Not the HT550

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fatbikephil
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by fatbikephil »

Nice one guys, - broken bikes, bogs, tussocks, boat rides and drunk people - a proper adventure. Well done for getting through in one piece. :-bd

Re the north side of Loch Etive trail - the track starts at 10316 44081 just above the shore line about 1.5k from the road end about 100m above the loch shore and goes the full length of the loch. I've not actually done it but I know a few who have and they claimed it was rough but doable all the way..... Talking a few years ago so maybe its faded out since. I've always fancied giving it a go having done the south shore trail a few times so I'll report back if I get up there this summer.

Rannoch station to Kingshouse has been on my radar for yonks but I've always thought it as a fat bike job after 4 weeks of dry weather. Route planning on the fly is the best!
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Borderer
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by Borderer »

htrider wrote: Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:19 pm Nice one guys, - broken bikes, bogs, tussocks, boat rides and drunk people - a proper adventure. Well done for getting through in one piece. :-bd

Re the north side of Loch Etive trail - the track starts at 10316 44081 just above the shore line about 1.5k from the road end about 100m above the loch shore and goes the full length of the loch. I've not actually done it but I know a few who have and they claimed it was rough but doable all the way..... Talking a few years ago so maybe its faded out since. I've always fancied giving it a go having done the south shore trail a few times so I'll report back if I get up there this summer.

Rannoch station to Kingshouse has been on my radar for yonks but I've always thought it as a fat bike job after 4 weeks of dry weather. Route planning on the fly is the best!
There were no bike tyre prints at all on the north side of Loch Etive, but plenty on Rannoch moor. The footprints stopped fairly quickly at Loch Etive too.

I think you would head OTB pretty quickly if you tried to ride Rannoch moor, but be my guest at proving me wrong :lol:
BreninBeener
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by BreninBeener »

Well you are both super tough in my book!

Top work both of you.

Its great watching your children grow and be strong and resilient!

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jam bo
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by jam bo »

Re the north side of Loch Etive trail - the track starts at 10316 44081 just above the shore line about 1.5k from the road end about 100m above the loch shore and goes the full length of the loch.
I’d say that’s where the worst of the bog started, but it was a bit bushwhacky for a couple of km prior to that.
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Mariner
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by Mariner »

I suspect this might have had something to do with being forced to hang the bike up by the back wheel on the train to Tyndrum.
Good read and an example of just go with the flow.

I met that guard going the other way FW to Tyndrum.
Definitely a rule 1 violator.
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Borderer
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by Borderer »

Mariner wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 2:52 pm
I suspect this might have had something to do with being forced to hang the bike up by the back wheel on the train to Tyndrum.
Good read and an example of just go with the flow.

I met that guard going the other way FW to Tyndrum.
Definitely a rule 1 violator.
He was such an arse. A lot of them are human enough to understand that the situation is less than ideal and do what they can to help, but not this guy.
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thenorthwind
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by thenorthwind »

Just read this... you two really are tough nuts :shock: I think I'd have given up and gone home, or at least tried to, at some point in all that. Well done for sticking with it and adapting your plans to fit difficult circumstances. I saw a little of your trials on Facebook but hadn't realised there were so many, you kept a brave face on it.

Looking forward to the the Hebridean write-up.
ScotRoutes
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by ScotRoutes »

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trogladytes
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by trogladytes »

That's a great idea, in Spain they just make you wrap your bike in clingfilm, but a bike sock seems more of a sustainable solution.
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Dave Barter
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by Dave Barter »

I saw those at Ullapool earlier this month. Along with a lad who’d just wrapped his in bin liners. Fair play to the coach driver who did not bat an eyelid
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fatbikephil
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by fatbikephil »

They could also doing with supplying a 'rider sock' for those who've been out a few days
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UnderTheRadars
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by UnderTheRadars »

The size of that bus! :shock:
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ScotRoutes
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by ScotRoutes »

UnderTheRadars wrote: Mon Jun 28, 2021 6:41 pm The size of that bus! :shock:
Not likely to be seen on the rural routes!

https://www.alexander-dennis.com/media/ ... k-express/
ton
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by ton »

fantastic read Borderer. just bloody fantastic.
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benp1
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by benp1 »

That's a proper adventure! All the superlatives for that write up
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Borderer
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by Borderer »

Cheers guys
tobasco
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by tobasco »

Excellent write up you two, real adventure and glad I’m reading it from comfy chair. Hat’s off to you both.
redefined_cycles
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by redefined_cycles »

Borderer wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 11:05 amCheers guys
Cracking write up Bridget. I felt for a miment I was in an episode of Lost or/and that Tom Hanks movie. Well done you and Joe and it just goes to show what beauty is out there but very hard to get to...

A full day eating your way through the food parcel :-bd

Inspirational and thanks for sharing...
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Charliecres
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by Charliecres »

Great report - and we’ll done. That’s definitely a good crop of memories harvested for you both!
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Borderer
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by Borderer »

redefined_cycles wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:24 pm A full day eating your way through the food parcel :-bd
The Glaswegians had taken loads of food with them in a gas cooled fridge, but not eaten it as they were too drunk most of the time. :lol: They were happy to get rid of some of it on us but it was a full bag-for-life sized carrier they gave us - I can fit all of my luggage into one of those! Just packing out the empties afterwards was bulky enough :roll: :lol:
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Borderer
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Re: Not the HT550

Post by Borderer »

I did wonder if we would get away with using one of those. We just wrapped ours in sheets of polytunnel plastic and taped them up. The bus from Ullapool to Inverness was easy - it had the huge luggage area underneath, but the one from Inverness to Edinburgh was one like in the article - a double decker with a teeny luggage area. It was a real struggle to get two bikes in and that was with pedals off and handlebars turned (which they haven't done in the article).
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