An e-bike tour in Highland Perthshire..
The old A9 (Pitlochry to Dunkeld)
When travelling south from Pitlochry towards Perth and Edinburgh on the A924, the majority will make use of the A9. When cycling, or when wishing to avoid traffic, here at HBT we make use of the old A9 to Dunkeld, which is also known as General Wade’s Military Road. It wasn’t that long ago that the A9 still ran straight through Pitlochry (their A9 by-pass didn’t open till 1981), while in Dunkeld the old A9 actually crossed over the old bridge! – So, when cycling it is now a great option to make use of sections from that old A9 route.. the views along the way are also worth the bike ride!
River Tummel
This photo was taken high above the A9 and the Highland Main Line (railway line between Inverness and Perth), looking down at the River Tummel, north of Ballinluig, while cycling along the old military road, in an area known as Milton of Dalcapon, on route towards Dunkeld. In fact, you are that high up that you can no longer hear or see the traffic driving up and down the A9.
Pitlochry to Guay, and Cycle Route 83..
This is the most scenic route when cycling south from Pitlochry to Guay, and then on to Birnam & Dunkeld, where you end up joining cycling route 83, while the more popular cycle route 77 actually runs on the other side of the valley at the base of the dark green tree line in that photo (which is part of the Tay Forest Park), but in reality; when you cycle at the base of any treeline amongst trees, then all you see are the trees! – But if you cycle along route 83 and the old military road instead, as described above, you then get to experience the entire landscape.
Also, it is worth mentioning that the vast majority of people who travel or even reside in this part of the Highlands will never have even seen views like this (as they sit in a car or train to get from A to B), while just one photo is only a snapshot of a bike ride that runs for miles, high above that aforementioned A9 motorway! – Some of our previous guests have commented that no single photo can do these panoramic views justice.. you simply have to be up there cycling to appreciate these views 😉
North of Birnam/Dunkeld - Route 77 or 83?
For more info when cycling around Highland Perthshire, especially for the best views between Pitlochry and Perth, see our previous blog post from June 2024 at;
https://www.highlandbiketours....
All photos by HBT
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Book your Tour
How to book your Tour
There are no cash payments at the premises, so all tours must be booked in advance.
Please note that there are only a maximum of 4 places on any given tour.
To book and reserve your place on one of our tours you can use the Fareharbor Booking system (via orange BOOK NOW link), or for all enquiries send us an email to [email protected], or simply complete the Contact Us section. As there are only 4 slots on any of our tours we operate on a first-come first-served basis with all our bookings. Please also include the height of each person - We will then supply you with the correct frame size.
It is also worth mentioning that if the ‘private tour’ option has been booked in advance then there are no other places or bikes available on that day. For more info about the ‘private tour’ (from 1 up to a maximum of 3 people for the same fee) please see our Tours section, or simply contact us by email or via the website.
Highland Bike Tours (HBT) make use of Hybrid E-Bikes with a classic Dutch design, so suitable to use while wearing casual clothing. You can view images of these e-bikes on the FAQs page (see above), in our Blog section, or in some of our Instagram posts (see below).
Solo travellers wishing to take part in a Bike Tour: Although there is the 'private tour' option (for 1 to 3 people), all of our shared tours require a minimum of two people, so if you would like to take part in one of our tours and are travelling alone, then feel free to contact us with your preferred travel date, and we will do our best to match you up with others in a similar position.
Guided E-Bike Tours also in the Dutch language. NL: Samen met een Nederlandssprekende tourgids ervaar je al het moois dat de Schotse Hooglanden te bieden heeft op een unieke manier.
