Bike park dunoon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdJ4qUKfxQE
looks like they have already bought a building and are going to start with teh original trail network , so hopefully something will come from this
not sure about the viability of a gondola though

The gondola has a whiff of AimUp about it (especially in the timescales mentioned), but the more minor developments still sound good.

Also can’t help but feel that the ferry just adds an extra element that makes it just a bit too much of a pain for regular visits.

I’d broaden the appeal by building some walking trails into it.

Add some demonstration homes, showcasing the latest in eco-building techniques:

Jedburgh hemp insulation firm lands £2m investment https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-64210017

Rather than:

Ambulances called to 800 people suffering from hypothermia https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64196889

Then start diasporating scotlands urban-shafted back to the glens to work remotely/ cultivating hemp.

Looks good, I’m guessing Minaars appearance at the race a few years back wasn’t coincidence then.

Also can’t help but feel that the ferry just adds an extra element that makes it just a bit too much of a pain for regular visits.

Does it hell, sailings every 15-20 minutes or so beat a 2.5 hour drive to Inners or Glencoe from Largs. It’s a really sheltered area as well (unlike further down the Firth) which means it’s about the last to be cancelled due to bad weather. They have 3 boats as well so less likely to get stranded due to a mechanical.

Oh, wait, that’s McInroy’s point I’m on about, there’s the Calmac passenger ferry right outside Gourock station as well. McInroys Point is less than 2 miles from the station and just over 4 from Inverkip Marina (if you park up first). How many other venues are a short ride from bike accessible public transport?

That looks brilliant, god I love this forum and what people share! Stopping off there for a day on the way upto FW champs, yes please!

I watched that yesterday and meant to ask about it on here, so thanks.

We are planning a family campervan trip up to Scotland this Easter, are the original trails suitable for mixed abilities?

@chrisyork

You could do much worse! Even if you drive hell for leather up the M74 you just join the M8, drive to the end and you’re a few miles from the ferry and the rest of Argyll, it’s a nice drive to take slowly and enjoy the scenery. You can get up to Fort William easily enough by taking the A819 north out of Inveraray then driving to Connel by the A85 and taking the A828 coast road up. If it’s a coachbuilt you might need to hold your breath on the A819 if a lorry passes you but it’s no worse than Loch Lomond side, we managed it with a 7.5m caravan.

@mugboo

Despite me living a hop skip and a jump away I’ve never been, will report back though! They’re all mapped on Trailforks so perhaps there are helpful reports on there.

Does it hell, sailings every 15-20 minutes or so beat a 2.5 hour drive to Inners or Glencoe from Largs.

I do apologise for having an opinion. However having just reminded myself of the fares it hasn’t changed, especially when you need to allow 5 working days for advanced tickets to be posted out. The good people of Largs won’t be enough to sustain a gondola uplift unfortunately

How many other venues are a short ride from bike accessible public transport?

I would hazard a guess that the number of people they expect to be getting the train down is tiny. Do trains on that route have bike spaces these days?

especially when you need to allow 5 working days for advanced tickets to be posted out.

You can pick them up at the office or print them yourself.
Most wouldn’t take a car – just foot and bike.

I think it’s an outlier place, but agree that it’s surprisingly well linked to public transport straight to Glasgow. Seems to have good geography for it, there’s more than MTB too.

Will it be the next Tweed Valley? I think they are up against issues such as image of the ferry being a hassle (see above), the weather in Argyll, 2mm of pain clouds and of course the town needing more than just a few signs and trails – it’s OK, but is it a strong weekend destination?

I think the cable car is a non starter.

You can pick them up at the office or print them yourself.
Most wouldn’t take a car – just foot and bike.

I did wonder that, but wasn’t clear on the page I was looking at. Where would you park? There’s nowhere near that Western ferry iirc?

I’ll probably pop over 1 day in the summer. Hopefully they can develop things enough to pull folk in even if that completing the wish list

Where would you park? There’s nowhere near that Western ferry iirc?

That’s a good point. I’ve only used that one with the car. There’s parking on the front, but not a car park beyond 20 odd spaces at the terminal.

There’s a lot of parking at Calmac Gourock.

For many it would be an ‘adventurous’ way of arriving, and certainly pretty.

Thanks @squirrelking

For many it would be an ‘adventurous’ way of arriving, and certainly pretty.

Agreed, the ferry certainly does have a novelty value that would appeal to families and people building a visit in as part of a trip

Also worth a mention and a look are the guys who did that video – The Contour Collective. Afaik, they’re a couple of ex-EWS riders who do some really insightful videos. I thought some of their early stuff on mental health is very good and they have some great guests

The Contour Collective

I used to ride there a lot. Then the trail maintenance almost stopped and the place got battered and overgrown. It’s great to see it coming back and Stewart McNee is a good guy that puts a lot of work in. I actually knew about the Minnaar link a few years back. He’s been there a few times to scope stuff and it was being touted as the “Greg Minnaar Bike Park”.

It’s a fantastic area with massive potential for multi sport use and would bring so much back to Dunoon which has never really recovered from the Americans pulling out. I actually love riding from the ferry to the trails as it feels like a very nostalgic step back in time. There’s a faded grandeur to the place.

Funny to hear the Glen Morag hotel mentioned. I stayed there for a couple of nights when I was racing the SES years ago. Without a doubt the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. There was me, then about half a dozen coachloads of pensioners on bus tours having an overnight there. The evening entertainment was hilarious!

In terms of access, from just south of glasgow, including the ferry, it takes me the same time to get to dunoon as it does to get to innerleithen

Also can’t help but feel that the ferry just adds an extra element that makes it just a bit too much of a pain for regular visits.

The ferry is also sort of also the point I’d imagine. The reason the 7 Stanes were originally funded is because they were just far enough away from larger population centres for a decent attraction to benefit the local economy. If people have travelled far enough they’ll spend more time and therefore more money at a destination. If you could just pop out for a quick spin and home again thats convenient but its not beneficial for anyone else.

The point is to have an attraction that is more than worth the inconvenience of the ferry so that more people overcome that obstacle and more money comes with it.

Where would you park?

If only you’d packed some sort of bicycle 🙂 Just park anywhere and ride to the ferry – theres a sustrans route all along the waterfront

Been a couple of times (I’m from Gourock and mum still lives there) over the years, and the trails are awesome, quite Golfie like (i.e. steep ruts, be on your A game (for me, son just effs off down the trails whooping))

Riding down to Gourock pier head, and taking the bikes on the wee calmac ferry just adds to the appeal of a great day out. love it!

Fair warning though, and it could stop this development in its tracks. The wee takeaway/cafe at the old Dunoon pier head – busy, great scran, lovely staff – uses paper bags that are too thin for their intended job.

Bought a slice roll with ketchup on a cold day, was gripping bag to the bar with one hand, condensation caused bag to give way as I was riding along to catch the boat with my son. Roll/contents fall out and bastard seagulls gobbled the contents.

Had to make do with a 6 year old Kit Kat found at the bottom of my sack whilst my son tucked into his link sausage and bacon.

PTSD doesn’t even describe the trauma. Is there a way I can raise this with the developers? You have been warned!

🙂

The point is to have an attraction that is more than worth the inconvenience of the ferry so that more people overcome that obstacle and more money comes with it.

A fair point. iirc the 7 Stanes was largely as you say but driven by the need to get people going back to these places following the Foot and Mouth outbreak. That attraction would certainly need the gondola, another tricky thing is how to get some money from the e-bikers who will happily do their own uplift (Innerleithen has the same issue when you see the number of ebikes at the Golfie)

Would be really handy if they had a somewhere to use as a bag drop. No issue with ditching the car on the Gourock side, but if you’re filthy at the end of the day it would be good to be able to get changed before heading to the boat.

Does it hell, sailings every 15-20 minutes or so beat a 2.5 hour drive to Inners or Glencoe from Largs.

I’d definitely come up from Troon too, either with the camper and make a couple of days of it or try the train (on a dry non muddy day).

I really hope it comes to something, could be excellent 👌🏻

What’s the price of the ferry?

Who can tell

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/snp-ministers-under-pressure-call-28099297

What’s the price of the ferry?

i go as a foot passenger and it’s £6.40 return. that’s stopping in at the co-op along the road and buying an “advance” ticket. You can buy a 10 ticket pack which drop it to £5.24 return

https://www.western-ferries.co.uk/pages/fares-information

TheBrick
Free Member
What’s the price of the ferry?

For the CalMac ferry:
Adult – £9.00 Return
Children – £4.50 Return
Bikes – Free

Western:

ONBOARD STANDARD FARES
Vehicle (up to 5m) + Driver – £37.90 Return
Adult Passenger – £10.20 Return
Child – £3.90 Return

ADVANCED PURCHASE FARES
Vehicle (up to 5m) + Driver – £21.20 Return
Adult Passenger – £6.40 Return
Child – £3.90 Return

Bikes are also free on Western

It;s pie in the sky stuff, build (and maintain) some good trails and people will come…

Fair warning though, and it could stop this development in its tracks. The wee takeaway/cafe at the old Dunoon pier head – busy, great scran, lovely staff – uses paper bags that are too thin for their intended job.

We had an issue that they serve tea and coffee on the old school polystyrene cups – and refused filling our travel mugs.

I tell you, mrs_oab was ready to re-board the ferry and head somewhere else…. 😆

A fair point. iirc the 7 Stanes was largely as you say but driven by the need to get people going back to these places following the Foot and Mouth outbreak. That attraction would certainly need the gondola, another tricky thing is how to get some money from the e-bikers who will happily do their own uplift (Innerleithen has the same issue when you see the number of ebikes at the Go

its not the spend in the trail centre that matters. And its not only the riders that matter if they travel with their families – MTB isnt necessarily a whole family activity. The benefit is more broadly about spend in the surrounding area – cafes, shops, over night stays. Innerleithen high st wouldn’t look like it does if the people who ride there only had a 10 minute drive home.

A great idea tome but runs up against the usual issues

I cannot see a gondola type uplift being viable and pay to access land is a tricky issue in Scotland.  But I have no doubt some good trails in the area would bring people and I don’t see the ferry as an insurmountable issue at all.  IIRC there is nothing really like this near Glasgow

Innerleithen High Street.

There used to be a petrol station, Post office, Bank of Scotland, two butchers, ….

its not the spend in the trail centre that matters. And its not only the riders that matter if they travel with their families – MTB isnt necessarily a whole family activity. The benefit is more broadly about spend in the surrounding area – cafes, shops, over night stays. Innerleithen high st wouldn’t look like it does if the people who ride there only had a 10 minute drive home.

Indeed, but you need the trail centre/bike park to attract the people, and it needs money spent on maintenance to keep them coming. If the ebikers are riding for free, and are a significant proportion of the riders going, it could lead to problems down the line but paid access is another issue as TJ says. If you can get (and keep) the visitors* coming then of course it’s great for the area, I’ve seen a massive change in the Tweed Valley area over the 20+ years I’ve been riding there

*don’t forget the zip-lines!

Innerleithen High Street.

There used to be a petrol station, Post office, Bank of Scotland, two butchers, …

Dunkeld was similar. Wont say it was entirely driven by biking, but there has been a huge explosion of small independent shops, cafes etc there

*don’t forget the zip-lines!

And lets not forget that Argyll is working hard generally on all sorts of ‘wild about Argyll’ efforts to attract more tourists.

https://www.wildaboutargyll.co.uk/

I point so many people at other parts of Scotland when they usually suggest NC500 – and more places offering what visitors want, easy to find attractions/events/cafe/views/activities is a Good Thing.

And more relevant to many on this forum…

https://www.wildaboutargyll.co.uk/see-do/cycling/gravel-biking/

Happy days!! I’ve just got a nice caravan in Hunters quay in Dunoon,would be ideal to head there and split up my tweed valley visits
Although I alsways found Dunoon a nightmare when it was soaked,reminds me of the lower exit of the Wolf trails at Golfie
Heehaw grip and riding on Toots wae nae jaikets on and skinless tree stumps on some of the trails
Havnt been in years so maybe the trails have changed but I’ll be up for a few weekend adventures in the coming months

I go over there regularly in the summer. The road and gravel is some of the best in Scotland and the mtb is decent but with a lot of potential. Pop into the co-op or the corner shop for the cheap western tickets and max 20 minutes waiting for a ferry and as a foot passenger with a bike there has always been a space. Getting on the boat adds to the occasion too – seen submarines and dolphins pass by and even a killer whale once.

Hello, Dunoon local of 20 years here.

Yep the Dunoon Project is ambitious but it’s very well supported by locals and investors, and the Dunoon Grammar School who are heavily involved, and the community through them.  It’s objective is to develop sufficient local jobs in the zipwires, accommodation, café etc so that locals have job opportunities without the need to leave the area.

Cowal Mountain Bike club is 20 years old this year, and the existing trail network has been built by them with a bit of help from No Fuss and others.

Here’s a map of the plans-

Let me try and answer a few of the questions posed in the thread-

We are planning a family campervan trip up to Scotland this Easter, are the original trails suitable for mixed abilities?

I’d love to say yes, but the honest answer is we’re a bit short of ’blue’ & ‘red’ trails.  Loads of forest roads, and the built trails are steep & nadgy, but not a huge amount in-between.  Fixing that is one of the early objectives of the project. And accessible trails deliberately includes  handbikes / Bowhead.

Fair warning though, and it could stop this development in its tracks. The wee takeaway/cafe at the old Dunoon pier head – busy, great scran, lovely staff – uses paper bags that are too thin for their intended job.

lol!!  That’s the Rock Cafe, or should I say was the Rock Cafe, it’s closed recently.  But no worries, the Boathouse cafe just along from it does fab food, fab cakes, ice cream, sit in or takeaway.  And crazy golf!!

I would hazard a guess that the number of people they expect to be getting the train down is tiny. Do trains on that route have bike spaces these days?

Yep, lots of commuters do bike/ferry/train/bike into Glasgow.

I think the cable car is a non starter. 

It’s certainly the final stage but the earlier stages (trails, vehicle uplift, zipwires) work without it.

Where would you park? There’s nowhere near that Western ferry iirc?

There’s roadside parking on the shore road on the Gourock side of McInroys Point.

i go as a foot passenger and it’s £6.40 return. that’s stopping in at the co-op along the road and buying an “advance” ticket. You can buy a 10 ticket pack which drop it to £5.24 return. 

Yep, never buy tickets onboard the Western!!  As OmarLittle says, call into the COOP in Gourock or Wemyss Bay as you drive past and buy passenger or car tickets.  Calmac buy on-board. The passenger only Calmac Gourock to Dunoon town is very susceptible to disruption due to wind.  The car & passenger Western Ferry from McInroys point to Hunters Quay is bomb-proof – I commute on it by bike every weekday and can count on one hand the number of cancellations in 10 years.  The ferry crossing can be more of an adrenaline sport than the biking!

its not the spend in the trail centre that matters. And its not only the riders that matter if they travel with their families – MTB isnt necessarily a whole family activity. The benefit is more broadly about spend in the surrounding area – cafes, shops, over night stays. Innerleithen high st wouldn’t look like it does if the people who ride there only had a 10 minute drive home. 

Yep.  And as above – the visitor spend is only part of it – the jobs for locals is the bigger target.

I cannot see a gondola type uplift being viable and pay to access land is a tricky issue in Scotland.  But I have no doubt some good trails in the area would bring people and I don’t see the ferry as an insurmountable issue at all. 

Good thing we have in our favour is that while most of the Cowal landscape is active timber harvesting, there are only 2 landowners covering a huge area, and both are fully on-board with the project.

There’s more info here – https://www.facebook.com/DunoonProject and if you’re heading over, you can drop us a message here https://www.facebook.com/CowalMountainBikeClub/ and if you’re lucky one of us might be able to show you around.

Cheers,

Rob

👍👍👍

@mashr

I do apologise for having an opinion.

Wasn’t the tone I intended, apologies.

I would hazard a guess that the number of people they expect to be getting the train down is tiny. Do trains on that route have bike spaces these days?

It’s worth remembering that not everyone riding these will be a middle-aged professional with accompanying lifestyle vehicle. I really got into all this when I was in uni and if those trails had been there at the end of a sub 1hr train ride I’d never have been away from the place! As pointed out, no booking necessary for the Inverclyde/Ayrshire lines and plenty of parking along the road or a few miles away at Inverkip marina. That aside, some of us do consider the impact we have and if I can lessen that considerably then I will.

As for a bag drop, that’s a really good idea and certainly one they should be entertaining if they are serious about sustainable travel.

Also worth a mention and a look are the guys who did that video – The Contour Collective.

Yeah, I didn’t realise Chris Hutchens was involved, I mind him and Ben Cathro racing together in Juniors, nice guy.

IIRC there is nothing really like this near Glasgow

There really isn’t. The Braes are fine for family pootling or XC but for proper enduro type stuff this is the closest stuff. Kelburn Riders tried to do it but never really had the proper support of the estate, this looks more viable than that did (and has actually already hosted events rather than promising to).

Looks brilliant. Hope it comes to fruition. Like the idea of the ferry ride and then straight on to the trails! Definitely something interesting and different.