Preparing to Bicycle the Rob Roy Way

 

I'm preparing to bike along the Rob Roy Way (with a few excursion extensions).  This first post is being created to start a travel blog, and to document the preparations.

A few basic themes.

• I'll be using an itinerary and the services of Macs Adventure. In my former days of cycling, I might have done all this level of planning and booking myself, but I found that Macs provided routes, resources, and logistics handling of this trip was very appealing. While Macs doesn't name this trip the Rob Roy Way, is basically aligns with the bicycle route described by the Rob Roy Way website. I've booked the trip for the second half of June 2026.
  
  
• I'm going to bring my 1971 Raleigh Sports bicycle from Boston to Glasgow. I want to use a classic British bike that was made to explore the villages and roads of Great Britain. Since I rescued the bike from curbside (kerbside?) trash  pickup in 2023, I've repaired it, improved it with some new parts, and have ridden it over 6,800 miles. So, I think it'll be up to this challenge. More on the bicycle in a future post.
  
  
• I plan to bicycle from Glasgow Airport (GLA) to Callander upon arrival to get to the starting point. There are three suggested routes I can consider for this first day, but I'm inclined to choose the longer, flatter 53 mile route through Kirkintilloch and Stirling. Subject to change. Flat sounds good to me to begin with, plus I'll need to do certain things such as remember to keep to left side of the road.
  
  
• I'll follow Macs route for 8 days. I just bought a used copy of Sir Walter Scott's Rob Roy novel in paperback that I plan to start before the trip and read along the way.
  
  
• After the last day in Pitlochry, I'll plan to take ScotRail to Stirling, disembark, and cycle to Glasgow center to spend a couple of days exploring the city. I'm inclined to cycle to Glasgow via the  route that goes via the Tak Ma Doon. One of my friends in Gloucester calls that PUD (for Pointless Up ad Down), but I hear it's magnificent. 
  
  
• I'll return to BOS from GLA. To put the icing on the cake (and if the weather is nice), I'll reassemble the Raleigh at Logan Airport and cycle back the 35 miles or so to Gloucester.