Tour # 6.
Dunoon - Strachur (Loch Fyne) - Rest And Be Thankful - Arrochar - Loch Lomond - Dumbarton
95 km.
Approx. total hill climb: 325 meters.
Highest point: Rest and be Thankful: 282 meters above sea.
Traffic: Moderate.
Severity Rating: **
Fun rating: **

How to get to Dunoon: Train from Glasgow Central Station to Gourock. Ferry from Gourock to Dunoon.

This cycling trip is not particular interesting, but I have done it and I therefore have to include it. It is a nice early spring tour with a serious mountain thrown in for good measure.

The first thirty km. runs along Holy Loch and through a narrow valley. The road is flat as a pancake. After you have left this lake, a very small hill brings you over to Strachur at Loch Fyne.
Strachur is the last shop before the steep climbs up to Rest And Be Thankful. Fill up with soft drinks and food. Approx. ten kilometers after the flat (and scenic) road along Loch Fyne, you start the climb up to Rest And Be Thankful. The climb is moderate steep along Loch Fyne until you meet the road from Inveraray (A83). The first hill from that crossroad is steep. But it flattens out before the road sharply takes off up a valley to the right. This steep climb is about 1 kilometres long. Then the road goes along a small lake for some hundred meters until you are on the top of Rest And Be Thankful.
The view is worth all the sweat and pain. The descent down to Loch Long is approx. 4 km long. The upper part is very bumpy due to frequent stone-falls hitting the road. Take care !! The road goes in Loch Long to Arrochar (shops, WC). An alternative 10 km. longer route is to take the road along Loch Long to Helensburgh and Dumbarton. The downside is that it contains three hills, including one major hill just before Helensburgh (train to Dumbarton/Glasgow/Edinburgh/the rest of the world). But the road has very moderate traffic and it is very scenic.
The route takes us over a small hill to Tarbet at Loch Lomond. The road down to Dumbarton is relative flat with only a small hill right after Tarbet. There is a cycle path from Tarbet to Luss, but it is off a very poor standard. If you can live with the traffic, I recommend the road to Luss (shops). This small village is one of the most scenic villages in Scotland. The view from the pier towards Ben Lomond is one of the most famous views from Scotland. You find postcards with this view everywhere in Scotland. From Luss (15 km. from Tarbet), please follow the well maintained cycle road. The road from Luss to Dumbarton through Balloch and Alexandria is flat and reasonable interesting. Train from Dumbarton back to Glasgow four times an hour.