Auchterarder – Cloan Glen to Corb Glen

Local knowledge needed. Thinking of riding the hand-bike through Cloan and Corb glens, but cant see a good hand-bikeable way to join the glens. Komoot indicates that there is a locked gate on the track through Coulshill, Komoot also shows a track to the south going through the small plantation which isn’t on the OS maps. Map image below (hopefully). So two questions:-

Can you ride through Coulshill or is there a locked gate and therefore not hand-bikeable?

Does the track to the South exist and if so whats it like?

@13thfloormonk ????

Also, have you seen this?

The new track (not on OS)

Hello!

Cloan Glen starts as steep tarmac then levels out towards the farm.

The track through the farm has at least one locked gate. Not sure when that ‘No admittance’ sign went up, where did that photo come from Scotroutes?

Edit: ah yeah, that’s out of date now, farmer is gone although the forestry company are trying to persuade people up the other side of the glen…

The ‘southern’ track has a pedestrian width gate beside a vehicle gate, can’t honestly recall if the vehicle gate is locked. The southern track is good otherwise although shockingly rubbly near the bottom, a few of us descended it on gravel bikes and couldn’t believe we made it down without punctures.

I think on the Corb Glen side there is at least one locked vehicle gate with a pedestrian gate to the side, can you manoeuvre a handbike through pedestrian width gates?

Also @ceept on here might have more current knowledge, I rode it last about 3 months ago. Might try and take a visit up there on Thursday…

@scotroutes @13thfloormonk Thanks!

I can get the handbike through a pedestrian width gate, so it looks like the new track to the south in a goer!

I’ve just been peering at the map as a result of this thread.

I’ve nothing to add but childish humour.

Both names within a short daunder of each other.

where did that photo come from Scotroutes?

Geograph. Should open the right page if you click on the photo.

I rode Simpleside, then across to Corb Law then down to that track a few weeks ago (much hike-a-bike between Simpleside & Corb now as they are planting up there).
The track from the farm up to Dunning Glen is all good fireroad now, but I honestly can’t remember if the gate was locked though.

I think the first bit of the “South track” from the road to the new forestry track is still a very rutted muddy mess, so maybe not good on a hand cycle. I might get try to get there tomorrow night, if I do it’ll be a bit dark for photos though.

Also @DrT, if you follow “1” on your map, there are 2 deep fords (river crossings) that you avoid if you stick to the steep road. You could alternatively go up the road to the south of Cloan Glen, through the gate by the farmhouse at the top, along a nice grassy track next to a new deer fence, then avoid the muddy bit of the “chilli run” by cutting through the farmers field onto the road at the top.

@ceept thanks for that. Some recent 1st hand experience would be great

I can’t figure out your route suggestion in your second post. Any chance you could mark up a map and post it? No worries if not.

Locked gates – it’s worth getting onto the local access officer to get them unlocked.

Preventing access to those walking, cycling & horse riding is a breach of the Land Reform Scotland Act. If the person trying to exercise their rights to responsible access is disabled and the locked gate prevents their access then it become a case of disability discrimination under the Equality Act.

Discrimination under the Equality Act is a court order and £3000.

I don’t think there are any locked gates that don’t have an alternative route around them, so don’t really think it’s a case for the access officer? The only one which is locked and doesn’t have a pedestrian gate is into a yard (which admittedly grants access to the DrT’s original route) but there is a signposted alternative.

I think this is ceept’s suggestion

@13thfloormonk That makes sense now. Thanks.

Whatever you do don’t make my mistake of taking the sign-posted track that joins two fireroads…

I rode on the tarmac to where the road turns sharply left into the farm.  The signs asked that walkers/cyclists go straight on (thru a gate).

After a while, and before the track ‘aimed’ right & uphill there was a sign-post pointing across the valley to the main track (that goes thru the farmyard).  It was a miserable push (with a loaded bike).

Either go thru the farm yard or take the ‘Alternative Route’.

I did though get thru the next forestry after the B934 to the Auchtenny-Craigow road – down & up a severely deep stream bed, but saved loads of tarmac around.  Should be able to see my route on the Strava Heatmap.

I did though get thru the next forestry after the B934 to the Auchtenny-Craigow road – down & up a severely deep stream bed

Ha, I think I know that stream bed! You can go high on that route instead, a good forestry track takes you almost to the summit of Innerdouny hill then you can puck your way across 600m of old forester track (almost rideable if you like a challenge) then you pick up a good track again to descend to the Path of Condie road

I think this is ceept’s suggestion

Yes, thank you Mr Monk 🙂

I’m not going to get out tonight. When are you planning the route @DrT? I’m sure one of us can scout it beforehand.

What cream for…?

@ceept Thanks, we are aiming for mid-week sometime on week starting Monday 9th Dec so rush for a recce.

Just to revisit and thank @13thfloormonk @ceept and @scotroutes for the info, we did an out and back through the glens from Gleneagles yesterday. Two handbikes and two upright bikes. Cracking day out, if a bit chilly with a minimum temp of -4DegC.

Excellent! Which of the routes above did you take? The pic of people sitting on boulders makes me think you took the ‘southern’ route either as a climb or descent or both?

We took the southern route from Cloan to Corb (the new track) and just did an out and back through Corb Glen. All eminently handbikeable.

We took the middle route (1) on my map above through Corb glen and as ceept suggested we were defeated by the second river crossing. We got one handbike over but not the second so two of us looped back round and climbed the road (which was pretty treacherous with ice) to join again before Corb Glen.

The farm gates are very much locked.

All in all a grand day out.

Did you pass through the grounds of Gleneagles estate and cross A9 to Blackford? An acquaintance in Dunning messaged me asking about that route for handbikes…

@13thfloormonk the original intent was to head along to blackford and through the estate but we cut the route short and missed that bit out. Rosie by any chance?

Tracy 😉