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Been looking on the map and there appear to be loads of routes running through loch ard forest but it seems like it could be loads of just fire road plus a bit of a maze as well. Can anyone tell me if there's much Singletrack in there and if so provide me with a few route details? Thanks very much folks
There's a route in Kenny Wilson's book round there - but beware, the optional singletrack sections shown on it that we tried were mostly a boggy morass and barely rideable. Most of the route was fire road but very scenic and pleasant.
I did do a great little section of singletrack in the woods just near Go Ape at Aberfoyle. It was marked as a mountain bike trail but I couldn't find out much about it online - there seemed to be a few more dotted around but I didn't have time to try them out.
There is a singletrack, they held the scottish XC champs there this year http://www.sxc.org.uk/events_detail.php?id=37&type=assoc.
But it is difficult to find and I can only find bits of it without getting lost! Hopefully someone else more knowledgeable will post a map or gpx!
If you do a search on garmin connect, I'm sure you'll find a GPS trace from the SXC race which started at Dounans. Be warned though - that race goes up a tough climb called "Heart Attack Hill" before continuing up the firetrack and back down some fairly steep stuff, part of which is probably a bit overgrown as it was cut through the trees for the race.
Do you live up that way? I'm quite keen to re-ride that course at some point and was intending to head round with a mate who missed that round.
PS- Here is a garmin GPS [url= http://connect.garmin.com/activity/185607300 ]trace[/url].
For the 2012 SXC race course, you start along the firetrack from the centre running roughly eastwards, cut up the steep path by the burn until you pop out at the firetrack, which you turn right onto and follow it up the hill round the hairpin. When the hill opens out and becomes rocky you cut off down left through the rocks, coming out at a grassy clearing which you follow staying left and heading into a loamy section through the trees. At the bottom of this, you cut across a firetrack and down a chute into the next section. At the bottom of this, there is an off camber bit of singletrack which runs parallel to the firetrack and pops back up onto the firetrack after a while. Then follow the firetrack for a minute or so (passing a junction) until you cut into the left down another chute and through a singletrack section which brings you out near the centre.
Cheers guys I'll have a look at that 😉
I've ridden through some of those tracks south of Loch Ard. It was all forest road, though some of it was really overgrown and rough. There is a short section of footpath/singletrack leading up to the moorland east of Ben Lomond but it's very wet and the track across the moor to the south ridge of Ben Lomond would be no fun at all on a bike.
FWIW, I used them as part of a loop around Ben Lomond, starting at Balmaha and using the WHW as the return leg from Inversnaid. They were building a cycletrack along side the Aberfoyle/Inversnaid road when I was there.
Do you live up that way? I'm quite keen to re-ride that course at some point and was intending to head round with a mate who missed that round.
Yeah I'm fairly local, it's been on my list to do but not sure I'm going to have a chance this month.
I ride around
Venechar/drunkie a couple of times a week and would be up for a ride to do some exploring.