A great round trip route that will take you away from the busy city on some great roads through beautiful countryside. RP 6, known as 'Car Park in the Sky Viewpoint' offers a distant glimpse of the city you have just left behind. The mountains become larger as you cross over the unofficial border (RP 8) between the Central Lowlands and the Highlands and the landscape takes on a more dramatic feel.
The village of Aberfoyle RP 12 is a good place to stop for a coffee and deciding whether you will take on 'The Three Lochs Forest Drive'. This is a 7 mile (11.5km) crushed stone trail that takes you past three picturesque lochs – Lochan Reòidhte, Loch Drunkie and Loch Achray.
Those on adventure style motorcycles will have no problems but perhaps only experienced sports bike riders should attempt it. You turn off the road at RP 13 and follow the signs or POIs that I have placed. RP 14 is on the road at the end of the forest drive so your GPS should re-route you. The drive is closed from March - October.
The route continues on past beautiful lochs and through forested river valleys to RP 25, The Green Welly Stop. The Green Welly Stop is the perfect spot for a halfway stop so it’s no surprise that it's an extremely popular hang-out for motorcyclists.
With fresh food all day, every day, it a great place for lunch. The Green Welly Stop has gained a reputation over the years for producing one of the most amazing filling soups in Scotland, with lots of different varieties available. On a busy day they can sell up to 75 litres of soup!!!
After lunch and just a short distance away is Loch Awe (aptly named) where you can visit Kilchurn Castle or view it from RP 29. Kilchurn Castle looks out over Loch Awe and is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland. Kilchurn Castle was a fortress, a comfortable residence and later a garrison stronghold, and contains the oldest surviving barracks on the British mainland. Its five-storey tower house dominates the complex, with a lower hall, courtyard and barracks below.
Loch Fyne is next at Inveraray.
Loch Fyne is Scotland's longest Sea Loch extending from just above Inveraray , past Portavadie out to the Kyles of Bute, 40 miles (65 km) in all. From the world famous Oyster Beds at the top of Loch Fyne to the surrounding pastures and hills with locally reared livestock, Loch Fyne has a world wide reputation for high quality locally produced food.
Inveraray enjoys a picturesque setting on the shores of Loch Fyne, where it meets Loch Shira. It was built on the site of an earlier fishing village in the mid 1700s by the 3rd Duke of Argyll, Chief of the powerful Clan Campbell. He demolished the original village to give his rebuilt castle more space, and rehoused the population in a new town that is one of the most attractive in Scotland. Inveraray Castle be seen and photographed by riding up the drive at RP 31.
From here you will take one of Scotland's famous beautiful mountain passes. For part of the way, it follows the line of the military road built in 1753; the soldiers who built it gave the pass its name; 'Rest and be Thankful'. The pass divides Glen Kinglas from Glen Croe. On top is a viewpoint with beautiful views in Glen Croe where you can clearly see the old military road.
Following Loch Lomond takes you back to the city but not before visiting the old Roman Baths at RP 41. A gate in a low stone wall on your left gives access to a remarkable example of the survival of ancient archeological remains despite later development. The well-preserved bath house and latrine give visitors an insight into the daily lives of the soldiers stationed along the Antonine Wall. Several artefacts have been found at the site, including: the carved head of a goddess, a gaming board and a building stone inscribed by the men of the 20th Legion
Bearsden was one of 16 known forts along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland’s central belt from AD 140. The wall formed the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire.
From here the route heads back to the McDonald's at Easterhouse, Glasgow.