Balloch, on the shores of Loch Lomond, is where you will spend your first evening.

For those arriving by train (40 minutes from Glasgow) your accommodation is a short walk from the station. If you decide to arrive into Balloch by car, free on-street parking is available nearby. The Skedaddle guide will meet you at the accommodation in the evening and there will be a chance for a chat about the next few days riding over a drink and something to eat.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 820 Metres Approx.

Following a hearty Scottish breakfast, we start our ride passing Balloch Castle on the shores of Loch Lomond, as we follow quiet roads to Drymen, famed for ‘The Clachan’, Scotland’s oldest pub. We then pedal our way along the Lochs & Glens route up and into the tranquil countryside and forests around Aberfoyle, before our first real test of the legs as we wind our way up the gravel track through Achray Forest for lunch. We are rewarded with stunning views across the Trossachs and start a fantastic descent to Loch Venachar, following its emerald shores on to Callander, our second night’s stop.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 510 Metres Approx.

Today’s ride is shorter but equally stunning, as you pedal your way along an old railway line through some impressive glens on a real combination of surfaces today, from quiet lanes to gravel cycle paths, you pass waterfalls and the serene Loch Lubnaig, before riding through the beautiful Glen Ogle with it’s impressive viaduct. You also pass close to the birthplace of folk hero and latter-day Robin Hood, Rob Roy Macgregor, whose grave may be found in Balquhidder. The final stretch from the top of the pass is to Killin, where we will stop for the night.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 710 Metres Approx.

The start of the day follows the 15 mile long Loch Tay to Aberfeldy the home to Dewars World of Whisky Distillery. All road today, as we pass through Aberfeldy and Strathay, before arriving at Pitlochry – watch out for those leaping salmon at the Pitlochry fish ladder! The wide glens of the river Tay and river Tummel guide us to Pitlochry and our accommodation for the night. The local distillery of Blair Athol, conveniently located in Pitlochry offers optional tours and tastings of it’s ancient Highland malt, a great way to round off the day’s ride.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 625 Metres Approx.

Today we ride through Glen Garry and over the Pass of Drummochter, the main mountain pass separating the southern and northern Highlands. Not to worry as it's a gradual, undulating climb with lovely Highland vistas. Early sights include impressive Blair Castle, ancestral home of Clan Murray in the pretty village of Blair Atholl. Soon we ride on a traffic free path adjacent to the River Garry with a waterfall or two spotted on the way. After conquering the pass on undulating cycle path, we‘re rewarded with 20 miles of gradual downhill to finish the day in the town of Kingussie, passing Dalwhinnie, the highest village (and distillery) in the Highlands, and time permitting, a visit to the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore, Britain's first open air museum and a glimpse at how locals have lived and worked here since the 1700s.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 750 Metres Approx.

The first impressive sight of the day comes immediately after leaving Kingussie. Our route passes directly by the well-preserved Ruthven Barracks, built in 1719 after the Jacobite rising, sitting on an old castle mound. We will take a few minutes to explore the complex and take photos at this picturesque site. Continuing up Speyside through quiet forested roads we soon reach the ski resort town of Aviemore with terrific views of the Cairngorm Mountains. More traffic-free sections follow on a stretch of the Speyside Way, through pleasant forest and moorland track, you might see one of the local golden eagles or osprey if you're lucky! A few miles further we reach Carrbridge with its packhorse bridge, the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands. Following the Slochd summit it's mostly downhill to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness, with glimpses of the Moray Firth ahead. The final miles are steeped in history, passing the 4000 year old Clava Cairns and the Culloden Battlefield before finishing our journey on the Ness Bridge in the heart of the northernmost city in the UK. We'll have a celebratory evening with a wee dram or two before a good night's rest and departure the next day.

• Meals: Breakfast

After our final hearty Scottish breakfast of the trip, time to say farewell to our fellow cyclists and start our return journey home. Transfers to the train station at Inverness and back to cars in Balloch will be provided.