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!
04:28It's very 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.
04:46One of these wide open rides that are just no traffic, you can ride like free abreast.
04:54So Kerry, myself and Catherine are able just to ride along and chat.
04:58It's such a refreshing way to ride.
05:16Woo!
05:20Not that one!
05:22Not Warner!
05:24Rupert had a comedy crash!
05:34You 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.
05:43Once that was all clear, it was just so funny.
05:46It was just like a real slow-mo tumble.
05:48Very embarrassing.
05:50It's just funny when somebody crashes.
06:0215km into our ride, after climbing out of Aberfoyle and stretching out along rocky tracks
06:08and winding our way along the southern shores of Loch Venica, we reach Ackray Farm, the
06:14perfect place for an ice cream break.
06:23I was glad to reach Ackray Farm because Kerry had told us a lot about the delicious ice
06:27cream, which I can confirm was really delicious.
06:30I think the elderflower one that I had, had been foraged from the village two days ago,
06:35which is super cool, and there's loads of animals here which I'm really excited about.
06:40But back to the route, yeah, fab so far.
06:43If I said gravel foil, what does that mean to you?
06:47Gravel foil is Aberfoyle.
06:49It'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.
07:01The number of people who came out of their homes and could enjoy the roads and the tracks
07:08for maybe the first time in a long time, and the number of casual recreational and semi-pro racers
07:14kind of whizzing around the woods here is phenomenal these 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.
07:33People in cars don't stop.
07:35Everyone on a bike or walking around a lot sees the benefits, sees the slower pace
07:42and can stop and enjoy it.
07:44That's what we're here for, to give them that experience.
08:03The Great Trossachs Path
08:05The Great Trossachs Path
08:07The Great Trossachs Path
08:09The Great Trossachs Path
08:11The Great Trossachs Path
08:13The Great Trossachs Path
08:15The Great Trossachs Path
08:17The Great Trossachs Path
08:19The Great Trossachs Path
08:21The Great Trossachs Path
08:23The Great Trossachs Path
08:25The Great Trossachs Path
08:27The Great Trossachs Path
08:29The Great Trossachs Path
08:32The Great Trossachs Path
08:34The Great Trossachs Path
08:36The Great Trossachs Path
08:38The Great Trossachs Path
08:40The Great Trossachs Path
08:42The Great Trossachs Path
08:44The Great Trossachs Path
08:48Kerry McPhee, you've done a lot of plotting on Khmut, haven't you?
08:52Yeah, I love using Khmut for my plots.
08:54How many kilometres of trails do you think you've worked out on Khmut?
09:01Oh, Hunners, that's a good Scottish word.
09:03Hunners!
09:05Hundreds of trails on Khmut.
09:07Hundreds of trails.
09:09I have got a Khmut collection of my gravelfoil routes.
09:11And it goes as far as
09:13lots of parts of the West Highland Way
09:15and then there's South Gravelfoil, North Gravelfoil
09:17It's massive! And there's stuff that I haven't done yet.
09:19It definitely goes without saying that
09:21you should check out Kerry's Khmut collections
09:23and all the things we'll post
09:25on the Cycling Weekly Khmut profile
09:27if you want to dig out some great routes
09:29because Kerry, you know them all.
09:31Yeah, I was greedy when I was trying to plot something out for you guys.
09:33We're going in on epic today
09:35because I just want you to see it all
09:37and feel it all.
09:39Awesome. Well, let's crack on
09:41because we have a long way to go.
09:59This is a classic gravelfoil section of trail.
10:01We've just done the switchbacks
10:03up to the aqueduct.
10:05So where does this aqueduct go?
10:07So I think this aqueduct comes from
10:09Glenfinglas Reservoir
10:11which used to be a little settlement
10:13and they flooded it so that they could provide
10:15water to Glasgow during
10:17I think there was a cholera outbreak or something
10:19and they needed some fresh
10:21water pumped into the city
10:23and they came to Aberfoss, it's so lovely.
10:25Of course!
10:27And then we've just gone beneath the aqueduct
10:29which, whenever you reference
10:31gravelfoil, you always see a picture of that.
10:57So Comer was incredible.
10:59You come round to the top of this
11:01amazing balcony gravel road
11:03round the corner
11:05and it just opens up to these spectacular views
11:07of Loch Lomond and all the pleasure boats
11:09going up and down
11:11and it was pretty steep as well.
11:27Music
11:39Following 15km of climbing
11:41out of Aberfoil with close to
11:43300m of elevation
11:45we reach the summit of the Comer Climb
11:47which is followed by a formidable descent
11:49down to the shores of Loch Lomond.
11:53It's wicked isn't it? What a day we've got!
11:55It's alright.
11:57You see it all the time.
11:59So what's up next
12:01Kerry? We've got some descent
12:03the Komoot profile is showing a pretty
12:05steep downhill.
12:07Yeah, so we've kind of climbed like that
12:09and now we're going to go like that.
12:11Well we're going down to water level aren't we?
12:13Yeah we are, we're dropping a bit low actually.
12:15It's a big descent.
12:17Like 1000ft or something.
12:191000ft, boiling day.
12:21And there's Loch Lomond and you're trying to
12:23catch up to you but you can't because you've got to
12:25hold on to your brakes.
12:27Absolutely amazing.
12:29Music
12:43I think anyone could do
12:45the Comer route definitely.
12:47And the Comer descent
12:49although it's gnarly it does
12:51have switchbacks.
12:53So you can do one little section and then stop and rest
12:55and then do the next section and stop and rest.
12:57I wouldn't recommend it in reverse
12:59though because it is a stinker of a climb
13:01the other way. And if you stop
13:03and rest it means you get to also appreciate the views
13:05of Loch Lomond as you descend.
13:07It's probably an epic
13:09sort of loop but it has
13:11a bit of everything.
13:21Music
13:41Nearly!
13:43Tell me about that descent Catherine.
13:45That was tricky.
13:47I had to walk a couple of metres there.
13:49It was so steep wasn't it?
13:51It was rocky, bouldery
13:53sort of washed out
13:55background.
13:57If you don't pick your line
13:59you're just in so much trouble.
14:01And then Kerry went
14:03yeah it's pretty gnarly with just
14:05one brake.
14:07Kerry's front brake doesn't work.
14:09Although just
14:113km in length, the stretch
14:13along the banks of Bonny Loch Lomond
14:15features some of the most unforgiving
14:17terrain we've encountered.
14:19With stream crossings and rocky scrambles
14:21this was true hiker bike territory.
14:37We were just walking along
14:39and from behind us both
14:41we just heard this massive crunch
14:43and we
14:45looked round and Rupert had had
14:47quite an accident so
14:49we're just currently trying to work out what we're
14:51going to do next because Rupert
14:53does no longer have a rear mech.
14:55Oh that's not ideal.
14:57So it's not the hanger that slaps?
14:59It is.
15:01The hanger is blown.
15:03You're lucky we're on the hiker bike.
15:05Yeah totally.
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15:21The West Highland Way is quite
15:23hiker bike anyway but he literally
15:25had to hike the bike the whole
15:27way along.
15:29So yeah, poor Rupert.
15:31It was funny but now
15:33that I realise we're kind of
15:35quite far away from Arbor Foil
15:37I'm a little bit
15:39filled with a bit more pity for him.
15:41Music
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15:45It's only been about
15:47half an hour and we've been waiting.
15:49Laughter
15:53So I bent my rear mech
15:55in the crash and then I snapped it off on the
15:57West Highland Way and
15:59now I need to find a solution
16:01so I can do the rest of the ride.
16:03And I think that solution is going to
16:05be stealing our
16:07drone pilot Ruben's bike.
16:09So
16:11sorry Ruben but I'm
16:13commandeering your mountain bike.
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16:23After a steep 10% climb out
16:25of Inversnade we wound our way
16:27along the gorgeous shores of Loch Arklat
16:29and then down to Loch Arn before a
16:31welcome gradual descent into Arbor
16:33Foil. The gravel roads here
16:35are what dreams are made of. Wide
16:37open and super fast we couldn't
16:39stop grinning the whole way home.
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17:01So I'm on Ruben's mountain bike
17:03and it's great.
17:05So comfortable compared
17:07to the gravel bike but
17:09it's a little bit slow
17:11and I have now
17:13been dropped by Catherine and Kerry
17:15That
17:17pop of dust going up over
17:19the crest of the hill is Catherine
17:21and Kerry. So
17:23it's a tough ride.
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17:43With 85km
17:45ticked off we rolled into
17:47Arbor Foil caked in dust and baked
17:49by the sun. As promised
17:51the ride had really featured a little bit
17:53of everything. From wide open
17:55remote mountain vistas, epic
17:57hiker biking and fast gravel roads
17:59we'd been blown away by the riding
18:01on offer and the community that it had
18:03really understood.
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