An interesting bikerafting route up in the Highlands

[yourguitarhero]

Saw this on bikepacking.com: https://bikepacking.com/routes/glenha-bikerafting-loop/

Looks quite interesting, not overly challenging and seems to be quite a good use of the raft to allow you to follow a route you couldn't do without one.

The figure of 8 route means you could do it in smaller chunks as well, either starting at Inverness, Tomnacross or Struy

[thenorthwind]

That looks well researched and generally great.

[godivatrailrider]

not overly challenging and seems to be quite a good use of the raft to allow you to follow a route you couldn't do without one.

"This route has an overall difficulty of 8 out of 10. Physical Demand (8.5): With a max gradient of 22.9%, this route has 7,838 feet (2,389 metres) of climbing over 115 miles (185 kilometres), which means approximately 254 feet (77.5 metres) per kilometre"

Turns out his maths is patently not a strong point ... as 7838' divided by 185km is actually 42' NOT 254' per km or 68' a mile which fits into my "100' per mile" yardstick of acceptability...

I've probably fooked up the maths ...

[yourguitarhero]

At danger of being called a metric using whippersnapper, I'm seeing it as

2389 metres of elevation in 185km of distance which equals just shy of 13 metres (12.91) of elevation per KM of distance.
Though obviously it won't be distributed evenly!

[Bearlegged]

At danger of being called a metric using whippersnapper...

The only acceptable non-SI units are the pint (drinks), London bus (distance), and football pitches or Wales (area).

[Lazarus]

Agreed but oddly a football pitch is not an actual standard SIZE and can technically be square (90-120 long and 45 - 90 wide)

[godivatrailrider]

I'm 57 and am equally happy with imperial or metric, usually swapping between the two in a single measurement, cm/inches especially 6" is 15cm and and flop between the two randomly.
But I just can't be doing with cycling in km. I appreciate they tick over quicker and the numbers are bigger for fragile ego's.... but Shrewsbury is 30 miles from Ludlow, not 50 km.
As we measure speed and distance in miles in the UK that's what I use for speed and distance.
But I'm ok in KM in France or Belgium or wherever.
I might be wrong but I struggle to believe folks genuinely think in KM in the UK.... "oh the speed limit on a UK motorway is 112km" it's not, it's 70mph. But like I say I might be wrong.

[whitestone]

I had noticed the route being posted. A good way to make use of some of those frustrating "tracks" that just stop in the middle of nowhere, most will be stalking paths so just lead to close to the edge of that particular estate - there's two tracks on the north side of Loch Mullardoch for example that have a 3km gap between them Lots of other examples around, make for, hmm, interesting hike-a-bike.

Back in the 1980s a couple of guys paddled Loch Monar to get to a crag high on Lurg Mor, one of the more remote Munros.

You could do a good day loop from Dornie: up Glen Ling (reversing the HT550 route) but don't drop to Attadale, turn right and go past Bendronaig Lodge to Pait Lodge then back via Iron Lodge (this bit is shared with the Bikepacking.com route) down to Killian and the road back to Dornie.

[whitestone]

I might be wrong but I struggle to believe folks genuinely think in KM in the UK.... "oh the speed limit on a UK motorway is 112km" it's not, it's 70mph. But like I say I might be wrong.

I'm 64 and while, like you, I mix and match much of the time (I'm 1.80m tall with a 42" chest ) I do tend to mentally convert the distances on UK road signs to Km. I just wish that the 1965 government policy had been fully implemented.

[Lazarus]

especially 6" is 15cm

Looks like I am today's pendant it's not it's quite close hence 30cm is known as a "metric foot" when it isn't quite a foot.

Km. I need to convert to metric ( it's the only one) to understand and I believe cyclists use them to pretend they went further ... Just done a century... You mean 60* miles done a double century ah 120 miles etc
. * I know it's not exactly 60 before being hoisted on my own p'tard

Someone once told me.to cut some metal with a length of 12 inches and 3 mm

[yourguitarhero]

Your shoe size number is related to the size of an ear of Barley.
The standardisation of bolt threads (via the Whitworth thread) is said to have played an important part in Britain winning the Crimean War through helping gunboat production. I guess that brings it a little closer to the topic...

[fatbikephil]

I've been eyeing up the routes from Dornie area up to Loch Monar and Iron Lodge for yonks - the paths appear reasonably well defined on aerials but this is good intel on what they are actually like. I suspect doing them when dry would be beneficial though....

Anyway

You could do a good day loop from Dornie: up Glen Ling (reversing the HT550 route) but don't drop to Attadale, turn right and go past Bendronaig Lodge to Pait Lodge then back via Iron Lodge (this bit is shared with the Bikepacking.com route) down to Killian and the road back to Dornie.

Pretty much what I'd worked out Bob - definitely an intriguing area. Might actually get to deploy my packraft too!