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!
04:16Music to my ears!
04:26Look 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.
04:45None of these wide open rides that are just no traffic.
04:51You 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 one.
05:17Not Warner.
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.
05:43Once that was all clear it 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.
06:0215km 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
06:13perfect place for an ice cream break.
06:22I 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.
06:29I think the elderflower one that I had, had been foraged from the village like two days
06:34ago, which is super cool.
06:36And there's loads of animals here which I'm really excited about.
06:39But 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
07:07for maybe the first time in a long time.
07:10And the number of casual recreational and kind of semi-pro racers kind of whizzing around
07:15the 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 Felox Quife Drive adjacent, so setting up a business that would cater to sustainable
07:27travel, people out recreational cycling and walking was key to our business.
07:32And people do.
07:33People stop.
07:34People in cars don't stop.
07:35Everyone on a bike or walking around the lot sees the benefits, sees the slower pace and
07:42can stop and enjoy it.
07:44That's what we're here for, to give them that experience.
07:57Music
08:02Music
08:07Music
08:12Music
08:17Music
08:22Music
08:27Music
08:32Music
08:37Music
08:42Music
08:47Kerry McPhee, you've done a lot of plotting on Komoot, haven't you?
08:52Yeah, I love using Komoot for my plots.
08:55How many kilometres of trails do you think you've worked out on Komoot?
09:00Oh, honours, that's a good Scottish word.
09:03Honours!
09:04Honours!
09:05Hundreds of trails on Komoot.
09:07Hundreds of trails.
09:08I have got a Komoot collection of my gravel foiled routes and it goes as far as lots of
09:13parts of the West Highland Reef and then there's South Gravel Foil, North Gravel Foil.
09:16It's massive.
09:17And there's stuff that I haven't done yet.
09:19Definitely goes without saying that you should check out Kerry's Komoot collections and all
09:24the things we'll post on the Cycling Weekly Komoot profile if you want to dig out some
09:28great routes because, Kerry, you know them all.
09:31Yeah, I was greedy when I was trying to plot something out for you guys.
09:34We're going in on epic today because I just want you to see it all and feel it all.
09:38Awesome.
09:39Well, let's crack on because we have a long way to go.
09:42Let's 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.
10:18I think.
10:19And they needed some fresh water pumped into the city and they came to Aberfoss.
10:23Isn't it so lovely?
10:24Of course.
10:25So we've just gone beneath the aqueduct, which whenever you reference gravel foil,
10:31you always see a picture of that.
10:36Wow.
11:06So Comer was incredible.
11:07You come round to the top of this amazing balcony gravel road around 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.
11:18And it was pretty steep as well.
11:36Following 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.
11:54It's alright.
11:55You see it all the time.
11:57It's alright.
11:58So what's up next, Carrie?
12:00We've got some descent.
12:02The Komoot profile is showing a pretty steep downhill.
12:05Yeah, so we've kind of climbed like that and now we're going to go like that.
12:09Well, we're going down to water level, aren't we, basically?
12:12Yeah, we are.
12:13We're dropping a bit a lot, actually.
12:14So it's a big descent.
12:15Yeah.
12:16Like a thousand feet or something.
12:17Yeah.
12:18A thousand feet.
12:19Boiling day.
12:20And there's Loch Lomond and you're trying to take in the view, but you can't because
12:23you've got to hold on to your brakes.
12:25Absolutely amazing.
12:35I think anyone could do the Komoot route, definitely.
12:40And the Komoot descent, although it's gnarly, it does have switchbacks.
12:45So you can do one little section and then stop and rest, and then do the next section
12:48and stop and rest.
12:49I wouldn't recommend it in reverse, though, because it is a stinker of a climb the other
12:53way.
12:54And if you stop and rest, it means you get to also appreciate the views of Loch Lomond
12:57and the Komoot.
12:58And I think that's a really good thing.
13:00So yeah, I'd say it's probably an epic sort of loop, but it has a bit of everything.
13:31Oh, nearly.
13:43Tell me about that descent, Catherine.
13:45That was tricky.
13:47I 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.
14:30We were just walking along and from behind us both, we just heard this massive crunch
14:43and 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,
14:52because Rupert does no longer have a rear mech.
14:55Oh, that's not ideal.
14:57So it's not the hanger that snaps?
14:59It is.
15:00The hanger is, yeah, the hanger is blown.
15:03Well, you're lucky we're on the hiker bike.
15:05Yeah, totally.
15:06We're walking anyway.
15:21The worst highway is quite hiker bike anyway,
15:24but he literally had to hike the bike the whole 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,
15:37I'm a little bit filled with a bit more pity for him.
15:46It's only been about half an hour and we've been waiting.
15:49Haha.
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.
16:11So sorry, Ruben, but I'm commandeering your mountain bike.
16:19After a steep 10% climb out of Inversnade,
16:22we wound our way along the gorgeous shores of Loch Arklat
16:25and then down to Loch Arn before a welcome gradual descent into Arbor Foil.
16:30The gravel roads here are what dreams are made of.
16:33Wide open and super fast, we couldn't stop grinning the whole way home.
16:49So I'm on Ruben's mountain bike and it's great.
17:05So comfortable compared to the gravel bike, but it's a little bit slow
17:11and I have now been dropped by Katherine and Kerry.
17:16That puff of dust going up over the crest of the hill is Katherine and Kerry.
17:22So it's a tough ride.
17:25With 85km ticked off, we rolled into Arbor Foil caked in dust and baked by the sun.
17:49As promised, the ride had really featured a little bit of everything.
17:53From wide open, remote mountain vistas, epic hiker biking and fast gravel roads,
17:58we'd been blown away by the riding on offer and the community that it had fostered.
18:03Oh, hi.
18:05We made it.
18:07Wow.
18:08That was a big day.
18:09It was a big day.
18:10It's definitely a whole day route that, isn't it?
18:13Full on.
18:14Full on.
18:15So worth it.
18:16I did worry that was a bit giddy with wanting to show you everything,
18:19but I think it's worth it.
18:20I'm excited.
18:21I'm excited.
18:22I'm excited.
18:23I'm excited.
18:24I'm excited.
18:25I'm excited.
18:26I'm excited.
18:27I'm excited.
18:28I'm excited.
18:29I'm excited.
18:30I'm excited.
18:31I'm excited.
18:32I didn't want to show you everything, but I think it was worth it.
18:34We asked you for the most epic ride you could put together in Aberfoyle,
18:38and you did it.
18:39I think it's safe to say.
18:41I had it all, honestly.
18:42I completed the brief.
18:43Yeah, you did.
18:44And we made it back.
18:45Even if we're one bike down.
18:46Yeah, we were one bike down, but thanks to drone pilot Ruben's generosity,
18:52he walked home.
18:53Well, three of us have made it back.
18:55Yeah.
18:56Goes without saying, if you want to see the route that we've ridden today,
18:59it'll be in the description of the video below.
19:01For everything else, Aberfoyle gravel riding,
19:04check out Kerry's collections,
19:06because she's done so much work putting it all together.
19:08Putting Aberfoyle on the map.
19:10Yeah, the true queen of Aberfoyle.
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
19:19and find some absolute belters of rides and trails.
19:22If you have enjoyed this video, then please do give us a thumbs up
19:25and subscribe to Cycling Weekly YouTube channel.
19:28Leave 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 Aberfoyle.
19:35Now we'll be back soon with some more great adventure content
19:38and we'll see you then.