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The Rob Roy Way

The Rob Roy Way is a 128km walk linking Drymen (on the West Highland Way) with Pitlochry in Perthshire. An alternative, wilder route variant via Amulree increases the total distance to 155km.

The route joins paths and tracks through some fine Highland scenery, taking advantage of some attractive villages and small towns for refreshment and accommodation. The route begins through the forests of the Trossachs before a long stretch of cycleway leads through fine glens to Killin. From here the route climbs high into the hills before descending to follow the quiet and attractive road along the southern shores of Loch Tay. The main route then takes in a fine terrace with magnificent views before descending to Aberfeldy, before the final stretch along the river and over the moors to Pitlochry.

The route was originally devised by John Henderson and Jacquetta Megarry, and became one of Scotland's Great Trails in 2012.

Stage descriptions Length Time Done
Drymen to Aberfoyle 17.5km 4½-5 hours
Aberfoyle to Callander 15.25km 4½-5 hours
Callander to Strathyre 15km 4-5 hours
Strathyre to Killin 21.5km 5-6 hours
Killin to Ardtalnaig 19.25km 4-4½ hours
Ardtalnaig to Aberfeldy 24km 6-7 hours
Aberfeldy to Pitlochry 15km 4-5 hours
Amulree Alternative
Ardtalnaig to Amulree 24km 6 - 7 hours
Amulree to Aberfeldy 24.75km 6 - 7 hours

THE CHALLENGE

Much of the route follows tracks, minor roads and cycle paths, with shorter sections on footpaths. There is a fair amount of ascent and descent involved, but the walking is mostly straightforward and covering the distance is perhaps the biggest challenge.

BAGGAGE TRANSFERS AND WALKING PACKAGES

Click to find organised Rob Roy Way walking holiday packages and baggage transfer providers.

ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES ALONG THE WAY

The Rob Roy Way offers a good choice of accommodation along most of the route, with only Ardtalnaig having very limited accommodation on the main route.

Drymen has offers both bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels.

Aberfoyle is a large village with plentiful bed and breakfast and hotels, as does the ever popular town of Callander. Callander also has hostel accommodation.

Strathyre is a smaller village but does also offer both hotels and B&B accommodation.

Killin, although a village, is very popular with visitors, again offering Hotels and B&B accommodation, as does the town of Aberfeldy two stages further on beyond the end of Loch Tay.

It is the section between Killin and Aberfeldy that is less well-served, with a single, high-end hotel at Ardeonaig, a bed and breakfast at Ardtalnaig and another further along the way at Acharn.

Amulree also has a bed and breakfast.

Finally Pitlochry has a wide range of hotels and bed and breakfasts, together with hostels and a campsite.

BOOKS AND MAPS

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Drymen is linked by bus to Glasgow, whilst Pitlochry at the end of the route has excellent bus and rail links.

Along the way, Aberfoyle, Callander, Strathyre and Killin all have good services, but there is no public transport to Ardtalnaig.

Amulree has an infrequent bus on weekdays only, whilst the town of Aberfeldy has regular links.

Timetables for all the routes can be found on Traveline Scotland.

Users' walk reports for the Great Glen Way

There are 511 Walkhighlanders who have completed the Rob Roy Way. To record if you have completed the route, you must register and be logged in. Our users have contributed 10 public walk reports for the route. These are ordered below with the most popular ones first.

Title AuthorDate walked Likes
The Rainy Rob Roy Way in 6 days  andrewl7642 07/06/2014  16
The 'Frog' Roy Way - A 6-day solo hike  nitamiriam 07/07/2018  15
Rob Roy Way - The Long Route  Gordie12 09/05/2015  11
Family with a Dog  Perthshire plodders 17/07/2016  10
Rob Roy Way over 7 days with a stop-by Fortingall  walk aboot 19/04/2014  7
The Rob Roy Way  ramblingpete 03/06/2013  6
Revisiting an old friend (The Rob Roy Way)  LaurenAlexandraAgain 10/05/2019  5
Rob Roy Way August 2022  LauraL 27/08/2022  4
Rob Roy Way, Drymen to Kenmore  LaurenAlexandra 25/04/2015  4
Sing a song of sixpence  Tazman 23/09/2013  3

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Walking can be dangerous and all walkers must take personal responsibility for their own safety. You should always carry a backup means of navigation and not rely on a single phone, app or map. Walkhighlands strives to provide accurate information but cannot accept responsibility for changes, errors or omissions.