Great route and video! Do you think it would be possible to do this on just 40mm gravel tyres? I have an all road bike that can take a max of 40mm tyres.

Hi Rusty Just come across this video. Great memories of riding this route twice, both times from Ardgarten going clockwise. First time was in late 90's and then again in 2008. At the time I had a fairly basic MB with no suspension but a great trip with fantastic views if the weather is good. Doubt I could repeat it now!! ATB Paul

i was there last week i cycled from kirkcaldy up thornton and glenrothes up throughup through pitkevy farm road up by glasslie up the coal pit burn car park then was going to go up the hill on the bike but was a bit to steep i should have went the other way up at muirhead then went up the long steep section like what your doing but i chose the silly end lol but decided to leave it and cycle on i went to falkland had a pie then came along down the a912 road then all the way back down home i did go just before noon so i should have went earlier cause i got back about 5

Thoroughly enjoyed. Gravel roads look great. Thanks for posting. There used to be a wee cafe stop at Clatteringshaws but not sure if it's open all year round.

Your visor is peak noob Rusty, slide it up a bit for optimal vision and cool points ;-)

if you look on the strava gravel riding heat map, you’ll see that someone graveled down heartbreak ridge, that wasn’t you by any chance? 😂

Kudos to you for doing that ride. Coincidentally, I did it last week and, like you, I was severely out of my comfort zone. I have to admit that I did walk one or two sections, but rode far more than I had anticipated I would do. . However, I was glad of an E bike to get up to the top!

Great video! Probably one of the best I've seen on that route. I write this as someone with no more skill on an MTB than you, but you would really benefit from some lessons. Get yourself down to the Tweed Valley and get some coaching and it will transform your off-road riding. I also write that as someone who hasn't followed his own advice! I came to road cycling from MTB so from day one I was a lot faster downhill than most roadies and unfazed by loose surfaces and when I moved over/back to gravel I realised I have complete comfort there compared to most roadies. But as I dabble more on MTBs I am running up against my limitations and I know it is going to take a coaches eye to fix my errors as repeating the same errors time and time again don't make for improvement (this I know well as I am a strength and running coach). I remember seeing the very first video of you on a MTB and immediately thinking 'roadie on an MTB' from your body language and it is visible here comparing you and your brother. Having a drone follow you is an amazing coaching tool if you have the eyes to see what you are doing or not doing but being able to translate that into technique changes might take someone with experience of coaching too.

Try and get yourself lower on the bike, bending your knees more - but do stay central. Think about raising your brake levers to be nearer the horizontal. Use a higher gear, means if you do pedal it'll be 'smoother' but more importantly keeps the mech up and more out of the way of rocks etc. Also put your garmin onto the top tube, using a mount plus bands - when you do crash you'll thank me.

Nice one, great video. Really enjoyed seeing Arran from another perspective. It is a cracking island, and we enjoyed some fab gravel north and south of Brodick a few years ago. Its amazing the different views you can get just off the main coastal road, isn't it? Makes me want to go back!

You did really well 👏

Longer than you think 😊

Great video - the drone work was really good! showed the trail really well.

HBR is an absolute classic. wonderful, wonderful trail.

frank rules!

remarkable content, great edit. thanks

When I do MTB rides like that, I always regret not being able to enjoy the views. You really have to concentrate on the track ahead.

I did something like that on a corporate day many years ago. I.e. mountain bike hire at Ballater and then they drove us to Braemar and we did some quite technical trails. Like you, I was well out of my comfort zone although very enjoyable day out

Next stop enduro on the Nevis Range?

So beautiful.

Zig zags are pretty difficult on a gravel bike. Did them in May this year. Wishing I had the MTB for them.

Ben Lomond is a great munro for a MTB descent. Hike a bike up mostly though!

Great videi

I fell off just after Laggan cottage, I was tired and the front wheel went into bog……over the bars I went 😢 bashed up my leg and was worried I’d broken it for a few minutes, the thought of trying to get out of there as it’s so isolated with nobody or even a road to get out, managed ok and eventually made it back to Brodick. DJI Mini 4 pro drone?

Rusty, that looked like a truly fantastic day. The colour on the landscape and water made it look, really spectacular. There a cracking old video on KZfaq, from Pathe I think, showing the construction of Lubreoch Dam. Very interesting and enjoyable, just like your video. Best wishes.

Looks a stunning ride what ferry did you use and how did you transport your gear etc did you have a little helper

Brilliant video - we did Arran on the road bikes last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, although a bit busy at times. To see a route for the MTB's is great! may well be tempted to use the ebike though ... looks fantastic - thank you so much

Arran is one of my favourite places in Scotland. Only ever ridden the roads though. Are you a geologist, Rusty? Watching this was like spending time with my sister!

So the millionaires yacht was yours ?!!great video. Definitely going to try by this and mix in the earlier route comments

I’m only a mile from the ferry and really don’t get across enough. Mind you I don’t think I’ll be rushing across with my MTB to do that route it looks a total tic fest in places. I’ll stick to the nice gravel and roads😂

Another great video, Rusty. And thanks for another Geology lesson :)

Hi Rusty, glad you are back videoing your rides. I really loved this one as the aerial footage is fantastic. I live on Arran & road, MTB & gravel, ride these roads, trails all the time which as you say are fantastic. The trail south from the top of thre Brodick hill where you turned right & came down that very narrow over grown track, has a much much nicer trail down the side of the road into Lamlash, where you can cycle through the Village to Dyemill & continue the way you went. You can also carry on instead of heading round Glenashdale falls, to Kilmory by staying on the main trail, which is also extremely gravel friendly. That too has a couple of options for extra routes, making the southend a mecca for gravel riding, if you just want to gravel here. You'll probaly already know all this from Komoot, I know you were following the route from the Visit Arran website & the Arran MTB pages which have some great rides. Arran has something for all types of riders. Thanks for showing the Island in such fantastic form. Definitely four seasons in one day.

White poles are part of measured mile used by ships built on the Clyde undergoing sea trials. There is another set at Sannox

Nice one Rusty I rode round on mb after riding up to corryvreckan on Jura 12 years ago. Left car in secure parking in adrosan for 7 nights for anyone wanting to take bike tent etc its super cheap parking 🍻👍

Fantastic video once again. Great day for it. Pretty sure the poles you were pointing out wete BT telegraph poles, ive worked on them over there, never had the same weather as you 😂 thanks again

Fantastic video Rusty - Really appreciate the geology & history tid-bits you throw in whilst keeping the humour flowing - very much elevates the video against the 'also-rans' - top notch and thanks again - ATB Tom

What nice trip. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing

Superb island. I did the full road trip on my e-bike 56.7 mile on a June day this year, superb. Keep up good work.

Firstly many thanks Rusty rides gravel. Did this route today and it's truly amazing, real sense of middle of nowhere and exposure in some parts. Thanks to yourself for sharing... you did happen. To loose a frame camera mount did you? I found one just at the wee 100 meter hike a bike section at the windfarm ?

Thanks

Thank you for your videos love them. You have encouraged me to get out on my old lapierre mountain bike in flat Northamptonshire 😊. I’ve just watched your Broad Law ride which was amazing. Would you consider doing a video on gear to wear?

Is no one mentioning the person laying passed out at 1:32

Did this ride today (02.08.24) after watching your video. Amazing route. Tough as old boots in places, but well worth the effort and the bottle of Royal Lochnagar whisky at the end…..fits perfectly into a bottle cage for hand transportation back to the van 😃. Thanks for the inspiration

Another great video Rusty, lovely route and top quality footage! Cheers 🚲👍

Done the wind farm a hundred times… something very relaxing about that place…. Very nice

Is your surname Trombone ?

Awe Rusty shuld have over 50,000 subs as you the best... Any chance in future you can do glen tromie to glen feshie... new trail... Pure wilderness ?

I really enjoy your videos very much. Hope to have a go at gravel biking when I move to Galloway. ❤

one of the most underrated you tube channels, been really enjoying your content and routes, have to be honest in saying ive pinched a couple, im planning on doing this one on saturday , i hope your getting the credit you deserve from sponsers and products , it must be a utter pain in the ass riding along, planting a camera, and back and forth all the time, you exectute it well in the videos, hopefully bump into you on the trails at some point, keep up the great work

Hi Rusty, another great video, thanks. I must say hello next time I see you walking your dog. One small tip - its pronounced Brayco, not Bracko but you weren't to know !