Your Adventure Starts Here
Create a personalised day-by-day walking plan with free GPX and for each stage and PDF itinerary downloads.
Stops are based on access to accommodation (does not include camping).
Select your start date for the trail.
Based on an average of 8 hours on the trail per day
Four speed profiles from trail runner to explorer.
South-to-north or north-to-south with adjusted data.
Pick a start date and daily walking hours.
After generating your itinerary you can add rest days along the way.
View each day's segment with trail details.
Export a free GPX file for each day of your trek.
Download free GPX route files for the Rob Roy Way, split by day to match your personal itinerary. Our planner generates individual GPX route tracks for each of your stages, from Drymen through Aberfoyle, Callander, and Killin to Pitlochry.
Each GPX file includes full elevation data and follows your chosen direction of travel. Load them onto Komoot, AllTrails, Garmin, OS Maps, or any GPS-compatible device. No sign-up required — just generate your itinerary and download.
The Rob Roy Way is traditionally walked south to north, from Drymen to Pitlochry. This direction follows the natural flow of the route through increasingly dramatic Highland scenery, building from the gentle lowlands around Loch Lomond to the wilder landscapes of Loch Tay and Highland Perthshire.
The trail is waymarked in both directions, so north to south is entirely possible if it suits your travel plans better.
The Rob Roy Way was launched in 2002 and designated as one of Scotland's Great Trails, the route takes its name from Rob Roy MacGregor, the cattle drover, outlaw and Jacobite rebel who became one of Scotland's most celebrated folk heroes. The trail follows many of the tracks and droving paths he would have known intimately, passing through landscapes that shaped both his life and his legend.
The walk begins gently, leaving Drymen on quiet roads before heading into the ancient woodland of Loch Ard Forest and the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, arriving at the village of Aberfoyle in the heart of the Trossachs. From here the route climbs through the Menteith Hills and crosses open moorland before descending to Loch Venachar and on into Callander, known as the Gateway to the Highlands. This early section crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, the great geological divide where the Lowlands give way to the Highlands, and you can feel the landscape shifting as you move northward.
Beyond Callander the trail follows the shores of Loch Lubnaig, one of several beautiful lochs that define the middle section of the route, before reaching the village of Strathyre. A long stretch of cycleway then carries the path along the valley to Lochearnhead beside the waters of Loch Earn, and a crossing of the dramatic Glen Ogle leads to the attractive village of Killin at the western end of Loch Tay. This section has a satisfying rhythm to it, with wide views opening across the surrounding hills and a real sense of moving deeper into Highland country.
The ground becomes more demanding beyond Killin, where the route climbs high above Loch Tay on mountain paths before descending to follow the quiet road along its southern shore. The views here across the loch and its wooded hillsides are among the finest of the entire walk. Approaching Aberfeldy, the route passes the dramatic Falls of Acharn before descending through the Birks of Aberfeldy, a wooded gorge of birch, oak and ash celebrated in verse by Robert Burns. From Aberfeldy the final section follows the River Tay through Grandtully and across open moorland to reach Pitlochry, where a crossing of the River Tummel beside the impressive dam brings you into the town centre.
Throughout the route, historical connections add texture to the walking. Earthwork remains of Roman forts, Victorian aqueducts, Jacobite-era military roads and a 3,600-year-old stone circle all appear along the way, alongside the many places directly linked to Rob Roy's turbulent life. The trail is generally well waymarked and the terrain, a mixture of forest tracks, cycleway, disused railway trackbed and open hillside paths, keeps the walking varied without being relentlessly demanding. Most walkers complete the route in six to eight days. The larger stops, Callander, Killin, Aberfeldy and Pitlochry, offer a selection of accommodation and places to eat, while smaller villages like Strathyre and Aberfoyle have at least one or two welcoming options.
May and June are excellent months. The route through the Southern Highlands is green and vivid, the lochs are at their most reflective, and the days are long enough to make the most of the varied and sometimes demanding terrain between Drymen and Pitlochry.
July and August bring the warmest and most settled conditions, and the Highland landscape in high summer can be genuinely spectacular on a clear day. The downside is midges, which can be relentless in still and humid conditions. A good midge net and repellent are not optional on this route in summer. Accommodation fills up in peak season, so book ahead.
September is arguably the finest month to walk. The midges ease considerably, the heather across the higher ground is in full purple bloom, the autumn colours begin to build through the month, and the weather across Perthshire often stays settled and clear. The Highland light in September has a quality that is difficult to describe and hard to forget.
October brings dramatic skies and rich autumn colour to the birch and oak woodlands, and the route is very quiet. The weather becomes increasingly unpredictable and the higher sections demand good waterproofs and solid navigation skills.
November through March is for experienced and well-equipped walkers only. Some sections cross exposed and remote ground where poor weather can arrive quickly. Accommodation options thin out considerably and some facilities close entirely.
Three pre-planned itineraries based on 8 hours of walking per day, south-to-north from Drymen to Pitlochry. Click through for full day-by-day breakdowns, or use the planner above to create your own.
A comfortable walking pace with time to enjoy the scenery
The most popular way to experience the Rob Roy Way. Six days at hiker pace gives you time to enjoy the scenery, stop for photos, and take regular brea…
Covering more ground each day for experienced walkers
Four days covering the Rob Roy Way at fastpacker pace — roughly 32 km per day with a light pack and minimal stops. This schedule suits experienced lon…
A serious undertaking for experienced endurance athletes
Three days of trail running across the Rob Roy Way, averaging 43 km per day with around 8 hours of moving time. This demands fitness, good navigation …
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