Loch Lubnaig – The Old Railway on the West Shore
The railway from Callander to Oban closed in the 1960s, and its trackbed along the west shore of Loch Lubnaig is now a path for walkers and bikes.
This is a long, easy day on it. A morning bus runs from Strathyre down to Callander, and the walk comes nine miles back through the Pass of Leny and up the whole length of the loch, to the village and a café at the end.
- Time
- About five hours on foot: 14.8 km (9.2 miles) one way from Callander to Strathyre on the Rob Roy Way, after an 18-minute bus ride to the start.
- The path
- Old trackbed and cycleway with sound surfaces, some tarmac and a few muddy bits. A short drop to the shore, a short climb and a suspension bridge near Strathyre.
- Where to start
- Forestry and Land Scotland's Strathyre car park, on the west side of the A84 at the south end of the village; FK18 8NJ is the nearest postcode. Free.
- Set off
- Be at the bus stop at the Ben Sheann Hotel in Strathyre for the 9.21am C60 to Callander, Monday to Friday.
- When to go
- Monday to Friday, all year, for the 9.21am bus. From the end of October to February take that bus and no later.
- Dogs
- On a lead near cattle, and close at the water, which gets deep quickly.
- Children
- Easy underfoot but nine miles long, with deep, cold water beside it.
- Toilets
- None on the west shore. Station Road in Callander, 8am to 5pm.
- Before you set out
- From the end of October to February take the 9.21am bus and no later. Saturday's bus times are different.
The walk
Leave the car in Strathyre, in Forestry and Land Scotland's free car park on the west side of the A84 at the south end of the village. Then take the bus to Callander, so that the walk brings you back to the car. Stirling Council's C60 leaves the stop at the Ben Sheann Hotel at 9.21am from Monday to Friday and reaches the Dreadnought Hotel in Callander at 9.38am. The way back is the Callander to Strathyre stage of the Rob Roy Way, 9.2 miles, or 14.8 km, and it's easy going on old trackbed and cycleway with sound surfaces, some tarmac and a few muddy bits. Allow about five hours.
It runs through the Pass of Leny, where a small detour leads to the Falls of Leny, then north along the west shore of Loch Lubnaig under steep forested hillsides. It never climbs higher than 150 metres, and it comes into Strathyre over a suspension bridge. Bikes share the path. There's nowhere to buy food or drink after Kilmahog and there are no toilets on the west shore, so carry lunch and use the toilets on Station Road in Callander, open from 8am to 5pm. Cattle graze beside parts of the path, so keep a dog on a lead near them.
The Broch Café on Strathyre's Main Street does soup, toasties, cakes and good coffee, and dogs are welcome. It's open from 10am to 4pm and closed on Wednesdays, and it has shut for part of the winter before, so from December to February ring 01877 384612 first. From the end of October to February take the 9.21am bus and no later, to finish in daylight. Until then the 11.31am bus leaves enough light too, though the café will have shut by the time you're back. Saturday's bus times are different, so look up the C60 timetable.
If it rains
The surface is sound in any weather, but this is five hours in the open with no shelter and nowhere to cut it short. Keep it for a dry day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Monachyle Mhor, 6 miles away.
Where to eat
The Broch Cafe, a café in Strathyre.
For further reading, before you go.