Rob Roy Way
Rob Roy Way

Your walk from
Drymen to
Pitlochry

You'll walk 128 kilometres through the Trossachs and Perthshire, along old railway trackbeds, lochside roads, and the floor of one high glen rather than over the summits, with the Highland Boundary Fault crossed early and Loch Tay running for a full afternoon on your shoulder. One of Scotland's quieter long-distance routes, and all the more rewarding for it.

Distance
128 km · 80 mi
Ascent
2,500 m
Duration
3–7 days
Trips from £749pp See packages →
From — per person
Plan your trip

Three ways to walk it

Pick one to see the full plan — or scroll for the trail in detail.

The Explorer

7 days · unhurried pace
From £—

The Classic

6 days · most booked
From £—

The Challenge

4 days · demanding pace
From £—

Prefer to talk it through? Call us on 0131 560 2740

Visiting From Australia

A lot of the people on this trail have flown a long way to be here, and the trail is one part of a longer trip.

We store the luggage you don't want on the walk, move what you need ahead of you each day, and shape the days around what else you've planned.

How we look after visitors from Australia
Perthshire UK
Trail Essentials
Start
DrymenStirlingshire
End
PitlochryPerthshire
Distance
128 km80 miles
Total Ascent
2,500 m8,202 ft
Difficulty
Moderate
Hilliness
Rolling
Time to Complete
Explorer
7 days ~18 km/day
Hiker
6 days ~21 km/day
Fastpacker
4 days ~32 km/day
Trail Runner
3 days ~42 km/day

When to Walk

Best Good Avoid
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
The Rob Roy Way runs 80 miles from Drymen on the edge of Loch Lomond to Pitlochry in highland Perthshire — through the Trossachs, past Balquhidder where Rob Roy MacGregor is buried, over the Highland Boundary Fault, down Glen Ogle, along the southern shore of Loch Tay, and into wooded river country above Aberfeldy. It's one of Scotland's quieter long-distance routes. You walk old railway trackbeds, forest roads, and lochside paths for most of its length — well-graded ground, without the technical demands of higher routes. Most walkers cover it in six days; it suits anyone comfortable with 22 kilometres a day and a couple of long afternoons.
Walking the Rob Roy Way

How The Trail Unfolds

Your trail divides naturally into three parts — not by day, but by country. Lowland farmland gives way to high glens and exposed moorland, and the high country falls into wooded gorges and a riverside walk to Pitlochry.

Across the Highland Line
Drymen to Strathyre

Across the Highland Line

Lowland farmland gives way to the Trossachs, and the country starts to feel more like the Highlands than the south.

You leave Drymen and head north along the [Old Gartmore Road], past open farmland into [Loch Ard Forest]. Beneath your feet, the buried [Loch Katrine aqueduct] — inaugurated by [Queen Victoria in 1859] — still carries Glasgow's water. [Ben Lomond] sharpens on the skyline.

Past Aberfoyle and into the [Menteith Hills], you cross the [Highland Boundary Fault] — the geological line where Lowlands become Highlands — and the country shifts to match. Callander earns a stop. From there you follow the trackbed of the old [Callander and Oban Railway] down past [Loch Lubnaig] to Strathyre.

The High Glens
Strathyre to Acharn

The High Glens

Glen Ogle, an empty moorland crossing, and the long lochside road into Acharn — the highest, wildest country on the trail.

You climb out of Strathyre on the [old Callander and Oban trackbed], running high above [Lochearnhead] before turning into Glen Ogle — narrow and steep-sided, the glen [Queen Victoria called Scotland's Khyber Pass]. The [1864 Glen Ogle Viaduct] crosses the floor below; the [Tarmachan Ridge] holds the skyline. At Killin, the [Falls of Dochart] thunder through the village.

The next morning you climb to the trail's highest point at [565m] — open moorland, no shelter, views that earn the work. You drop to [Loch Tay] and follow its quiet southern shore east to Acharn.

The Birks and the Tay
Acharn to Pitlochry

The Birks and the Tay

Wooded gorges, falls that earned their poets, and a riverside walk into Pitlochry.

From Acharn you climb a wooded gorge to the [Falls of Acharn] and through the [Hermit's Cave], an [18th-century folly built by the Earl of Breadalbane]. The hillside track above is the [Queen's Drive], [Schiehallion] dominant to the north. You drop through the [Birks of Aberfeldy] — the wooded gorge where Burns wrote his celebrated poem in [1787] — and into Aberfeldy itself.

East of Aberfeldy you pick up the trackbed of the dismantled [Aberfeldy railway] and walk a riverside path along the [Tay], past [Grandtully's canoe rapids] and through Strathtay. A last climb over open moorland past the [Carra Beag stone circle], a suspension bridge across the [Tummel], and you're into Pitlochry.

— Now Make It Yours —

Find Your Rob Roy Way

Most people walk it in 6 days. Some want longer to take it all in. Others want the challenge of doing it quicker. Pick the trip that suits you — or customise yours below.

ABTOT 5690 · Financially protected Guidebook authors on every trail 72-hour confirmation or no charge Refund promise if we can't deliver
Your personalised Trail Book — trip overview, day by day itinerary and accommodation details

Included with every trip

Your personalised
Trail Book

Everything you need for every day of your trail — built around your exact itinerary. Your route, your accommodation, your packing list. Ready before you leave, works offline when you're out there.

Tonight's accommodation

Check-in time, room type, phone number and directions — all in one place

Day-by-day trail description

Route map, elevation profile and written description for each stage

Packing list and pre-trip checklist

Everything you need, nothing you don't. Tick items off as you go

Works offline

Open it once with data and it's yours — no signal needed on the trail

Included with every trip

Your route on every device you use

Your custom GPX file is built around your exact itinerary — day by day, door to door. Load it onto any device or app before you set off and navigate with confidence.

Works with

GPX route on Komoot iPhone app and Garmin watch
The Bakery in Callander

Hear it from the trail

Pawel Cymbalista

Pawel Cymbalista ran the Rob Roy Way in under twelve hours. He nearly stopped for a pastry.

“"Don't think twice. It's better to say I've done this than I wish I had."”
Read Pawel’s story →
Craig, Trail Specialist at Big Trail Adventures
Talk to a Specialist

Knows the trail. Plans yours.

Craig Trail Specialist
The Rob Roy Way is the one I tend to suggest to people who've done the West Highland Way and want something quieter. It's not as dramatic, but you'll walk for days without seeing another walker. Pack for one big exposed day in the middle. The rest looks after itself.

Craig has spent ten years in adventure travel, mostly talking walkers through trails like this one. He's helped scores of customers plan their Rob Roy Way, knows where people misjudge the long Killin to Acharn day — exposed moorland, no shelter, the trail's 565m high point — and has the calls in his pocket from walkers who finished it last week.

Ask Craig about the Rob Roy Way

If you want to talk through your timing, your fitness, your pace, or anything the planner can't answer — call. Most of our customers do, and Craig's the one who'll answer.

Call us · 8am–6pm 0131 560 2740 hello@bigtrailadventures.com
The Practical Side

Before You Book

The things walkers ask us most often — answered plainly, so you don't have to ring to find out.

How fit do I need to be?
If you're comfortable walking 22 kilometres a day with a daypack — roughly seven to eight hours of walking on a mix of forest tracks, lochside paths, and one stretch of open moorland — you'll manage the Hiker pace at six days. The Explorer pace at seven days softens the longer stages, particularly the 30km Aberfoyle to Strathyre day and the 27km Killin to Acharn stretch. No technical hill experience is needed.

When should I walk it?
May, June, September and October are the best months. May and June give long days and low midge counts; September and October give autumn colour and quieter trails. Mid-July and August work but bring Highland midges in numbers and busier accommodation. April is fine for the lower stages but the 565m high point on the Killin to Acharn day can still hold weather. Avoid November to March.

Do you include luggage transfer?
Yes, on every package. Your bags move from accommodation to accommodation while you walk with a daypack, with a 20 kilogram allowance per bag. The Killin to Acharn stage runs through a thinly-served stretch of south Loch Tay road — we plan transfers there with extra lead time. You'll find your bag waiting at each evening's stop.

What kind of accommodation do you book?
Family-run guesthouses, traditional inns, and small Highland hotels — en-suite rooms, breakfast, drying space for boots. We avoid chains. The Rob Roy Way passes through small villages with limited beds, so we book early — particularly on the Killin to Acharn stretch, where the Ardeonaig Hotel is the only practical overnight option. Most stops have a pub or shop for an evening meal.

Can I walk it solo?
Yes, easily. The Rob Roy Way is well-waymarked the whole way, and busy enough on the popular sections — Trossachs, Loch Tay, Aberfeldy — that you'll cross paths with other walkers most days. The exposed Killin to Acharn moorland stretch is the one to plan for: take a map, watch the weather, and start early. Single-occupancy rates apply to all our packages.

What's the realistic total cost?
Our Classic package starts at £749 per person — that covers your accommodation each night in family-run inns and guesthouses, daily luggage transfer, your custom GPX route, the planning service, and on-trail support. On-trail extras typically add £25 to £40 a day per person for lunches, evening meals, and drinks. Budget £900 to £1,000 per person in total for a comfortable trip.

Still not sure? Ring us on 0131 560 2740 — Craig usually answers.

Still Thinking?

Speak to Craig

If you've scrolled this far, we need to help you get onto this trail. The bit the planner can't help with — "is the pace right for me?", "is August really that busy?", "can we add a rest day in Keswick?" — that's a two-minute phone call. Most people who book the Rob Roy Way ring first.

Call us · 8am–6pm 0131 560 2740