Cycle lanes

Perth & Kinross is not too well endowed when it comes to cycle lanes outside of Perth. Three roads that have lanes of a sort are the A912 Aberargie to Bridge of Earn Road, A912 Bridge of Earn to Craigend and the A94 through Scone.

The A912 roads are a planners missed opportunity, a traffic calming scheme to narrow this former three lane highway created a wide verge. Unfortunately the verge is marked with a continuous white line, which technically makes it an offence to cross it - yeah right, that will be the day. Both these verges make for a valuable safe haven. If only the road planners had thought of making out a traffic order, painting a bicycle on the ground and erecting a few signs.

Unfortunately the verge disappears at a set of bends just before Craigend just when a cyclist could do with some extra protection.

The A94 through Scone is a bit of a mystery, the sides of the road have been painted with a dashed white line and surfaced with the same stuff they use on the advance stop areas. However there are no official signs of any kind of cycle lane. Watch out for the road narrowing at the traffic islands.

The A94 between Perth and Scone — the road between Perth and Scone will have advisory cycle lanes, a bus & cycle lane into the city and a shared use footpath out of the city.

And that is it for two whole counties nothing really to be proud of.

Cycle shops

Cycle Hire

National Cycle Network

Two main routes run through Perth and Kinross: National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 1 also known as the North Sea Cycle Route and the Kingdom Cycle Route and NCN 7 Lochs and Glens Carlisle to Inverness Route.

A secondary link route, NCN 77 connects the NCN 7 at Logierait to NCN 1 at the Tay Road Bridge.

NCN 1

Only a small part of this route passes through Perth & Kinross, the route comes over the Cleish Hills from Dunfermline, passes by Cleish and takes a back road into Kinross. From Kinross the route connects with a section of old railway outside Milnathort for a short distance before returning to the road. The route then passes the Levenglen Nursing Home to connect with the Dryside Road to head for Strathmiglo in Fife.

NCN 7

This route enters Perth & Kinross on the south shore of Loch Tay between Killin and Kenmore, travels across to Logierait and up to Pitlochry. Then on the old A9 to Calvine and then onto a cycle path alongside the A9, passing into Highland Council territory south of Dalwhinnie

NCN 77

Leaves the NCN 7 at Logierait goes to Ballinluig and heads south on parts of the old A9, old military road and a cycle path (tarred surface) to finally connect with the old A9 into Dunkeld. The NCN 7 seems to stop after the Bankfoot junction at Birnam, but is expected to follow the route of Tayside Regions super secret Perth to Inverness route, passing through Bankfoot then heads for Pitcairngreen, Almondbank. It is expected that the route will connect with the Tay Flood Prevention barrier path which leads along the River Almond and Tay into Perth. The NCN 77 route then continues out of Perth to Glencarse and across the Carse of Gowrie to Dundee finally ending at the Tay Road Bridge.

Perthshire (& Kinross) Tourist Board

The Perthshire (& Kinross) Tourist Board have produced a leaflet entitled Cycling & Mountain Biking in Perthshire. To be honest this leaflet is nothing spectacular but it does contain some good information on local bicycle shops, hire companies and tour organisations.

Further information on how to obtain this leaflet can be found at the tourist boards web site.