Round In Circles: Crieff Cloverleaf Review by Neil MacKinnon

Round In Circles: My Crieff Cloverleaf Trip

A review by Neil MacKinnon

In June 2023 I finally managed to accomplish a series of rides I had been planning to do for well over a year. September 2022 was the set off date, then family stuff happened as so often family stuff does and the project went into abeyance until…

Below is a brief impression of each loop of the Crieff Cloverleaf, but let me start with an overall feeling of the rides, having completed the last of them just over 48 hours ago.

A lot of thought has gone into the routes, they are not just flat out blasts down some of the most excellent roads the UK has… alright, they are not ALL blasts down some of the most excellent roads the UK has to offer, aspects of each ride are there either to show you something you otherwise would not have seen, or a bit of Scottish history, modern social or ancient clan, or an interesting town or a spectacular view.

Some aspects of almost every ride take you so far off the beaten tourist trail that the trail has not yet been beaten. There are single track roads that will test your riding skills and others that will make you laugh and possibly whoop, if you are of that kind of disposition, most importantly they will surprise and delight you.

You can ride the loops in any order you wish, I chose my order based in part on the number of miles I wanted to do in a day and also on the forecast weather… using of course the excellent SunSpot feature from the web site. In one case the route was chosen specifically for me to add a cheeky extension onto in order to visit a specific place I wanted to go to.

One other thing to say is that the Cloverleaf creators have absolutely no control over the condition of road surfaces, some of which are challenging to say the least, others are baby’s bum like. Such is the state of all roads in the UK but at least in Scotland they are undertaking significant resurfacing work… which leads to another thing to bear in mind, some roads may be closed, a couple of mine were; in one instance I took an enjoyable diversion route, on another I raced to beat a closure and on a third I, um, improvised!

About My Beeline SatNav

A few words on my method of navigation.

I am an old skool map and compass kind of guy. I started travelling all over the South West of England and then later the whole UK for work long before satellite navigation was a thing, let alone a facility built into the car.

I have used TomToms and Garmins for both work and pleasure and in fact I keep an old but perfectly good TomTom in a bag on the bike JIC things get messy, but my preferred SatNav system is a Beeline. These can be used in two ways, either on the phone with a downloaded app, or with that app bluetooth-linked to a small round display unit. My setup is the latter, the head unit being purchased for me by my family for a birthday present… are they trying to tell me something I wonder?

As the Cloverleaf web site already has the routes in a variety of formats, I just downloaded the GPX files which had the start and finish points in separate places, this worked on every occasion, although there was a slight bit of confusion one morning. This was a characteristic of the system I already knew about but still I chose to follow the satnav rather than my gut… which is not always right.

Using the Beeline app it is possible to plan routes, either fast, fun or in compass configuration where the display just points in the direction you should be travelling. Alternatively you can work out your route using your preferred navigation software, I use Google and then download or convert that file to a GPX file which can be fed straight into the Beeline app by sending yourself an email… this is what I do.

The Beeline display unit does not show you the route as most other devices do, so I am very much riding turn to turn. On the display you have an arrow showing you the direction you should be traveling in, then to one side or the other there is a dot that shows the direction you should be turning at the next direction change and below the arrow is a mileage countdown to that turn / junction / roundabout.

If the next turn is on a roundabout, then a small number appears within the arrow which is the exit you should take, for instance 3, there will also be the dot and as you reach the roundabout the arrow of travel will turn towards where you should head next.

It took a while to get used to the countdown number and I still occasionally overshoot a turn either because the Beeline has just not reacted as quickly as I am moving, or more often because I have misunderstood exactly which turn I should take.

Knowing all the above, it will help to explain why I found some parts of some of the routes technical and taxing which may not have been the case using a continuous line type satnav display and certainly wouldn’t have been the case with a talking satnav.

I like the Beeline, it is small, simple and unobtrusive and I have travelled well over 10,000 miles so far using mine. I have no current plans to change.

Crieff Cloverleaf East

This was my first and I have to confess least enjoyed route. The first half has some fun and fast riding, it also has some stunning views and very interesting roads, many of which you would never in a million years find. After a short jaunt on the A9 / M90 to get over the river Tay you enter the second part of the ride which is both extremely picturesque and also very technical from a navigating and riding perspective, which is the aspect I didn’t completely enjoy as I was having to watch my sat nav nearly as much as watching the road I was riding.

Be aware also that there is a turn around, I found this more or less by accident as the point at which the route directs you to stop and look / photograph the view, I had stopped, to look at and photograph the view. [Kona says: There shouldn’t be a 180° turn-around on any of the routes, but it’s possible Neil was affected by a road closure or other temporary issue – or just that our GPX isn’t playing perfectly with the Beeline app…]

From this point on you spend a lot of time on narrow and single track roads, with the occasional blast along a tasty A road, don’t get carried away though, or you may overshoot a turning…

The ride is full of amazing views and surprises; did you know that strawberries and raspberries are grown near the coast in the East of Scotland? No, me neither, or that arable agriculture is everywhere in that part of the country. The whole area is lush and green and cultivated, something I have never seen before, at least not North of Glasgow. So there is a lot to see and take in, which is really the essence of this route in that you ride to see things and places rather than just riding to ride.

Crieff Cloverleaf West

This was my second day’s riding of the Cloverleaf and I chose today as it was going to be a long one for me due to some added mileage. I will leave that out other than to say that with a fair wind and a bit of luck it is possible to get to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse and back and still have plenty of time to finish the West loop. I purchased my haddock supper at Comrie Fish and Chips at 5.30pm.

I have to add at this point that after reading this piece regarding the routes, it was politely pointed out to me by Kona at the CC that when adapting the route in order to allow me to visit Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, I had reversed the direction of travel, I went clockwise and the route / GPX files that can be downloaded go anticlockwise, so although the treats and delights are the same either way, those not going backwards will experience them in a different order… and that’s just the excuse I need to go back and ride it again sometime.

The West loop is pretty much exactly what I had in mind when I envisioned the Crieff Cloverleaf. The day starts (or finishes) with three wide open, sweeping and fast A roads… and then just gets better and better. You are taken past beautiful Lochs, up / down the (in)famous Rest and be Thankful road and through Highland scenery that is mind-blowingly spectacular and is the essence of the Highlands I have known and loved since my childhood.

To say I was in my element is to understate things to a massive degree.

And then, just when you think it cannot get any more spectacular you find yourself at the Fort William end of Glen Coe heading into the glen itself. I could ride up and down this road once a week just because of the changing nature of the views… it is stunning.

Near the end of the glen the creators have a right little treat for you. At Glen Orchy you turn right onto a single track road which runs alongside the River Orchy all the way. Fast the road isn’t, entertaining it is and the river at times has impressive waterfalls. Unfortunately when I was there the whole of the UK had enjoyed a considerable dry period, I would love to return to Glen Orchy after a period of rain when the river is in spate… I bet it’s something to behold.

At the end of the single track you are back on fast A roads and not far from Tyndrum and the famous Green Wellie Stop, I confess I have never stopped there but it’s very popular with bikers.

The rest of the ride is on the A84 and A85. The former through more stunning Highlands the latter and absolute hoot of a road popular with the local bikers… you’ll know why when you ride it.

Crieff Cloverleaf South

Another game of two halves, the first for the soul the second for the mind and both very different from each other.

After a short cross country ride, there is a long haul down the motorways to get to the real start point of the ride and it is worth every inch of dreaded motorway to enjoy what comes next, which is… elevation, the route goes up, then up, then onto superb A road and up again to end up looking into the amazing Devil’s Beef Tub.

Shortly after you are once again on single track roads and some simply excellent riding and views. The riding’s not fast, but it is delightful, at least I thought so. After some time in what seems like the middle of nowhere you are back to some fantastic A roads. In my case a closed road just the other side of Peebles put me on a slightly different route for a while, but it was much of the same as the intended route and thoroughly enjoyable.

Next comes a lesson in social history as you spend some time riding through what used to be thriving mining communities, which like those I know from South Wales makes for a thought provoking time… then there are windmills, lots of them, huge things and at least in part the future of Scottish economics as the power of nature replaces fossil fuels.

A short hop on the motorway puts you back into an agricultural landscape with some really excellent A roads heading you back in the direction of home. Interestingly you pass both Knockhill racing circuit and through the heart of Gleneagles, a whole town seemingly dedicated to golf.

Crieff Cloverleaf North

This is a really entertaining route and is kind of the culmination of all the other routes as there are super wide, super fast A roads, more normal width A roads and some of the best single track I have ever experienced… anywhere.

As with the other routes, there is a fair amount of twisty A road riding leading to narrower roads and then all of a sudden a length of wide open road. The views are impressive from the start and just get better and better and you are kept on your toes at times by the twist turns and undulations.

On one such section I suddenly realised I only had about 20 minutes to go before a road was due to be closed for the day. My sat nav said I had 10.5 miles to go and so I just had a great time cracking along behind a local in a small van who was clearly on the same mission I was, brilliant fun.

Then the A93 and wow! After that you are into the Cairngorms proper and the snow roads… enjoy. The roads and view are immense and the huge number of other riders I saw is testament to how good this area is for motorcycling.

After a dull section on the A9 to transit down county a little you will find yourself on the best single track and narrow roads ever. It is hard to top the experience of the Snow Roads but this last section gets about as close as it is possible to do.

NOTE: At the time of writing – June 2023, there is a very inconvenient road closure. I am sure the CC creators will find a get-around but on a Friday afternoon, with the week’s work finished, the site cleared up and not a soul to be seen… I improvised. [Kona says: Yes, here’s more info about the short temporary detour.]