Bruce Trail - South West (220 miles)

We shall begin by taking the M8 motorway for a short distance. Don’t be alarmed we rarely ride on major roads but this urban highway has a 50MPH limit and affords the opportunity to familiarise yourself with riding on what will be to some the wrong side of the road.

We shall leave the main road to join quieter twisty, more interesting, back roads and this route shall head south into Ayrshire continuing south to reach Turnberry Castle the birthplace or Robert the Bruce about an hour and a half later (60 miles).

There is nothing of the castle to see with a lighthouse now occupying the site but we shall take a break for morning coffee at nearby Turnberry before we head to Glen Trool where Bruce returned to Scotland and won his first battle against the English. From there we progress east to the Dumfries where Robert the Bruce famously slayed John Comyn at the altar of Greyfriers Church where we stop for lunch about an hour and three quarters ride from Turnberry (65 miles).

We begin our return leg of the journey passing through Annandale to Moffat (Annandale was gifted to the Bruce Family by King David of Scotland in 1124) and onwards to Biggar where we stop for afternoon tea (50 miles) and from there through Lanark then Strathaven before continuing north to complete our journey back to Glasgow (45 miles).

In total about 220 miles with 6 hours spent in the saddle.

Bruce Trail - South East (200 miles)

We shall continue or exploration of the lowlands this time heading east, but firstly we take a northerly route out of Glasgow passing through Bishopbriggs, Torrance and Lennoxtown before crossing the Campsie Hills to take us on a more biker favoured route to Dunfermline Abbey where the body of Robert The Bruce is buried. We shall take a coffee break in Dunfermilne circa 50 miles/ 90 minutes into our day.

As we depart Dunfermline we cross the Forth Bridge towards Edinburgh, which I plan to circumnavigate albeit I have shown the journey through the city on the route map, we can finalise this part of route on the day.

We continue our journey to Haddington where you will find the site of William the Lions palace. William was King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214 which was the second longest rein in Scots history before the act of the union. The yellow flag with red lion often depicted as a symbol of Scotland were derived from William’s coat of arms. He was the Grandson of King David and it is through this ancestry that Robert the Bruce claimed the throne of Scotland.

We shall take lunch in Haddington about 40 miles and an hour’s ride from Dunfermline.

Next we head south crossing the Lammermuir hills to Melrose where we shall take a brief stop at the Abbey where the heart of Robert the Bruce is buried before continuing to Peebles where we shall take afternoon tea (about 55 miles from Haddington and 90 minutes riding).

Leaving Peebles we head back to Glasgow circa 55 miles and about another 90 minutes riding. Overall this day will be about 200 miles with 5 ½ hours in the saddle.

Bruce Trail - North (210 miles)

We begin with a visit to a somewhat touristy former railway station but nevertheless informative offering on the life of Robert the Bruce. This is very close to Cardross where Bruce lived and died. We shall proceed up the western shore of Loch Lomond and stop for morning coffee at The Drovers Inn about 90 minutes total ride time and circa 56 miles from Glasgow.

Next we continue our journey to the north east passing through Crainlarich, Killin and Aberfeldy to arrive in Pitlochry in time for lunch (circa 57 miles and 90 minutes riding).

As we begin our return leg heading south we stop off at Scone Palace where Bruce was crowned where we shall take a brief stop before continuing to Stirling Castle and the Bannockburn Heritage centre. These are both close to the famous battle sites at Stirling Bridge, Falkirk and Bannockburn.

Our final section of this route brings us over to Caron Dam and down to Kilsyth before completing the journey to Glasgow at circa 25 miles/55 minutes bringing this day to around 210 miles with 6 hours in the saddle.