Cycle paths in Scotland: Loch Lomond route offers 'sustained scenic splendour'. Shame about the bumpy ride – Alastair Dalton

It is a delightful scene, according exactly with the green travel era we’ve entered.

I’m on a deserted road hugging the banks of Loch Lomond – but not just its traffic is long gone, the surface itself is disappearing into the encroaching undergrowth closing in on either side.

In fact, nature is erasing the last signs that the road once carried vehicles, its white centre lines almost completely faded into the tarmac and the remains of a few cat’s eyes the last indication of past motorists.

It’s part of an all-too-short short stretch of what used to be the A82, decades ago, and which now forms the highlight of the West Loch Lomond cycle path, a largely traffic-free route between Tarbet and Balloch.

It’s very satisfying to reclaim the road on a bike – after all, they predated cars by decades.

The 1953 edition of the Motor Touring in Scotland guide described as a “track of sustained scenic splendour”.

I’d been meaning to cycle the route ever since it re-opened as a cycle path 15 years ago, and the long-awaited launch this summer of ScotRail’s dedicated “Highland Explorer” bike coaches provided the perfect opportunity to take the train from Glasgow to Tarbet and ride back along it.

A stretch of the old A82 which now forms part of the cycle path near Firkin Point. Picture: The Scotsman

However, what should have been a pleasant excursion along the loch became marred by bewilderment and frustration.

There has been an apparent failure to maintain the route with its bare essentials – route markings to reassure riders they are on the right track, and tolerable surfaces so cycling doesn’t become a bone-shaking ordeal.

Freewheeling down the hill from the station into Tarbet, I was immediately puzzled at the lack of signs to the cycle route, ending up on a narrow, traffic-clogged section of the A82 through the village.

I finally realised its pavement must double as the path – despite having to dodge roadworks signs virtually blocking it.

Bumpy cycle path beside smoother A82 carriageway. Picture: The Scotsman

In fact, I was to see no signs to confirm I was on the route until south of Luss, more than halfway along.

Instead, I just came across a needless “Cyclists Dismount” sign where the route met an A82 layby, since the path should have been have extended round it instead.

I had expected the biggest drawback to the route would be the sections right beside the main road.

But while the traffic noise and fumes were unwelcome, I noticed with bitter irony that the carriageway surface was far smoother than the pot-holed and uneven cycle path.

The remains of a cat's eye is one of the last signs the cycle path was formerly a main road. Picture: The Scotsman

It’s not surprising to see cyclists on 60mph roads with parallel bike lanes if the latter are so poor.

Sustrans, which is responsible for the national cycle network, gave me the impression it wouldn’t touch the route with a barge pole.

It’s not part of the network and never has been, they told me – and it’s even been downgraded from a regional to a local route.

What a missed opportunity when ScotRail are trying to persuade us to get our bikes on the train, and we’re being encouraged to use Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park more sustainably.

But it’s also a warning for those developing new cycle routes across Scotland – and the many more likely to follow on the back of increased funding: don’t just open them, make sure you maintain them too.

A message from the Editor:

Sign on path in A82 layby. Picture: The Scotsman

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.