Loch Lyon Coffin Road and Drove Road to Killin Show path on map

Start location: Bridge of Lochay, Killin ( NN 569 342 )

End location: Old Military Road (West Highland Way), Auch ( NN 327 356 )

Geographical area: Lochaber, Perth, Kinross and Stirling (part)

Path distance: 31.8km

Accessibility info: Suitable for bikes, Suitable for pedestrians

Route Description

This long and historic route is now followed by landrover tracks or tarmac all the way, so may be considered cyclable by some. However, it traverses some remote and wild country and there are numerous fords, which may need wading in wet conditions.

From Killin, go 13km by the public road up Glen Lochay to Kenknock, then 7km by the hydro road northwest over the pass to the dam at the east end of Loch Lyon. Go along the north side of Loch Lyon by a bulldozed track to the inlet at the foot of Gleann Meurain, follow the track around this inlet and continue southwest along the loch-side to the head of the loch. Continue west over the pass between Beinn Mhanach and Beinn nam Fuaran and go down to the ruin at Ais-an t-Sithean (NN353391). Continue southwest along the track beside the Allt Kinglass down Auch Gleann. Passing under the long curving viaduct of the West Highland Railway, it is 1km further to the West Highland Way at Auch.

OS Landranger 51 (Loch Tay)

Heritage Information

Some coffin roads are lengthy, and one of the longest was the route taken by the MacGregors of Glen Lyon, from Loch Lyon to their traditional clan burial ground in Dalmally at the foot of Glen Orchy. As this route is so very long, it is likely that there would have been particular places where funeral parties would have set the coffin down and rested. These places can be marked by flattened cairns or flat rocks, anything to rest the coffin on so that the carriers can take a break and perhaps a dram. They may also simply have been significant points along the route such as prominent stones which would be visible above the snow line. Such sites can often be very difficult to find unless local knowledge of them has survived; in this case, we're unaware of the location of any resting places.

Drovers travelled in the other direction, from Loch Lyon to Killin, on their way from Skye to Crieff. Nefarious others too quite probably, as in the Drove Roads of Scotland (1952), ARB Haldane references a military commander reporting in 1749 of a watch being kept for cattle thieves at the head of Glen Lyon, this being "a very remarkable pass to and from the Isle of Skye".

The ruined house at Ais-an t-Sithean was once the home of the Gaelic poet Duncan Ban MacIntyre (1724-1812).