does anyone know if the section of the national cycle route above is tarmaced? Planning a big route on road bike and would prefer to cycle down it rather than the main road.

Some bits of it but not much. Mix of tarmac & gravel, but mostly gravel.

I seem to remember thinking about this when I was riding it last year – that it was a robust surface. I think there are sections that are tarmac from Balquidder up through Glen Ogle but it’s maybe more gravel once you cross the road and head down to Killin. My vagueness probably doesn’t help you much.

Actually, looking on Geograph seems to indicate what I thought.

As above. Tar from Lochearnhead along the old railway viaduct and then a little bit across the road to the car park. Some more tar as you head down the hill to Killin but then it becomes gravel/earth/landy track when it enters the forest. OK on a tourer/hybrid.

Cheers chaps…we’d plan to only cycle the viaduct section from Lochearnhead to where it crosses the road to glen ogle..any idea if that bit is Tarmac?

Yep.

From Lochearnhead it is little lane and steep tarmac up. Main railway is just smooth gravel as per kunstlers pics, all the way to Glen Ogle.

Please be really, really careful if taking to the road at Ogle – both ways on Glen Ogle have seen cyclist fatalities every year for the last couple of years. 🙁 Lots of busy traffic, on a twisty, fast road with blind bends and corners.

(I lived in Killin for 6 years – shout if you want route info or ideas)

some cinder, some gravel and some tarmac. Workers were putting down new chippings as of four weeks ago.
Ridable on a road bike but not great fun.

I’ve been looking at putting together a big road route from Dunkeld and ruled the Glen Ogle section out looking instead to do Amulree to Kenmore and then around Loch Tay to take the Ben Lawers high road to Glen Lyon, around Schiehallion to Loch Rannoch and back via Pitlochry.

well we cycled this on friday 17th April 2015 on our Carbon road bikes with skinny tyres – surface was fine – mixed and as described above.