Scottish route advice and suggestions

[whitestone]

Looking for some two to three day routes that might be suitable for attempting during the winter. I realise that a lot depends on what the weather is doing but we'd be looking at estate tracks and the like at lower levels rather than something that gets a bit high. We've nowhere booked so can be flexible in where we go but it's nice to have options.

I've come up with one: up the west side of Loch Etive then up Glen Etive to the King's House, along the WHW to Victoria Bridge and back via Glen Kinglass. 100Km in total. Not sure about the initial track along Loch Etive, an archived thread on STW suggests it's OK.

Also got a slightly longer one using parts of the HT550 route between Ullapool, Oykel Bridge and Garve.

Any other suggestions?

[ScotRoutes]

I know the guys that did that track on the West side of Loch Etive. It was actually a pretty good ride. They'd chartered a wee boat over from Taynuilt and getting off that proved the most challenging bit of the trip.

Glen Kinglass is lovely. There's a section near the col that's all bare rocks - like a mini-moab.


As a two-day loop, consider the Great Glen Way from Inverness to Fort Augustus and back via the South Loch Ness Trail. The High Level version of the GGW gives some fantastic views. I was on the (under-publicised) SLNT last weekend. It's a mix of purpose-built path, forest track and some bits of tarmac. They're extending it down from Loch Tarff to Fort Augustus to avoid the big road climb.

Some other stuff I'm looking at...

Caithness and East Sutherland using forest/estate tracks. A couple of days loop looks possible - maybe involving trains at Lairg and Georgemas Junction.

Dalwhinnie - Loch Garry - Bridge of Ericht - Loch Ericht - Ben Alder Cottage - Loch Pattack - Dalwhinnie
A variation of the above using the Road to the Isles from Rannoch Station to Loch Ossian and back to Dalwhinnie or Kinloch Laggan

Grantown on Spey - Dava Way - Findhorn - Moray Coastal Trail - Fochabers - Speyside Way - Grantown (160km).

I've a (almost completely) off-road route from Aviemore to Inverness that could be used with the SLNT or GGW and the Corrieyairack, though the latter will likely have some snow cover already.

[Taylor]

Any chance you can mail me the GPX for your aviemore-Inverness route please Colin?

[fatbikephil]

West highlands, Mull of kintyre and Argyll area (ie south west of fort bill) offers some good riding / easy going that should be OK in winter. Just check out your local OS map plus Kintyre way, Great Glen cycleway and NCN 78

[ScotRoutes]

Any chance you can mail me the GPX for your aviemore-Inverness route please Colin?

Will do. I'll just cobble something together from previous tracks.

[whitestone]

Cheers Colin. I should have said that we'll be on fat bikes (a bit of training for the Rovaniemi) so not too concerned about snow It's more deep rivers that would be a stopper, not pleasant in summer never mind winter.

[ScotRoutes]

Wet feet are a possibility on the Glen Kinglass route, maybe the Loch Garry one too.

[whitestone]

Unless it gets very cold and everything is frozen then some dampness is to be expected, just don't want to be faced with a waist deep crossing

Have checked my map collection and I've got the Landranger with your Loch Garry route on - looks OK - SWMBO seems to like it. From the HT550 reports there's a little bit of HAB near Benalder Cottage. We've done some biking around Loch Pattack before, I think Culra bothy is still closed because of asbestos.

[Ray Young]

Link to Gari and my two days around Loch Etive and Glen Kinglass. I think it would be a good winter route and going clockwise is probably a better direction to go.
http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... n+Kinglass

[Gari]

Is that really 4 years ago?!
Great route it was too, despite me being pretty unfit at the time

[ericrobo]

Ray, how much of a push was it ? 10 mins, 20 mins, or... ?
"The start of Loch Etive and offroad again, the first part being a push due to a heavily eroded path."

Loch Etive is a magic area... (and the Trilleachan Slabs, climbed there a couple of times)

Whitestone: take a look at Oban to Aberdeen in Routes.
The minor back road from Oban to Taynuilt would be handy if wanting to avoid the A85
(but don't go via Gorton Bothy whatever you do )

[whitestone]

I had looked at basing a loop on part of your Oban - Aberdeen route, partly why I looked at the Glen Kinglass area. Done a few routes on the Etive Slabs as well. The Wild Trails guidebook also has Glen Kinglass but just as a through route from Tyndrum/Bridge of Orchy and getting the train back so a loop up Glen Etive made more sense and would obviously give more riding. I do understand why such a guidebook wouldn't include many multi day routes though that 2 vol series does have several, it's not what they are generally about.

I'd also looked at a loop west of Ben Alder but there's frustrating gaps in the stalker paths network. I'd also tried to make a loop around the Gaick Pass but the only one I could come up with was: Blair Atholl - Gaick - Glen Feshie - Geldie - Glen Tilt - BA. Missed the Loch Garry - Ericht loop in the middle that Colin has suggested.

Due to holiday allowances we are limited to the Xmas - New Year period so having several options is useful: now have one in the west, one in the central highlands, one in the northern highlands and should be able to figure one out further east so with luck we'll get something done. Cue storms Tom, Dick and Harry to sweep across the country around that time!

[Ray Young]

Ray, how much of a push was it ? 10 mins, 20 mins, or... ?
"The start of Loch Etive and offroad again, the first part being a push due to a heavily eroded path."

Not much, maybe 15-20 minutes easy pushing. Wasn't rideable due to the soil having eroded around rocks leaving them standing proud.

If you don't fancy riding the A road we took then there are some minor roads running parallel to it to the south which will take you to Oban, probably a much nicer option and not adding much height or distance.

[ianfitz]

I've ridden the north shore of Loch etive before. It followed a night in the caderlie bothy where I accidentally got more drunk than I've ever been in my life.

As above its a fairly short section that's unrideable the rest is fine. Just watch out for excess hospitality at the bothy

[ScotRoutes]

Any chance you can mail me the GPX for your aviemore-Inverness route please Colin?

Done.

Linky here for anyone else that might be interested too: http://www.scotroutes.com/Routes/MTB/Avie2Inv.gpx (Right Click... Save As....)

There are a couple of alternatives - most noticeably taking in the "Burma Road" from Lynwilg to Slochd.

[MussEd]

Any chance you can mail me the GPX for your aviemore-Inverness route please Colin?

Might I ask for a copy of this as well? Need to start planning and actually carrying out rides again! Thanks

[ianfitz]

Any chance you can mail me the GPX for your aviemore-Inverness route please Colin?

Might I ask for a copy of this as well? Need to start planning and actually carrying out rides again! Thanks

There's a download link in the post above yours.

[MussEd]

Any chance you can mail me the GPX for your aviemore-Inverness route please Colin?

Might I ask for a copy of this as well? Need to start planning and actually carrying out rides again! Thanks

There's a download link in the post above yours.

Oh aye! And I'm expecting to navigate my way around semi-wilderness! Thanks for helping an idiot out!