Pete Scullion takes us on a tour of the endless, accessible fire roads and exciting singletrack on the very edge of the Scottish mountains.

WORDS PETE SCULLION

the Trossachs… A sleepy corner of Scotland where the wide open spaces of the lowlands meet the first ripples of the Highlands made famous by Sir Walter Scott and William Wordsworth following their writings on one of the area’s most famous men, Rob Roy. their work drew in Victorian visitors on a train line long since closed. Nowadays visitors come from Glasgow and Stirling, much the same as they did a century and a half ago, to wander about the woods before eating ice cream on the main street.

Recently, thanks to some industrious locals, the riding scene has exploded, and way more than just in the microcosm of fat tyres. the omnipresent road fraternity who come to cycle the thats of the Forth Valley before taking on the Duke of Montrose’s legacy, the Duke’s Pass, have been augmented by an ever-growing gang of gravel enthusiasts, while the mountain bikers choose to either hammer out the miles, or opt for a ‘winch and plummet’ on the hand-cut delights in the plantation forests that overlook the village of Aberfoyle.

You’ll have a real quandary when trying to decide a route between a group of riders, such is the plethora of options to add distance, altitude, bolt on or even remove certain types of riding. Whatever you end up riding, there’s no public transport to get you here - but that is part of the magic. Stray away from the village and you’ll soon find yourself in splendid isolation; just make sure you come prepared. Climbs are long, it will rain, you’ll get chewed by midges in the summer and it will be humid. that said, if you come with enough waterproofs, year-round riding isn’t inaccessible here either. You might just want to stick to slithering about the woods in the winter.

PHOTOGRAPHY PETE SCULLION

Roots. Like snakes, only more dangerous.

Not all that long ago, Aberfoyle wasn’t doing as well as it is now. Boarded-up shopfronts are now alive with a resurgence of tourist traffic, many with bikes, again, thanks to industrious locals. My two companions today, Rob Friel and Amber thomson, make up half of the small team that forms the nucleus of the Dukes Weekender gravel event; a weekend that saw many local businesses recording their busiest days in years. Whether you drop into the Forth Inn or the Faerie Tree, Maggie’s Aberfoyle Kitchen or the Aberfoyle Deli for food, you’ll be getting the best of what the local area has to offer from someone who has become a cornerstone of how the village operates. that barely scratches the surface, and only on food - beyond the main street there are plenty more hidden gems to be found.