West Highland Way record

[fatbikephil]

https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-r ... rd-3057126
Not self supported but quite quick really.....The video is good but beware of much product placement.
What's the double record? The self supported site has it at 38 hours but I thought Phil Simcock had done it under 24.

[boxelder]

Phil did the double in 28hrs 59mins in 2012. I think Keith Forsyth has since done it quicker.

[techno]

The full vid is here: https://youtu.be/9ZVAbtKgPYk

[boxelder]

Keith Forsyth doubled in 28:40 in 2017 (28:45 in 2014 too).

[Richpips]

I enjoyed that film, quite an achievement.

[voodoo_simon]

Enjoyable film, some stunning scenery that way

[slarge]

So if a single is doable in under 10 hours, the double should be doable in 24 (by someone who isn't me!).

I've always wondered why the West Highland Way is seen as a massive task (I have only done the bits north of Tyndrum). Is it a quality ride or is it a sufferfest?

[Dean]

I did it with camping equipment in a little over 26 hours (plus six hours sleeping on top of Devil's Staircase).

The first section is old railway busy with dog walkers and gates. The section around Loch Lomond was a 6km push/pull/heave which took me two hours. And you share it with big groups of walkers who don't expect a cyclist to be on these paths, I passed several groups of more than 30 people fanned out across the whole path, must have passed over 1,000 people in total, this must have cost me an hour across the whole route from having to stop on singletrack, kindly asking people to move to one side from behind them, etc..

I did the Great Glen Way/South Loch Ness Trail in the same trip and it was much more enjoyable (though GGW has a lot more forestry track/canal blast) as there were so few people in comparison.

[whitestone]

So if a single is doable in under 10 hours, the double should be doable in 24 (by someone who isn't me!).

I've always wondered why the West Highland Way is seen as a massive task (I have only done the bits north of Tyndrum). Is it a quality ride or is it a sufferfest?

It's a very popular walk with all that entails, there's a reason Alan rerouted the HT550 out to Glen Lyon Last year we did the southern loop and heading over the Devil's Staircase it was a real job not bumping into people walking along with their phones out recording the walk but not actually looking at what they were doing.

[ScotRoutes]

you share it with big groups of walkers who don't expect a cyclist to be on these paths, I passed several groups of more than 30 people fanned out across the whole path, must have passed over 1,000 people in total, this must have cost me an hour across the whole route from having to stop on singletrack, kindly asking people to move to one side from behind them, etc..

Lots of folk recommend doing the route North to South for this reason.

But then who wants to cycle to Glasgow?

[fatbikephil]

I'd say its worth a miss really. Add up the Loch Lomond section, the gates on the first section and loads of people on it and its kind of pointless given what else is available. The double sounds like purgatory unless your desperate to 'bag' it.

I put a comment on bikepacking.com observing that hammering the WHW in those kind of times with thousands of walkers may lead to some conflict. I suspect that both the sub 10 hour times this year were possible due to much reduced numbers. Yer man then replied saying he did it on a Friday and it was generally much quieter than his previous trip so he had no issues being polite to people. So fair play to him but I wondered about others trying to beat this record under 'normal' circumstances.....

Do the Deeside Trail instead Steve

[woodsmith]

I'd say its worth a miss really. Add up the Loch Lomond section, the gates on the first section and loads of people on it and its kind of pointless given what else is available. The double sounds like purgatory unless your desperate to 'bag' it.

I put a comment on bikepacking.com observing that hammering the WHW in those kind of times with thousands of walkers may lead to some conflict. I suspect that both the sub 10 hour times this year were possible due to much reduced numbers. Yer man then replied saying he did it on a Friday and it was generally much quieter than his previous trip so he had no issues being polite to people. So fair play to him but I wondered about others trying to beat this record under 'normal' circumstances.....

Do the Deeside Trail instead Steve

I'd been trying to formulate a response along similar lines. It makes me uncomfortable to think of people "racing" on one of the UK's most popular hiking trails.
I rode the section from Drymen to Milngavie this year as part of thr Great North Trail and must have encountered 200+ hikers in that short distance but hardly saw a soul between Beinglas and Bridge of Orchy two months earlier

[slarge]

I think maybe that’s the answer- the bits I have done are the Ht550 bits north of Tyndrum - I’ve never seen the southern section, so if it’s packed and pointless that’s why not many have done it. There are plenty more doubles to go at I guess.

[ScotRoutes]

A WHW in a day has long been on my ticklist. My plan has been to set off in darkness (possibly midnight) in order to get some of the busier, southern, bits done without encountering lots of walkers. For me, logistics also now favour a Northbound ride whereas when living in Edinburgh it would have been easier Southbound.

[Jurassic]

To be fair the northern bit (north of Tyndrum) has some nice riding in stunning scenery and natural selection weeds out a lot of over ambitious walkers by then so it's not as busy as the southern bit. I've also enjoyed riding sections of the southern bit on my gravel bike when I've used them to create circular routes (Cailness south during a circumnavigation of Ben Lomond and the Glengoyne section combined with the John Muir Way back past Burncrooks reservoir and Kilpatrick Hills).

[maddyutah]

Enjoyed the Vid.Well done Rab.
Been on the way many times biking and walking.Must say have always enjoyed it even the walk of doom Lomond side(in hindsight)
Ive never encountered the hoardes mentioned ,its not Sauchiehall Street.If it is a concern go North to South.

[AlasdairMc]

A WHW in a day has long been on my ticklist. My plan has been to set off in darkness (possibly midnight) in order to get some of the busier, southern, bits done without encountering lots of walkers. For me, logistics also now favour a Northbound ride whereas when living in Edinburgh it would have been easier Southbound.

I did that (minus Conic Hill) back in 2012, in about 23hrs. The last train to Milngavie gets you in just before midnight. I hadn’t slept anywhere near enough before starting so needed to snooze after only a couple of hours.

Much easier with an early morning start - did about 16:30 at the start of the GT24 in 2017.

[Karl]

Let's start by congratulating a outstanding time. Really incredible.

But cut the cr*p, the WHW isn't the most difficult route, most of it is ridable (apart from Loch Lomond and up the Devils). The achievement is in the time not the terrain. Too much marketing bull in that video.

Think I'm a bit grumpy.

Anyway fantastic time, well done

[sean_iow]

Think I'm a bit grumpy.

You ok hun?

...most of it is ridable.....

I went OTB and cracked a rib between Crianlarich and Tyndrum... so mostly not ridable by me

It's an amazing time though, even given how rideable much of it is you hemerage time on the unrideable bits. When I rode parts of it on the LTL there was a bridge out between Inverarnan and Crianlarich that required a push up a boggy hillside to divert round, hopefully it was fixed on his attempt as that would have cost some time.

[boxelder]

Why is N-S easier re: walkers? Is it because you're [s]crashing into them[/s] approaching them head on? Early start and S-N is my plan. Some lovely riding prior to the L Lomond slog and the stuff beyond Crianlarich is lovely, even if there are better trails abounding.

[ScotRoutes]

Why is N-S easier re: walkers? Is it because you're [s]crashing into them[/s] approaching them head on? Early start and S-N is my plan. Some lovely riding prior to the L Lomond slog and the stuff beyond Crianlarich is lovely, even if there are better trails abounding.

Aye - most folk walk north so they see you approaching and dive out of the way.

[fatbikephil]

I remember when the Devils staircase was considered to be one of the gnarliest descents in the UK (90's) but since then so much other stuff has become available that its fairly middle of the road now. I've previously ranted about the WHW as a whole route given its typical users but I'll refrain from a reprise.....

Someone tell him to do the Cairngorms loop and get Chris Hopes time beaten

[Jurassic]

I remember when the Devils staircase was considered to be one of the gnarliest descents in the UK (90's) but since then so much other stuff has become available that its fairly middle of the road now.

To be fair it's been sanitised at least a couple of times since then to help mitigate the millions of footfalls it sees every year. The descent down to Kinlochleven used to be way rougher and looser than it is now. I hadn't ridden it since the mid nineties until fairly recently and it's a shadow of it's former self. Of course modern bikes make everything feel much easier as well.

[ScotRoutes]

Someone tell him to do the Cairngorms loop and get Chris Hopes time beaten

And do it unsupported...

[liamg]

Someone tell him to do the Cairngorms loop and get Chris Hopes time beaten

I'm pretty sure Huw Oliver broke Chris' time this year.