[Closed] Anyone ridden the Cowal Way or Three Locks?

Three lochs is easy enough, 70% fire/forest road, 20% road 10% single track(at best).

Lochs!

Not done the cowal way, but there will be a few hike a bike sections involved in that, mibbe 3 or 4 dotted along the route.

I've investigated before, think hike a bike section will be the dotted lines out of tighnabruich, so best just taking the road there I think.

Think once you are up in the hills passed the lochan out of glenbranter heading to lochgoilhead is defo hike a bike. (If you want to avoid, take the road round to loch fyne heading north, then take the first left in and up that road, give you the choice to go to lochgoilhead or the rest and be thankful.

And the up and over out of lochgoilhead over the middle of the ardgarten penisula is defo hike a bike, so mibbe a detour up to the rest and be thankful there if you are wanting to cycle. or you can go south round the peninsula down to the corran lochan and round to arrochar that way, either detour is easy enough.

some kinda plan in scotland to link up routes would be a good idea i think. They should be me in charge of cycling link roads! 😆

This is the route that I’ve planned... not sure if link will work

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/4339538/scotland-2020-trip

I seem to remember no fuss had a gravel/MTB event down the Cowel Way so there might be some press or Strava logs a out that.

Isn't the top bit of loch Lomond on that side the boulder fest bit?

The 3lW is all rideable. www.threelochsway.co.uk
Buy the guidebook and help support the volunteer group that admininister,build and maintain it, or stay with my folks at www.balmillig.co.uk and get excellent route advice from them. ( the aforementioned admin and builders!). Awesome breakfasts too and a hot tub.

Form my understanding of your chosen route these are likely to be the worst bits. Rest should be mostly fine

Blue = hike a bike

Orange = nasty road, I've cycle it before, might be fine if you get it quiet, but 60 mph cars vans and lorries passing you wasn't fun for me.

I'm not sure about the section between helensburgh and dumbarton either, no idea if there's a cycle route there. You could just take the 3 lochs over to balloch then head down to dumbarton on the balloch to glasgow route by the river leven there if it's not a cycle route, that would be ok.

I'm also not sure abotu this bit, I've no done it, easiest way across here is the forest road ove, which is more like the orange route than yours.

Your route might be better not sure. I've done a route that goes in between both of the routes marked below, but it wasn't easy.

I;d investigate your route further here.

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This bit here you've got 2 options, I'd go north round the road, then soutm it's just fire road, but scenic, either way is. Look at the double dotted lines on the OS maps. The alternates I've given here's are all just road fire road btw, so don' expect single track.

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Anyhoo, probably as much as I can tell ye, all the best!

ALl in all it's more a gravel route than anything, but a hardtail will be more comfotable, defo no need for full suss.

If you don't mind a wee bit of hike a bike, just go with your plan.

You can get ferries across loch lomond to avoid the hike a bike there. google that.

Many many thanks to everyone, will tweak it a little would it matter that the route is clockwise as that was the plan SEOSAMH77

shouldn't think it'd matter too much, it's basically a road/fire road combo, so should be fine in either direction.

Brilliant stuff chaps and very timely. Its going to be our summer holiday this year exploring Kintyre and Argyll by tandem with camping kit and trailer. Hikabike and big climbs off the agenda after last year. Wandering thru the scenery is very much on the agenda

Something like this should be cyclable. As said, it's not gnarr though, just a pleasant cycle through argyll on road and forest road.

https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/2865076576

The bit of road round to inverary is a pain in the balls though, but I don't really know how to avoid that!

An improvement would be from Butterbridge (north of Rest and Be Thankful) take the track up Glen Kinglas and pop out at the top of Loch Lomond.

The map shows the track as stopping a mile or so from Loch Lomond. If it does it is an easy push down the hilside to the road. I did it a few years ago. However I was at the new bothy at Abysinnia last week and a note in the bothy claimed the track up Glen Kinglas now goes all the way out at the top to Loch Lomond.

The track is flattish fire road through new plantaions. Easy riding.

EDIT A check of Google maps sat view shows the track now comes out at the Drovers Inn. Making it no road riding from the Rest and Be Thankful to the West Highland Way.

Bump bump bumpity bump

We are heading to Kintyre and cowal in a weeks time. We will mainly be further south that the routes planned here - aim being Arran / Kintyre to the south, up to Crinnin and Kilmartin, Tarbet / portvadie ferry, few days on cowal and then Rothsay and ferry back to the mainland

Mrs TJ is very keen to see the knapdale beavers and we do love finding neolithic stuff.

So any tips? Things not to miss? Things to avoid?

Mainly road and gravel riding

Ta

Mrs TJ will need a lot of patience, and the right timing to see the beavers. I’ve been a regular visitor to the area and never seen them by chance - but have seen plenty of evidence of their presence (tracks, droppings, knawed trees etc). Kids don’t have patience to sit in silence for hours in hope ...

We are hoping to camp where they are - its worked for otter spotting in the past. Mrs TJ is a big kid tho.................