Over the Ochil Hills

30 May 2023
Ochil Hills

During a Bank Holiday bike ride yesterday we covered about 50 miles (78km to be precise) from Perth down to Loch Leven by cycling a circular route that took us over the Ochil Hills through Perthshire, Kinross and Fife.

The best part of this tour is that there is very little traffic simply because there are virtually no main roads crossing the Ochil Hills, so for the most part you are sharing the ride with beautiful scenery and wildlife.

Departing from Perth and heading south through Bridge of Earn, the most straight forward bike friendly route is usually through a place called Dron and then up and on to Loch Leven via Glenfarg, but that sharp climb just south of Dron is very steep (so much so that even a cycling legend like Mathieu van der Poel would have to get out of his saddle to make that climb!).. so this time we crossed the Ochil Hills by heading west towards Forgandenny, and then by taking the turning left up towards Ardargie, and Rossie Ochill, headed over the hills to Glenfarg, and then on the free wheel ride down to Milnarthort (near Loch Leven) reached speeds of up to 50km per hour!

On the way back to Perth we cycled along the northside of Loch Leven towards Scotlandwell, taking an old cycling route through Fife to the village of Strathmiglo, and then crossed back over the Ochill Hills again, before dropping down to Abernethy, and finally alongside the Tay River back to Perth.

One of the best parts of this type of bike ride is that you got to see and experience so many things you would never have done if sat in a motor vehicle!.. apart from the views, or the bonus of not being able to smell petrol or diesel fumes, you actually spend a lot of the time admiring the views while cycling in total silence, maybe occasionally interrupted by the sounds of a bird flying above, or a lamb in a nearby field.. it really is that special 😉

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The Ochil Hills just south of Perth are best described as 40 to 50km long ridge running from Stirling all the way east across to Fife, and seen by many as being the dividing line between the Lowlands and the Highlands. So much so that in the past Stirling at one end was described as the main Gateway to the Highlands. The name comes from a Pictish folklore (meaning a ridge rather than a mountain or a range of hills), and although given the name Ochil Hills, this entire ‘ridge’ counts well over a hundred separate peaks standing above 400 meters, with twenty of those peaks running along that ridge standing higher than 600 meters. There is even an Ochils Mountain Rescue Team. And with very few roads, also a natural barrier between North and South.

You can read up more about this part of Scotland at: https://www.visitscotland.com/...


Photos; Loch Leven (banner)… Ochil Hills… another (hidden) loch in Ochil Hills..


More photos can be viewed on our Twitter or Instagram pages, or previous bike rides from this region (from Perth to Loch Leven) are also in the Blog section.

What our guests say

We had a great time on a private tour. The bikes were excellent and Terry was able to customize the tour to what we wanted. Highly recommend booking this tour.

Morgan Elk

Loved our day with Highland Bike Tours! Equipment was in great shape (helmets, vests, and bikes). I learned and saw things I would not have been able to see by car or if I had biked on my own.

Amelia

Had a great tour around Perth. Great cycling and learned a lot about the landscape (and also whiskies). Of course, it is also an added bonus that you can do this tour in Dutch. Terry speaks perfect Dutch as a Scot and can also tell a nice story. Recommended!

Pim Bleeker

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How to book your Tour

There are no cash payments at the premises, so all tours must be booked in advance, or paid by debit or credit card (at the shop/hub) prior to the tour.

Please note that there are only a maximum of 4 places on any given tour.

To reserve your place on one of our tours you can either use the Fareharbor Booking system (via orange BOOK NOW link), 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 road 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), or on our Instagram link (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. Voor meer info zie ook: highlandbiketours.nl (our Dutch language website)

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