Aberfoyle to Brig o’Turk – Trail Run
This run can be done in either direction, but the nice thing about running south to north is that you get the climbing over with in the first 4km and then you have a lovely relaxing downhill run all the way to Brig O’turk. Once there, you can have a delicious lunch at the café before hopping on the Trossachs Explorer bus back.
Bus Out: Callander (or Drymen) to Aberfoyle
Bus Return: Brig o’Turk to Callander (or Drymen)
Distance: 12 km
Height gain: 282 m
Find this route on Strava
We caught the Trossachs Explorer from Callander and hopped off at Aberfoyle, where we had a coffee and cake before heading out on to the route. The route turns off the road onto a bike/walking path and then climbs upwards through beautiful woods with lots of art and hammocks and it’s worth the slight detour to see the waterfall when you get to the bridge. 
The bridge was shut when we were there (- it’s open again now), but the river was easy enough to cross on the stepping stones. You are then climbing quite steeply uphill in parts under the Go Ape ropes which is quite exciting as people zip wire above you!
We had to walk this as it’s quite steep and the path is slightly confusing, but you quite quickly pop out of the woods onto a beautiful forestry track with great views. From then on the run is a fairly straightforward forestry track going slightly downhill (the dream!).
Some of the route overlaps with the Three Lochs Forest Drive which can be fairly busy with cars at the weekends. Loch Drunkie is very pretty and worth a the short diversion from the road to sit on the shore and have a snack and take a picture!
You then continue on to Achray Farm where there are often goats milling about and you can buy a well-earned ice cream!
Finally the route pops you out on the A821 and it’s a couple of hundred metres along here to the Brig o’Turk Tearoom where you can enjoy a delicious vegetarian lunch! The owners are absolutely lovely and the bus stop is right outside the café to catch the Trossachs Explorer back to where you started.
Guest blog by @helen.x.outside (Instagram)