Bike park dunoon

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.

I’ve sent it to them for their suggestion box in case they haven’t already considered it. If they confirm that I’ll go back to suggest nice warm showers too – proper luxury

IIRC there is nothing really like this near Glasgow

There’s Aberfoyle for folk in the north, however – Ooft! Friendly and inviting it is not. Trail politics haven’t helped either

The main thing about cable cars/gondolas is, buses with a decent road work really well. I’m honestly not sure what the obsession with gondolas is, it seems to become a chicken and egg thing, “our venue is unique and exciting because we’re going to have a gondola” “our plan never got off the ground because it needs a gondola”. But build a decent road and get a few transits, make the trails start at the top and end at the bottom, happy days. I basically stopped supporting chairlift schemes the first time I went to antur stiniog but when they tarmacced the road it became even more open and shut, to me. That aside…

The riding down there is fantastic but also I was blown away with how the town really welcomed us the first time the SES went there- main road was closed so we could race down onto the pier, awesome stuff, just a huge party atmosphere with everyone seeming really into it. I mean, the Tweed Valley obviously appreciates riding but mostly in the cash registers, Dunoon seemed to welcome it not just as a cash cow. AND they had crazy golf and a gluten free chippy, what more could we want?

Location, well, you don’t have to get the boat, I ferried in then drove back. And boat rides are cool anyway.

A gondola can be an attraction in itself, but really only if it goes to a decent altitude and there’s a view to make it worthwhile. Lift-assisted walking and wheeling is also a possible way to get more visitors and going up in a bus doesn’t have quite the same feeling.

Hope this goes ahead, Cowal is a fantastic area. Gotta love the fact that there’s a ferry over to Cowal to begin the ride, it simply adds to the adventure. It’s like a different world over there. Once the ferry traffic has buggered off from Hunter’s Quay, the roads are quiet and the off road options are endless. A simply great place for road, gravel and MTB riding. From the forest roads around Loch Eck and Glen Branter to the tarmac roads over towards Loch Fyne with grass up the middle, the whole place is a mecca for peaceful, quiet routes punctuated by coffee stops and glorious views. There’s a gravel route north to Lochgoilhead, Ardgarten and the Glen Loin circuit or a road route over to Portavadie and the ferry to Kintyre. World’s yer oxter!