[Closed] Gravel routes Scotland

Aberfoyle is very good. Dukes Weekender route is a good starting point too

What like's the Rob Roy Way -- I think it's the southern part of the Badger Divide.
John Muir Way as well might be a good trek out - heading eastwards.

Ardgarten loop is mostly fire road. You'd need good fillings for the singletrack descent into Lochgoilhead though.

Merak

In true STW fashion what do you recommend?

Almost every track in Scotland. If it's on the map, there won't be much of it that you can't ride on a gravel bike.

Almost every track in Scotland. If it’s on the map, there won’t be much of it that you can’t ride on a gravel bike.

This.

But also look up the Loch Eck loop and the Ardgartan Peninsula loop for a couple of easy to follow options with convenient car parking.

Have a search for the 'make gravel great again' route. I think ridewithgps had a copy

edit: I knew I'd made a copy of it before it disappeared: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28024040

WHW to Drymen. RRW to Killin.

Loch Katrine (anti-clockwise) and back via south side of Loch Ard.

There's a nice circuit of Ben Lomond you can do too.

https://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2011/10/tour-de-ben-lomond.html

Outwith your 30 mile range but this was one of the best days out I had last year.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2415231489
Fife Coastal path from Forth Bridge to Tay Bridge. 140km mostly off road, couple of errors in our route at Largo to Eilie being the main one, should have stuck to the path more.
Highly recommend this day out.

+1 for the Ben Lomond circuit. Clockwise best imo. Steep climb up from Loch Lomond followed by fast gradual downhills the other side. Anti clockwise much of the drop down to the loch would be "wasted" on the brakes.

Cheers folks, I've done the Ardgarten route before, the descent back to the car park at the visitor centre was tremendous.

A few weeks ago I did a wee route from my house up the WHW to Inversnaid then back via Aberfoyle, railway line Buchlyvie, Beech Tree then WHW home. 60 odd mixed surface miles all told.

I was hoping to gleen info, on routes in Aberfoyle or Queen Elizabeth forest.

That Ben Lomond route looks v much like the one I've mentioned above.

Loch Katrine route is a fave of mine.

You can't really go wrong with Aberfoyle - didn't manage to make it as far as the start this year but the route looked like a really good mix of what's available:

2019 Dukes Weekender

If you have Strava do a segment search and have a look at segments like Alpe Duchray - ignore all the Dukes Weekender weekend logs and have a look at the others. There'll be a few different route options to go at.

Isle of Arran, there's even a Facebook gravel page. Mate of mine runs it, cracking guy, pity about the gravel.

Cheers folks, I’ve done the Ardgarten route before, the descent back to the car park at the visitor centre was tremendous.

A few weeks ago I did a wee route from my house up the WHW to Inversnaid then back via Aberfoyle, railway line Buchlyvie, Beech Tree then WHW home. 60 odd mixed surface miles all told.

That Ben Lomond route looks v much like the one I’ve mentioned above.

Loch Katrine route is a fave of mine.

Aye, now you tell us!

S'pose I was looking to pick the hives mind. Particularly Aberfoyle area it's right on my doorstep and I'm ashamed to say I know very little of the off road routes there.

I had wanted to do the Dukes Weekend but I had other plans. It would have given me an idea of where to go.

I may just go up and have a roam about, I'm hopeless unless I have a destination!

if you use Strava then sign up for VeloViewer and start chasing squares. That'll give you no end of pointless destinations 🙂

Glenbranter to Portavadie out and back. Some No Fuss run/bike event last few years.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/25827112

Thanks again folks. I don't Strav`e or use the Facecloth so was hoping to get pointers from those that do.

Have resolved to more internet research followed by handwringing then actually finding somewhere new to ride my bike!

Look at the Callander and Dunblane area, a favourite gravel 'discovery' of mine was the dead end road up Glen Artney, followed by a rolling landrover track which connects with the dead end road up to Bracklin Falls above Callander, it's a great justification of a gravel bike as you want something which is equally fast on tarmac and landrover track.

I've been reluctant to recommend it to too many people as I currently hold the KOM on Strava (probably because nobody else has tried it) but you said you're not on Strava so that's ok 😉

If you're up for a good long route (not at this time of year) you could start in Callander, follow the Sustrans track up to Killin, then follow the Rob Roy Way through Glen Almond, then return via Crieff, Comrie and the Glen Artney track.

Or for a shorter loop climb up from Callander into the big wind farm, follow tracks to drop back down to Braco Castle and the River Kraik, climb Langside Road, brief bog trot to the mouth of Findhu Glen, then follow the Glen to link back up with Glen Artney. Would suggest researching that one carefully with maps, I did something like it years ago as a bikepacking trip and it required one brief bit of navigation across a moor to link two tracks together.

If you’re up for a good long route (not at this time of year) you could start in Callander, follow the Sustrans track up to Killin, then follow the Rob Roy Way through Glen Almond, then return via Crieff, Comrie and the Glen Artney track.

I just came on here to suggest this exact route. The NCN from callander to Killin is superb.

Don’t need to have a Strava login to view. This is last years Weekender route, this years just seemed to add on a smallish section but I’ve not had a proper look

https://www.strava.com/activities/1830294472

Glen Ample?

Does anyone have a GPX of the Tour De Ben Lomond? I've jut fired together a route that should work, but it's always good to see what's gone before

if you use Strava then sign up for VeloViewer and start chasing squares. That’ll give you no end of pointless destinations

🙂 He's not wrong. When Veloviewer introduced this feature my largest cluster was only something like 100 squares. Now I've become obsessed with linking bits up, visiting new squares and colouring in the map (currently up to 600 which is still nursery level by the standards of some people). The latest "gravel" bike purchase was motivated at least in part by a desire to use lanes and tracks to add more squares. I've been down countless dead ends and bits of trail that I'll never ride again. Ended up walking across hill tops just to dip into a square and done all manner of daft rides just to fill in a hole in the map, but don't regret any of it 🙂

Almost every track in Scotland. If it’s on the map, there won’t be much of it that you can’t ride on a gravel bike.

I'm not so sure about that. Maybe there isn't much that you couldn't ride (or walk) but there is plenty that I wouldn't enjoy on a rigid bike with sub-two-inch tyres. But maybe I'm just a wuss.

But maybe I’m just a wuss.

I lost feeling in my toes last week following a "path".....and that was before the river crossing. I'm with you there

Is the West Highland Way really gravel bike friendly all the way to Inversnaid?? I remember there being some quite enjoyable singletrack before Inversnaid, but I was on an MTB at the time. My personal definition of Gravel does not encompass getting off and carrying...

I was hoping that it would be good gravel bike territory as far as Cailness at least, then climb up from the loch on the landrover track zig-zags into Glen Gaoithe (windy Glen?) and then into the QE Forest.

So it's OK to carry a MTB a short distance but not a gravel bike?

roverpig

...but there is plenty that I wouldn’t enjoy on a rigid bike with sub-two-inch tyres. But maybe I’m just a wuss.

Nah, it's all fun 🙂

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It's not particularly gravel friendly in some places north of Rowardennan but overall, no reason not to do it as you will ride more than you might expect. Skillz allowing..... The carries and pushes are all brief.

Nah, it’s all fun

Looks great, assuming you've had all the children you want to have 🙂

So it’s OK to carry a MTB a short distance but not a gravel bike?

I think Ian meant he was able to ride it on a MTB, but possibly wouldn't be able to on a grrrrravel bike?.

It's doable on any bike just don't wear your good shoes and set out with a happy disposition.:)

There's loads of options venturing a little further south too, Loch Doon at the northern end of Galloway forest park, and there's an abundance of forestry road, bits of SUW, loads of quiet back roads etc.

Ayrshire alps website has some right good roaf climbs that you could fit in as well, as they're all down that neck of the woods.

http://www.ayrshirealps.org/

roverpig

Looks great, assuming you’ve had all the children you want to have

🙂

I use old style saddles, usually sprung. Much more comfortable for gravel IMO.

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I may just go up and have a roam about, I’m hopeless unless I have a destination!

I can't undertand why so few cyclists are prepared to spend a few quid on maps; we live in the best-mapped country in the world and as somebody else writes upthread, if it's shown on a map in Scotland you can cycle it.

if it’s shown on a map in Scotland then it may have actually existed at some point you can cycle it.

FTFY mate!

So it’s OK to carry a MTB a short distance but not a gravel bike?

No, as NBitF supposed, I meant I enjoyed riding some of the technical rooty stuff on the MTB but wouldn't want to faff about stopping and pushing/carrying a gravel bike, plus for most of my 'gravel' rides I'm assuming the company of some of my pals who wouldn't be comfortable riding technical singletrack.

What I've seen on Geograph suggests there's only 1.5km of 'mandatory' singletrack leading to Cailness Cottage, and it all looks pretty wide and smooth with the exception of a couple of wee stream crossings. In truth though the climb up from Cailness looks pretty brutal! One of the guys is on a 1x and that looks like a proper granny gear wincher.

Shall look forward to finding out next summer...

ha ha!
Locally, I've found so much (and quite a lot that was never there) by taking an afternoon and going for a hike - often literally. Sometimes I've walked there before so that helps. As long as you're game for a promising track petering out (and haven't pinned your overnight stop on making it) then you're now much more informed not to go that way again..

The trick is how far do you press on in the hope that it'll get better round the corner.

kcal

As long as you’re game for a promising track petering out...

...and a wee bit of a carry. 🙂

The world becomes much more accessible with that attitude.