- 9 hours ago
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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SportsTranscript
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 and
00:37over and over and over and over again.
00:39So when Camus 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 Gravel
00:54Foil.
00:55Now all we needed was a guide, so we met it was Kerry McPhee, a local shredder was an
00:59encyclopedic knowledge of the gravel roads and the trails on offer.
01:04So Gravel Foil has 200km of gravel trails and Aberfoyle is right in the centre of it, so
01:11you can loop the north side and you can loop the south side, you can bale halfway, you can
01:16eat your lunch and go down the south side and there's loads of different types of gravel
01:22as well.
01:23You've got fast gravel, you've got single track, you've got tech, so this is an ideal
01:28place 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, so
01:33you'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 you've put together for us.
01:44But it is going to be a big day and a ride of two halves by the looks of it, like the
01:49Three Locks Drive and that area that I think we're going to do first looks stunning.
01:53We've seen a little bit about what's in store there, but very accessible from Aberfoyle,
01:57whereas the second half looks properly wild and a bit of the West Highland Way, like really
02:03a bit more remote, so I think that 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.
02:14Our route has something of a rude awakening, climbing for the first five kilometres out of
02:21Aberfoyle before winding through the beautiful Trossachs Forest Roads up to Loch Finneker.
02:27We'll ride the southern shore before striking across to Loch Acre, before heading south and
02:31back towards Aberfoyle, but not before taking in the sights of Loch Drunkey.
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 Ben Du, it's
02:46here where our ride is at its 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 Inversnade Hotel.
02:58A short, steep climb takes us up to Loch Arklut, before a long ride in a much needed gradual
03:03descent along the banks of Loch On back to Aberfoyle.
03:07You can of course find all the route details on Cycling Weekly's Komoot account and at the
03:11link in the description.
03:13We're off!
03:15Where are we Kerry?
03:16We have just hit the Jigs Pass, so if you were doing the Jigs weekend and event this would
03:21be the start line of the hill climb.
03:23It is a hill!
03:25Yeah!
03:26We've started on a hill.
03:27So it won't be long before we pick a ride onto the gravel.
03:31So this looks like this is kind of some of the only tarmac.
03:34We don't twitch much tarmac on this ride.
03:36Very much!
03:37I think this is maybe like 300, 400 metres to tarmac and then let's go gravel after that.
03:41Music to my ears!
03:42Woohoo!
04:11Look at this!
04:29Very 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 so
04:40cool.
04:41I just don't have anything like this where I ride at home.
04:45None of these like wide open rides that are just no traffic.
04:51You can ride like free abreast.
04:54So Kerry, myself and Catherine, able just to ride along and chat is such a refreshing way
05:00to ride.
05:10Nice.
05:11Here we go.
05:12Who's right?
05:13This is nice.
05:14My foot are the comedy crash!
05:17You know when you make crashes and for a split second you really want to laugh because
05:39You really want to laugh, but you 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.
05:5215 kilometres into our ride, after climbing out of Aberfoyle and stretching out along rocky tracks and winding our way along the southern shores of Loch Venneker, we reach Acre Farm, the perfect place for an ice cream break.
06:22I was glad to reach Acre Farm because Kerry had told us a lot about the delicious ice cream, 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 ago, which is super cool.
06:36And there's loads of animals here, which I'm really excited about.
06:39But back to the root, yeah, fab so far.
06:43If I said gravel foil, what does that mean to you?
06:46Gravel 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.
07:02The number of people who came out of their homes and could enjoy the roads and the tracks for maybe the first time in a long time.
07:10And the number of casual, recreational and kind of semi-probe racers kind of whizzing around the woods here is phenomenal these days.
07:18When we came to the farm, we knew there was the Great Trussox Path running through it and the Felix Voice Drive adjacent.
07:24So setting up a business that would cater to sustainable 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 around the loch sees the benefits, sees the slower pace and can stop and enjoy it.
07:45That's what we're here for, to give them that experience.
08:02We'll see you next time.
08:32Kerry McPhee, you've done a lot of plotting on Komoot, haven't you?
08:52Yeah, I love using Komoot for my plots.
08:55How many kilometres of trails do you think you've worked out on Komoot?
09:00Oh, Hunners, that's a good Scottish word.
09:03Hunners!
09:04Hunners!
09:05Hundreds of trails on Komoot.
09:07Hundreds of trails.
09:09I have got a Komoot collection of my gravel foil routes and it goes as far as lots of parts of the West Highland Way and then there's South Gravel Foil, North Gravel Foil, it's massive.
09:18And there's stuff that I haven't done yet.
09:19It definitely goes without saying that you should check out Kerry's Komoot collections and all the things we'll post on the Cycling Weekly Komoot profile if you want to dig out some great routes because Kerry, you know them all.
09:31Yeah, I was greedy when I was trying to plot something out for you guys.
09:35We're going in on 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.
09:42This is a classic gravel foil section of trail.
10:02We've just done the switchbacks up to the aqueduct.
10:04So where does this aqueduct go?
10:06So I think this aqueduct comes from Glen Fingless Reservoir, which used to be a little settlement and they flooded it so that they could provide water to Glasgow during, I think there was a cholera outbreak or something and they needed some fresh water pumped into the city and they came to Abraffal because it's so lovely.
10:25Of course.
10:26So we've just gone beneath the aqueduct, which whenever you reference gravel foil, you always see a picture of that.
10:36So we've just gone beneath the aqueduct.
11:06So Koma was incredible.
11:08You come round to the top of this amazing balcony gravel road around the corner and it just opens up to these spectacular views of Loch Lomond and all the pleasure boats going up and down and it was pretty steep as well.
11:36Following 15 kilometres of climbing out of Abraffal was close to 300 metres of elevation, we reached the summit of the Koma Climb, which is followed by a formidable descent down to the shores of Loch Lomond.
11:50It's wicked, isn't it?
11:54What a day we've got.
11:55It's alright.
11:57You see it all the time.
11:58Hey, lad.
11:59So what's up next, Kerry?
12:01We've got some descent.
12:03The 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.
12:10Well, we're going down to water level, aren't we, basically?
12:13Yeah, we are.
12:13We're dropping quite a lot, actually.
12:14So it's a big descent.
12:16Yeah.
12:16It's like a thousand feet or something.
12:18Yeah.
12:18A thousand feet.
12:19Boiling day.
12:20And there's Loch Lomond and you're like trying to take in the view, but you can't because you've got to hold on to your brakes.
12:26Absolutely amazing.
12:27I think anyone could do the Komoot route, definitely.
12:48And the Komoot descent, although it's gnarly, it does have switchbacks.
12:53So you can do one little section and then stop and rest and then do the next section and stop and rest.
12:57I wouldn't recommend it in reverse, though, because it is a stinker of a climb the other way.
13:02And if you stop and rest, it means you get to also appreciate the views of Loch Lomond as you descend.
13:06So yeah, I'd say it's probably an epic sort of loop, but it has a bit of everything.
13:27Tell me about that descent, Catherine.
13:44That 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.
13:55Like, if you don't pick your line, you're just in so much trouble.
14:00Yeah.
14:00And then Kerry went, yeah, it's pretty gnarly with just one break.
14:05Kerry's front break doesn't work.
14:10Although just three kilometers in lengths, the stretch along the banks of Bonnie Loch Lomond
14:15features some of the most unforgiving terrain we've encountered.
14:18With stream crossings and rocky scrambles, this was true hike-a-bike territory.
14:37We 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 because Rupert does
14:53no longer have a rear mech.
14:55Oh, that's not ideal.
14:56So it's not the hanger that snaps?
14:58Um, it is the hanger.
15:01Yeah, the hanger is blown.
15:03You're lucky we're on the hiker bike.
15:05Yeah, totally.
15:06We're walking anyway.
15:13The West Hallingway is quite hike-a-bike anyway, but he literally had to hike the bike the
15:27whole way along.
15:28Um, so yeah, for Rupert.
15:31It was funny, but now that I realise we're kind of quite far away from Arbor Foyle, I'm
15:37a little bit filled with a bit more pity for him.
15:43So 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, uh, drone pilot Ruben's bike.
16:09Um, so sorry Ruben, but I'm commandeering your mountain bike.
16:23After a steep 10% climb out of Inversnaid, we wound our way along the gorgeous shores of
16:28Loch Arklot and then down to Loch Arn before a welcome gradual descent into Aberfoyle.
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.
16:40So I'm on Ruben's mountain bike and, uh, it's great.
17:05So comfortable compared to the gravel bike, but it's a little bit slow and I have now been
17:13dropped by Catherine and Kerry.
17:16That puff of dust going up over the crest of the hill is Catherine and Kerry.
17:21So, it's a tough ride.
17:44With 85 kilometres ticked off, we rolled into Aberfoyle caked in dust and baked by the sun.
17:49As promised, the ride had really featured a little bit of everything.
17:54From wide open, remote mountain vistas, epic hiker biking and fast gravel roads, we'd been
17:59blown away by the riding on offer and the community that it had fostered.
18:03It's definitely a whole day route, that isn't it?
18:05Full on, but so worth it.
18:07I did worry that was a bit giddy with wanting to show you everything, but I think it was worth it.
18:12We asked you for the most epic ride you could put together in Aberfoyle and you did it.
18:19I think it's safe to say.
18:20Yeah, we've had it all, honestly.
18:21I completed the brief and we made it back.
18:22Even if we were one bike down.
18:23Yeah, we were one bike down.
18:24But thanks to drone pilot Rubens, the trip and the ride, the ride, the ride, the ride,
18:26the ride, the ride, the ride, the ride, the ride.
18:27It's definitely a whole day route, that isn't it?
18:28Full on, but so worth it.
18:29I did worry that was a bit giddy with wanting to show you everything, but I think it was worth
18:31it.
18:32We asked you for the most epic ride you could put together in Aberfoyle and you did it.
18:39I think it's safe to say.
18:40Yeah, we had it all, honestly.
18:41I completed the brief.
18:42Yeah, you did.
18:43And we made it back.
18:44Even if we were one bike down.
18:45Yeah, we were one bike down, but thanks to drone pilot Rubens' generosity, he walked
18:52home.
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, it will be in
18:59the description of the video below.
19:00And for everything else, Aberfoyle gravel riding, check out Kerry's collections, because
19:05she's done so much work putting it all together.
19:08Putting Aberfoyle on the map.
19:09Yeah, the true queen of Aberfoyle.
19:11Always happy to share my knowledge.
19:13There's so much good stuff on there.
19:15Definitely to earth taking the time before you come up to have a look and find some absolute
19:20belters of rides and trails.
19:22If you have enjoyed this video, then please do give us a thumbs up and subscribe to Cycling
19:26Weekly YouTube channel.
19:27And leave us a comment in the comment section below telling us what you loved and whether
19:31you'd come and ride in the amazing place that is Aberfoyle.
19:34Now we'll be back soon with some more great adventure content and we'll see you then.
19:38And we'll see you then.
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