails
Official guidebook on the Rob Roy Way
Web page on Rob Roy Way from VisitScotland
Official website on the Rob Roy Way
Independent guide to the route from Walkhighlands
Scotland's Great Trails
Footpaths in Stirling (council area)
Footpaths in Perth and Kinross
Trossachs
River Tay
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