[Closed] Ben Lomond - pics/experiences?

I do wish that people wouldn't ride down that path. It cost a fortune and is getting wrecked

Please don't troll on my thread!

Yes - August would be a silly time to do it.

Yeah I thought it might be - will save it for later in the year then I spose. Would still like to see some more pics if anyone has any though.

grumm - I spent a bit of time working on the path down the ridge from Ben Lomond. Bikes are the last thing that NTS need up there.

If erosion is that much of a concern, the path should be closed to ALL users.

surely if bikes were that bad they'd have got a ban?

If they built a path that gets wrecked by bikes but not walkers no wonder it cost a fortune. What revolutonary material did they use?

Here we go again. Its all about responsible access in Scotland. Surely it is not responsible to take a bike down something that accelerates erosion. I dont have a problem with people going up and down the main path, its the lower ptarmigan ridge path that I am suggesting people stay clear of.

Devs - they used stone that was sourced on the hill. Funded by this project. http://www.glencoe-nts.org.uk/SMH-g.asp The guy in the blue in the second picture is me.

So - you accept that walkers also cause erosion? How can it be responsible for them to continue doing so?

Path looks pretty sustainable on those pics above - which path are they of?

Druidh - yes of course walkers do erode the paths, but bikes have been known to rip the stonework out of the ground which leads to unsustainable levels of erosion. The footpath teams only have a limited pot of funds to work with.

Lets take the bottom picture there. A couple of folk skidding on the lower left stone work will lift it and you'll get a nice big hole and a deep rut down the left of the path the next time it rains.

Couldn't you say that about virtually any rocky path in Scotland though?

Which path is it in the pics?

So - how many walkers does it take to cause the same amount of damage as one biker? 10? 100? 1,000?

Take tubeless tyres. Or lots and lots of tubes.

Grumm - only a limited number. There is one on Ben Lawers, another onBen Lomond and the one on The Buachaille have been built in this way.

Druidh - its not about numbers it's about specific type of impact.

A walker or two stepping on that bottom left stone might well work it loose.

A walker wouldn't be able to fit their foot on it...

Go and learn about path construction methods its a fascinating subject.

Goan,

Love that picture - it takes me back to Pathcraft days in '94/95. Spent the summer working on the Coire nan Lochan and Lost Valley paths as well as Kilbo, Bone Caves and Gleann Choinneachean (Kintail).

The guy in green in the picture isn't called Willie, is he?

grumm - can't see why august is bad if you go in the evening. last time I went we got to the top at about 7pm and only passed 1 walker on the way down.

some photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartmarshall/tags/benlomond

Oh cruel was the snow and all that 🙄

How do you mean they couldn't fit their foot on it?

Sorry but I really don't see how a few mountain bikers is going to significantly damage a trail that thousands of walkers go up all the time. I'm generally quite conscious of these things but you should see some of the bridleways in the Lakes if you think that's not sustainable for biking on!

Thanks stuartm555 - cool pics. looks great.

Oh cruel was the snow and all that mountain bikers 🙄

We spent 3 months building that path up the Buachaille. The purpose of it was to avoid the scree slope at the top as it was getting all pushed down the hill. All done sourcing stone from the hill and smashing it up using a hammer and a pinch bar. Best job i've ever had.

It would be a run up in the morning, 10 hours of path building and a run back down four days a week.

Guy in the green is Rory - I forget his second name.

Gtumm - sadly you are not alone in that viewpoint.

Some cracking pics there StuartM

Best job i've ever had.

Amen.

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Theres a good few hundred quids worth of stonework right there in front of you. They must have been bastards to build. I'd be proud of that stuff.

Pushing this up was not fun.

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Riding it down the main path was.

I've heard quite a few people say the other path is too fragile for bikes. If so, fair enough to avoid it.

Half a day's work with a winch and a couple of pinch bars. All the stone was lying in the bog to the left, like a giant's granite jigsaw puzzle.

(Kilbo Path, just before the stepping-stones below the treeline)

At the risk of repeating myself - which is the path on the mbr pics? 🙂

stuartlangwilson do you have any other pics?

For some reason the photos look like they have been taken using both paths. I have no problem with folk using the main path to ride up and down.

i'll just reply for him! stuartlangwilson's photos are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10999889@N00/sets/72157619503426548/
and there's probably others if you search his photostream

goan - which path cost a fortune?

Aye.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10999889@N00/sets/72157619503426548/

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=lomond&w=10999889%40N00

All on the main path, apart from the ones with the setting sun, which are on the Campsies.

Super pictures guys 😯

Druidh - I believe reasonable access on bikes involves avoiding excessive erosion. Some paths and areas are simply too fragile to sustain bikes and some types of riding and in some conditions bikes cause much more erosion compared to walkers. I think it is right to avoid these things.

Helmet cam footage courtesy of LeeLovesBikesToo

Apart from the bottom section through the woods the main path is pretty much rock solid..we ride it pretty regular during the winter months or sometimes at night ...for a quick blast on the DH bike or ride along WHW from Balmaha-Conic Hill first on the trail bike...never had any bother with walkers although there's now cows in the section below the deer fence meaning lots of opportunity to get 'shitfaced' on the way down.

So what would be the most appropriate route? Up and back down the west side?

I agree with Goan on the erosion issue. I find it interesting what is defined at "responsible" and that there is both an [i]individual[/i] responsibility and a [i]collective[/i] responsibility involved.

Ah the old don't ride the Ben debate.

Having walked and biked Ben Lomond over the years, I recall that it wasn't that long ago that the main path was some fifty to sixty feet wide in places as walkers decided to talk ever widening lines to avoid getting their boots dirty. The trail builders came along a did a lot of sterling work to address the problem. It should be borne in mind that this was long before mountain biking became as popular as it is.

What I have an issue with is the suggestion that a minority user group should self exclude their access as they are in some way more damaging to the path that has been constructed than the longer established and more vocal walking majority. The evidence as presented of increased damage by bikes is anecdotal. Can someone please point me in the direction of an independent study that says that bikers do more harm than walkers to a stone pitched trail surface? I'm happy to be proven wrong but I just don't see it myself. However, I am willing to have my opinion changed if the evidence is there.

Erosion is caused by many factors - not just by user type but by volume as well. When I last rode Ben Lomond in May when a charity walk was on (not by design but just coincidence), I saw no other biker going up to or down from the summit. However, there were hundreds of walkers on the mountain. Why are there no calls to discourage them from accessing the mountains? Is it perhaps becasue they are so well established and sure of there perceived rights that they may just tell you to go raffle yourself?

As for the second picture with the stonework and the assertion that no one would walk on it, I'm afraid the pithy resonse to that is "Bol*ox!" Are we really suggesting that if a rock can be dislodged by a biker, it couldn't be dislodged by a walker? Gie's peace!

Whether man is present or not, the mountains will gradually erode away over the millenia. While you might not like the scarring of human contact, there is no getting away from it. If you want to stop further human damage, surely you should be calling for everyone to be banned? Good luck with that approach - you may be better hitting your head off a brick wall! 😀

As for the ride itself, it's great. I've ridden it in the summer and the winter and it's always left me with a big grin on my face. Slow down for walkers and be polite and you won't get any hassles. Contrary to common perception, walkers love the outdoors too and will almost invariably be encouraging of anyone daft enough to ride down the side of a mountain. It's a great ride - just do it and smile. Oh and watch out for the jaggy rocks on the stone pitched surfacing - it could be bloody sore if you take a spill.

Cheers

Sanny (Member, East Dunbartonshire Access Forum)

It's not a mountain bike trail, so don't expect anything like the trail centres, but the descent is good technical riding. The only downside is that unless you're geared and like honking the ascent is mostly walking. Allow 3 hours to walk up :o(

We went up the path from Rowardennan, I think thats a South approach? Anyway, good parking near the youth hostel, and straight onto the trail.

You won't be disappointed if you're looking for big mountain.