The latest instalment of Bike Magic’s Trail Guide TV sees Ben Cathro taking on the Arrochar Alps in Scotland…
This week’s Bike Magic Trail Guide TV, produced by Mark Huskisson of Reset Films, comes after he took a long trip out to the Alps. The last three edits have been shot in some stunning spots in Europe and, although these trips reveal the sheer scale of the great riding we pretty much have in such close countries, Mark thought it was time to get back to some of the UK’s finest trails and some that rival the alps for their sheer scale and beauty.
What better place to start than the Arrochar Alps, just 25 miles north of Glasgow? These comprise a stunning little pocket of Munros hidden by the steep hillsides of the Luss Hills that rise on the western shores of Loch Lomond.
To find these amazing hills you take a left as you reach Tarbert while driving north along the western shore of Loch Lomond. Simply follow the road for a few miles until you reach the small village of Arrocher. As you drive into Arrochar the hills are revealed as they rise from the shores of Loch Long. 
The trail we filmed on was the main walker’s path up to The Cobbler (Ben Arthur), there are various routes around the area including some nice long pedals but this trail was ideal for a DH-style blast. The trail itself is pretty steep and if you’re fit and skilled you could probably climb two thirds of it. The lower half is washed-out fire road and a fairly wide footpath, followed by the trail you see in the edit, which is a singletrack blast that rivals any other trail if you have some pretty sorted riding skills.
Ben Cathro from Sickskills.co.uk again makes the trail look fairly tame with his effortless bike handling. It’s always great to film with Ben as he’s always looking for lines that mere mortals might miss.
Again this is a fairly popular walking path so needs to be treated with that in mind, the descent is best tackled when it’s quiet otherwise you’ll be stopping on a regular basis to let people through.
We shot this in early May and there was still snow up on the hills, so treat this type of mountain riding with the respect it deserves.
