Cycling Weekly set out on the hunt for the best gravel riding we could find and found ourselves in Aberfoyle, just north of Glasgow and we weren't disappointed. With lochs, mountain views and mile after mile of traffic free gravel roads, they thought they found heaven!
In association with Komoot.
In association with Komoot.
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00:00It's safe to say that the last year and a half has been, well, empty of
00:29much in the way of exploration.
00:32Riding has been local, and if you're like me, mostly the same roads and trails over
00:36and over and over and over again.
00:39So when Kamut asked myself and Catherine Moore if we'd like to ride one of the UK's ultimate
00:43gravel riding destinations, naturally we leapt at the chance.
00:48Bags and bikes packed, we headed a long way north to Aberfoyle, otherwise known as Gravelfoyle.
00:55Now all we needed was a guide, so we met up with Kerry McPhee, a local shredder who was
00:59an encyclopaedic knowledge of the gravel roads and the trails on offer.
01:04So Gravelfoyle has 200km of gravel trails, and Aberfoyle is right in the centre of it,
01:11so you can loop the north side and you can loop the south side, you can bail half way,
01:16you can eat your lunch and go down the south side, and there's loads of different types
01:21of gravel as well.
01:22You've got fat gravel, you've got fast gravel, you've got single track, you've got tech,
01:27so this is an ideal place for anyone to come and try.
01:30You can do a massive loop like we're going to do, or you can do a tiny little one.
01:33So you're spoilt for options and spoilt for terrain.
01:36Feeling a little apprehensive to be honest, like I'm really excited about this route,
01:41it looks absolutely incredible what Kerry's put together for us, but it is going to be
01:45a big day and I've ridden two halves by the looks of it, like the Three Locks Drive and
01:50that area that I think we're going to do first looks stunning, we've seen a little bit about
01:54what's in store there, but very accessible from Aberfoyle, whereas the second half looks
01:58properly wild and a bit of the West Highland Way, like really a bit more remote, so I think
02:04that will be really stunning.
02:06It's pretty tough, but it's a good loop.
02:08Pretty tough for you or pretty tough for them?
02:11Pretty tough for them, because they don't know what's coming.
02:16Our route has something of a rude awakening, climbing for the first 5km out of Aberfoyle
02:22before winding through the beautiful Trossachs Forest Roads up to Loch Venica.
02:26We'll ride the Southern Shore before striking across to Loch Acre, before heading south
02:31and back towards Aberfoyle, but not before taking in the sights of Loch Drunke.
02:35But our ride doesn't end there, instead we head out the other side of Aberfoyle and into
02:41the true wilderness of the Trossachs, winding a path between Ben Lomond and Bendoo, it's
02:46here where our ride is at it's most isolated.
02:49A steep hairpin descent takes us down to the iconic West Highland Way on the shores
02:54of Loch Lomond and a chance for a break at the Inver Snaid Hotel.
02:58A short steep climb takes us up to Loch Arklat, before a long ride and a much needed gradual
03:03descent along the banks of Loch Onn back to Aberfoyle.
03:07You can of course find all the route details on Cycling Weekly's Komoot account and at
03:11the link in the description.
03:14We're off!
03:15Where are we Kerry?
03:16We have just hit the Jigs Pass, so if you were doing the Jigs weekend at an event, this
03:21would be the start line of the hill climb.
03:23It is a hill!
03:26We've started on a hill.
03:27So it won't be long before we take a ride onto the gravel.
03:31So this looks like this is kind of some of the only tarmac, you don't touch much tarmac
03:35on this ride.
03:36Very much!
03:37I think this is maybe 300-400 metres of tarmac and then it's just pure gravel after that.
03:41Music to my ears!
03:46Music to my ears!
04:16Look at this!
04:30Very cloudy, very atmospheric, although I think it's going to burn off.
04:34I think we might get better weather this afternoon, which is nice, but these gravel roads are
04:40so cool.
04:41I just don't have anything like this where I ride at home.
04:45None of these wide open rides that are just no traffic.
04:52You can ride free abreast, so Kerry, myself and Catherine are able just to ride along
04:57and chat.
04:58It's such a refreshing way to ride.
05:15Woo!
05:16Not that hard!
05:17Not warm enough!
05:18Rupert had a comedy crash!
05:19You know when your mate crashes, and for a split second, you really want to laugh but
05:40you shouldn't laugh because you need to make sure that they're okay first.
05:43That was awkward!
05:44It was just so funny.
05:45It was just like a real slow-mo tumble.
05:49Very embarrassing.
05:50It's just funny when somebody crashes.
06:03Fifteen kilometres into our ride, after climbing out of Aberfoyle and stretching out along
06:07rocky tracks and winding our way along the southern shores of Loch Venica, we reach Ackray
06:12Farm, the perfect place for an ice cream break.
06:16I was glad to reach Ackray Farm because Kerry had told us a lot about the delicious ice
06:26cream, which I can confirm was really delicious.
06:30I think the elderflower one that I had, had been foraged from the village like two days
06:34ago which is super cool, and there's loads of animals here which I'm really excited about.
06:40Back to the route, yeah, fab so far.
06:43If I said gravel foil, what does that mean to you?
06:48Gravel foil is Aberfoyle, it's the mecca for gravel in the UK at the moment, I think.
06:55Have you seen an increase in cyclists?
06:57Yeah, very much so.
06:59I mean, lockdown was amazing here, the number of people who came out of their homes and
07:05could enjoy the roads and the tracks for maybe the first time in a long time, and the number
07:11of casual recreational and semi-pro racers whizzing around the woods here is phenomenal
07:17these days.
07:18When we came to the farm, we knew there was the Great Trossachs Path running through it
07:22and the Feellocks Quife Drive adjacent, so setting up a business that would cater to
07:27sustainable travel, people out recreational cycling and walking was key to our business.
07:32And people do, people stop, people in cars don't stop, everyone on a bike or walking
07:38around the lot sees the benefits, sees the slower pace and can stop and enjoy it, that's
07:45what we're here for, to give them that experience.
08:32Kerry McPhee, you've done a lot of plotting on Komoot, haven't you?
08:52Yeah, I love using Komoot for my plots.
08:57How many kilometres of trails do you think you've worked out on Komoot?
09:01Oh, Hunners, that's a good Scottish word, Hunners.
09:04Hunners!
09:05Hunners!
09:06Hundreds of trails on Komoot.
09:08Hundreds of trails.
09:09I have got a Komoot collection of my gravel foil routes, and it goes as far as lots of
09:14parts of the West Highland Way, and then there's South Gravel Foil, North Gravel Foil, it's
09:17massive, and there's stuff that I haven't done yet.
09:19It definitely goes without saying that you should check out Kerry's Komoot collections
09:24and all the things we'll post on the Cycling Weekly Komoot profile if you want to dig out
09:28some great routes, because Kerry, you know them all.
09:31Yeah, I was squeaky when I was trying to plot something out for you guys, we're going in
09:35on epic today, because I just want you to see it all and feel it all.
09:39Awesome.
09:40Well, let's crack on, because we have a long way to go.
09:58This is a classic gravel foil section of trail.
10:01We've just done the switchbacks up to the aqueduct.
10:04So where does this aqueduct go?
10:06So I think this aqueduct comes from Glenfinglas Reservoir, which used to be a little settlement
10:12and they flooded it so that they could provide water to Glasgow during, I think there was
10:17a cholera outbreak or something, and they needed some fresh water pumped into the city,
10:22and they came to Aberfoss, it's so lovely.
10:24Of course.
10:26So we've just gone beneath the aqueduct, which whenever you reference gravel foil,
10:31you always see a picture of that.
10:55So Comer was incredible.
11:07You come round to the top of this amazing balcony gravel road round the corner, and
11:13it just opens up to these spectacular views of Loch Lomond and all the pleasure boats
11:17going up and down, and it was pretty steep as well.
11:26Music
11:38Following 15km of climbing out of Aberfoyle, with close to 300m of elevation, we reach
11:44the summit of the Comer climb, which is followed by a formidable descent down to the shores
11:49of Loch Lomond.
11:52It's wicked isn't it?
11:53What a day we've got!
11:55It's alright.
11:56You see it all the time.
11:58It's alright.
11:59So what's up next Kerry?
12:01We've got some descent, the Komoot profile is showing a pretty steep downhill.
12:06Yeah, so we've kind of climbed like that, and now we're going to go like that.
12:10Well we're going down to water level aren't we basically?
12:12Yeah we are, we're dropping a little bit a lot actually.
12:14So it's a big descent.
12:15Yeah, it's like a thousand feet or something.
12:18Thousand feet, boiling day.
12:20And there's Loch Lomond and you're like trying to take in the view, but you can't because
12:24you've pulled onto your brakes.
12:25Absolutely amazing.
12:43I think anyone could do the Comer route definitely.
12:47And the Comer descent, although it's gnarly, it does have switchbacks.
12:52So you can do one little section and then stop and rest, and then do the next section
12:55and stop and rest.
12:57I wouldn't recommend it in reverse though, because it is a stinker of a climb the other way.
13:01And if you stop and rest, it means you get to also appreciate the views of Loch Lomond
13:05as you descend.
13:06So yeah, I'd say it's probably an epic sort of loop, but it has a bit of everything.
13:22Oh, nearly.
13:42Tell me about that descent, Catherine.
13:44That was tricky.
13:46I had to walk a couple of meters there.
13:49So steep, wasn't it?
13:50It was like rocky, bouldery, sort of washed out background.
13:57If you don't pick your line, you're just in so much trouble.
14:00Yeah.
14:01And then Kerry went, yeah, it's pretty gnarly with just one brake.
14:07Kerry's front brake doesn't work.
14:10Although just three kilometers in length, the stretch along the banks of Bonny Loch
14:14Lomond features some of the most unforgiving terrain we've encountered.
14:18With stream crossings and rocky scrambles, this was true hiker bike territory.
14:37We were just walking along, and from behind us both, we just heard this massive crunch.
14:44And we looked round, and Rupert had had quite an accident.
14:48So we're just currently trying to work out what we're going to do next, because Rupert
14:52does no longer have a rear mech.
14:55Oh, that's not ideal.
14:56So it's not the hanger that snaps?
14:59It is.
15:00The hanger is, yeah, the hanger is blown.
15:03You're lucky we're on the hiker bike.
15:05Yeah, totally.
15:06Anyway.
15:20The worst highway is quite hiker bike anyway, but he literally had to hike the bike the
15:26whole way along.
15:28So yeah, poor Rupert.
15:31It was funny, but now that I realize we're kind of quite far away from Arbor Foil, I'm
15:37a little bit filled with a bit more pity for him.
15:46It's only been about half an hour we've been waiting.
15:54So I bent my rear mech in the crash, and then I snapped it off on the West Highland Way,
15:58and now I need to find a solution so I can do the rest of the ride.
16:03And I think that solution is going to be stealing drone pilot Ruben's bike.
16:10So sorry, Ruben, but I'm commandeering your mountain bike.
16:15After a steep 10% climb out of Inversnaid, we wound our way along the gorgeous shores
16:27of Loch Arklat and then down to Loch Arn before a welcome gradual descent into Arbor Foil.
16:33The gravel roads here are what dreams are made of.
16:36Wide open and super fast, we couldn't stop grinning the whole way home.
16:44So I'm on Ruben's mountain bike, and it's great.
17:04So comfortable compared to the gravel bike, but it's a little bit slow.
17:11And I have now been dropped by Catherine and Kerry.
17:15That puff of dust going up over the crest of the hill is Catherine and Kerry.
17:21So, it's a tough ride.
17:41With 85km ticked off, we rolled into Arbor Foil caked in dust and baked by the sun.
17:47As promised, the ride had really featured a little bit of everything.
17:51From wide open, remote mountain vistas, epic hiker biking and fast gravel roads,
17:56we'd been blown away by the riding on offer and the community that it had fostered.
18:10Oh, hi.
18:17We made it.
18:20Wow, that was a big day.
18:22It was a big day.
18:23It's definitely a whole day route, that, isn't it?
18:27Full on.
18:28Full on.
18:29So worth it.
18:30I did worry that was a bit giddy with wanting to show you everything, but I think it was worth it.
18:33We asked you for the most epic ride you could put together in Arbor Foil, and you did it.
18:39I think it's safe to say.
18:40We had it all, honestly.
18:41I completed the brief.
18:42Yeah, you did.
18:43And we made it back, even if we were one bike down.
18:45Yeah, we were one bike down, but thanks to drone pilot Ruben's generosity, he walked home.
18:52Well, three of us have made it back.
18:55Goes without saying, if you want to see the route that we've ridden today, it will be in the description of the video below.
19:00And for everything else, Arbor Foil gravel riding, check out Kerry's collections,
19:05because she's done so much work putting it all together.
19:08Putting Arbor Foil on the map.
19:10Yeah, the true queen of Arbor Foil.
19:12Always happy to share my knowledge.
19:14There's so much good stuff on there.
19:16Definitely worth taking the time before you come up to have a look and find some absolute belters of rides and trails.
19:22If you have enjoyed this video, then please do give us a thumbs up and subscribe to Cycling Weekly YouTube channel.
19:27And leave us a comment in the comment section below telling us what you loved,
19:31and whether you'd come and ride in the amazing place that is Arbor Foil.
19:35We'll be back soon with some more great adventure content, and we'll see you then.