The wee village of Aberfoyle has been laying claim recently to being the best place in the UK to ride a gravel bike. Situated on the edge of both the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and the famously beautiful Trossachs, you can see where its advantages lie. The “Gravelfoyle” label was started by a group of local cyclists, and now boasts its own website (www.gravelfoyle.com) with waymarked trails in the area for all levels of cyclist.
Given this, Aberfoyle had been high on my list of places to ride for a while. Finding myself with a day off and the car at my disposal, I took the opportunity on a dreich February morning to make the hour or so journey to see what all the fuss was about.
Starting Out: Loch Ard and the Forest Trails
I’d decided on a route which was almost-but-not-quite the Lomond View loop from the Gravelfoyle website. Leaving the super-spacious public car park in Aberfoyle, I travelled west along the B829 Lochard Road to Milton, where I joined the forest track that skirted Loch Ard. The River Forth is a tiny slither here, giving no inkling of the mighty size it’ll have 50 miles downstream.
It was a typical February day in Scotland and it rained off and on as I wound my way along the edge of the water, through the pines. The trail was gentle here, before it started to climb up above the trees, giving a beautiful view out over Loch Ard to the hills. After around 8kms I passed under the famous viaduct, before I hit a diversion. As the trail is in the forest park you do have to fend with commercial forestry work, and it seemed like the path was closed for that reason. Following a lovely conversation with a local, sparked by me looking confusedly at my Garmin, he assured me that the trail forked and was only ‘half closed’. So I took a chance, headed down the hill and discovered that it was the half that I wanted that was in fact shut.
After deciding I didn’t want to chance it I headed back up the hill and followed the signposted diversion – about 4km of slightly squelchy forest road. At this point the sun cracked through the clouds after a fair bit of rain, and the snowy top of Ben Lomond loomed into view.
The Climb: Gravel Gradients Above Duchray Water
After nearly 15km my route took me across the Duchray Water, and the Garmin warned me that I was starting a climb. It was not wrong. The next 2km were steadily uphill with sections of 12% gradient. There followed a brief respite, before a 1.5km section where parts hit 15%. Despite the expansive views to my left I must admit I spent the bulk of this section staring at my handlebars, grinding my way up the hill and cursing the loose gravel.
As I rounded a corner I prayed my map would tell me to go left at the next fork, as I could see the right-hand trail disappearing upwards into the hillside. Thankfully I got my wish and I crossed a wooden bridge over a stream before the trail started heading back downhill again. This time I could enjoy the view out over the glen and the hills on the other side. The only thing dampening my mood at this point was the rain, which returned with a vengeance. It wouldn’t be a ride in Scotland without some rain, right?!
Happy Trails: Descending Through the Trees
Thankfully it didn’t last too long, although it did result in me getting absolutely filthy, again, the sign of a good day out, frankly. This was the maiden voyage for my new Endura jacket, and it stood up to the test, keeping me warm and dry. Which is just as well because the state it was in when I finished there was no danger it could go back.
Still heading downhill, I joined briefly up with the Gravelfoyle Aqueduct loop before breaking off again along one of the many, many forestry tracks in the area. The trail was lumpy and bumpy and took me down through the forest again, the pine trees giving me a wee bit of shelter. As I’d had a lazy start to my day, and had therefore set off just before lunchtime, I was starting to feel hungry and was therefore delighted when the trail spat me out onto the road a couple of hundred metres from the entrance to the car park I’d left just over 2.5 hours previously.
After dumping most of my kit at the car, I popped over to The Station coffee shop (www.stmocha.co.uk) on Aberfoyle Main Street and tucked into a cheese and ham toastie. Would recommend.
It’s obvious that I barely scratched the surface of what this area has to offer in terms of gravel riding. I’ve also looked at road cycling routes in the area, as Aberfoyle has some excellent tarmac rides for road cyclists too. My gravel route was 33km in total, but I could genuinely have spent all day out on the trails. The scenery in the Trossachs is truly spectacular and Aberfoyle is well worth the journey — I will definitely be back. If you’re planning a gravel cycling trip to Scotland, Aberfoyle and the Gravelfoyle trails should be at the very top of your list.
