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Specifically the bit from Perth to Kingussie.
I can get to Perth on fairly pleasant roads, but the obvious bit from there northwards is the A9, which looks less pleasant to ride up.
I believe there is a bike path option following the A9? Has anyone used this?
Does it follow the A9 pretty closely or does it go miles out of the way?
How well surfaced is it? The whole journey is going to be 150+ miles for me so would like to do it on a fast carbon road bike with tiny tyres, fine if the track is decent tarmac, less good if it's badly maintained gravel. The other option is a singlespeed gravel bike, OK for the gravelly track but really slow everywhere else and it would take ages and be really hard work. A multitude of compatibility problems means there can be no frankenbikes, the bigger tyres won't fit the road bike, the gears won't fit the gravel bike, etc.
Pitlochry to Pitagowen looks like it has a viable alternative route, but not sure about the rest.
Cheers
yes there is a bike route. Its marked on maps. It uses small roads in parts and specific paths in parts. Its gravel in places. It is a bit further in one or two bits
for goodness sake please do not ride on the main A9 - its really dangerous to do so and would be very unpleasant.
wot TJ said, all of it.
NCN route 7:
https://explore.osmaps.com/?lat=56.952919&lon=-4.092360&style=Standard&zoom=7.8486&overlays=os-ncn-layer&type=2d
Yes, there is a cycle path as above. A lot of it between Bruar and Dalwhinnie was resurfaced last year so it's pretty good.
Don't be the guy who I came across a couple of weeks ago He was riding on the A9 between Pitlochry and Dunkeld. There were several miles of queues waiting to get past him as he rode along at 10-15mph and the beautifully surfaced cycle path was about 3m to his left.
I'm very patient with cyclists but this dude nearly got a slap!
There are a few short sections of "gravel" - actually it's bits of old road that haven't been resurfaced for decades. Lots of folk manage it on road bikes..
Just follow the NCN signs out of Perth and you'll be fine. It's NCN77 from Perth to Logierait, then NCN7 to Kingussie
I ride on the A9 regularly and it is fine - however, the bits I ride on aren't the bits north of Keir Roundabout at Dunblane - I'm daft and stupid but I'm not that daft and stupid!
If you decide to take the gravel bike then the Gaick pass would be a more scenic way from Blair Atholl to Kingussie.
It *is* a long way, but I would not swap the safety of some lovely backroads and bumpy paths for the A9 purely for a minor bit of extra speed.
I passed up Glen Ogle a couple of weeks ago - again the cycle path is across the valley, well marked and well mapped, and yet still there was a group of 6 cyclists, all spread out, winching up the main A86. Right where three cyclists have been killed over the years.
sometimes cyclist do not help themselves. glen ogle is a lovely ride. A86 would be horrid for that section
sometimes cyclist do not help themselves
TBF, I do wonder sometimes if
a) the signs are big enough and often enough - compare the size and frequency of roadsigns with the wee blue squares for bikes....?
b) people don't know how to make sure a digital map shows the cycle routes or even have anything other than road map...? I know some folk from my local club who would ride on main road out of choice - as they know no-other route. I amazed one over the winter by directing them onto a back lane (with lovely climb and beautiful views) to avoid 4 miles of A86. She just had no idea and no map....
You can avoid some of the garvelly bits from Dunkeld -> Pitlochry by taking the road that goes North out of Dunkeld on the eastern side of the A9. That leads to a good tarmac path that takes you to Guay, where there's good road all the way to Pitlochry. Otherwise there's a few km of gravel getting out of Dunkeld that's OK in the dry but not fun on a road bike if it's wet.
From memory the rest of NCN 7 is fine on a road bike.
Otherwise there’s a few km of gravel getting out of Dunkeld that’s OK in the dry but not fun on a road bike if it’s wet.
Not any more I don't think, they've resurfaced the route alongside the Tay between Dunkeld and Tay Crossing so you can then join the B898
Aye, super smooth tarmac out of Dunkeld now.
Agree with others, avoid anything that is the A9, and follow the NCN's, they've done so much on them over the years and really improved the way you can get from Perth to Pitlochry and beyond, part of that used to be my commute as well, i do miss the scenery up there, not so much the A9!
msatt - its a good point.
TBF, I do wonder sometimes if
a) the signs are big enough and often enough – compare the size and frequency of roadsigns with the wee blue squares for bikes….?
When I was volunteering at Sustrans I did make the point that even the current signs are only visible when you are already on the route. For example, if you were to find yourself on an unpleasant part of the A9 it wouldn't be obvious where to find the cycle route, where it went, how far to your destination or the actual conditions of the route.
^ that's very true. Once you are off-route, there's no direction back to the route. It's only the 'entrance' that's marked quite often.
Good friend's colleague was killed cycling on the A9 south of Pitlochry.
Don't do it.
I think if I had to do that route in a car these days I would avoid the A9 !
Road signs aren't for cyclists, they're for motorists. So prioritise the bigger roads. Have got myself into trouble in the past when following a road sign.
As for the A9, I don't even like driving parts of it.