800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Moderators: Bearbonesnorm, Taylor, Chew
- Bearbonesnorm
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800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... xc1Ve8Fso0
and more useful: https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/great-n ... cape-wrath
and more useful: https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/great-n ... cape-wrath
May the bridges you burn light your way
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
I'll have a good look at the route later but I'm not expecting any surprises on the Scottish section. Most of the existing long distance routes seem to have chosen the same options.low traffic minor roads
- gairym
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Do we know if there any consistency in trail type or is it just a mixed bag meaning that realistically you'd be best off to ride a MTB for those sections that need it and then be a bit slower on the rest?
Definitely piqued my interest.....
Definitely piqued my interest.....
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Could be some of my work leave is now occupied ,would just need to look at the logistics of either getting to Scotland or getting back from there ,other than that it looks like a great way to spend a fortnight bimbling along
- gairym
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Oooh, looks good.Taylor wrote: ↑Sun Sep 01, 2019 3:09 pm Sounds/looks like a mixed bag gairy.
There's a boner in the video too,
https://youtu.be/KoCqSki-wIM
I reckon my 'Monster Cross™' could handle everything I could see in the video
Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Fairplay to em, id be interested in a ride from my front door to the start of it... be a good long trip that
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
They've chosen a track East from the Crask Inn that I've been wondering about trying to fit into a Flow Country tour. I'll likely be trying it out next month.
Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
When would people be thinking that this could be a goer?
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
If I can it wouldn't be till the first 2weeks in June next year mate ,but as I'm slow I'll be riding on my own anyhows
- JoseMcTavish
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
It wasn't too bad when I passed through in a dry summer - bit of a carry at the Bealach and probably a nice descent down to the loch from there if heading East. Was an okay climb when done in reverse. Some pics:ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Sun Sep 01, 2019 8:34 pm They've chosen a track East from the Crask Inn that I've been wondering about trying to fit into a Flow Country tour. I'll likely be trying it out next month.
End of Loch Choire
Loch a Bhealaich
Nearing the bealach
Pushy bit
Crask in the distance
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
ace photos.
Quite a logistical or expensive nightmare to organise - unless you ride there & back !
Quite a logistical or expensive nightmare to organise - unless you ride there & back !
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Photos look reassuring. I was also thinking westbound. Ta.
- JoseMcTavish
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Nae bother, should be a nice section of your ride - I love that bit of the North!
- fatbikephil
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Good effort, looks better than what I'd figured, another one to the list! The rest of the route looks pretty much as per the GB duro north of Callander with similar bits south of the Pentlands.JoseMcTavish wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:40 pm Nae bother, should be a nice section of your ride - I love that bit of the North!
Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
I always fancied seeing Cape Wrath, it's only £196 on the train from London with a 60 mile ride at the end.
Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Tempting because it starts not far from home.
Just getting a couple of weeks free that's the issue.
Just getting a couple of weeks free that's the issue.
Powered by crumpets.
Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
The bottom section is simply the pennine bridleway.
- Bearbonesnorm
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
It's funny that (especially on fb) people have become quite excited about this 'new' route which in reality is simply sections of existing routes joined together. I realise that it took some time to connect them but anyone could have done it at any time.The bottom section is simply the pennine bridleway.
May the bridges you burn light your way
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
See NC500, HT550 etc etc etc.Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Tue Sep 03, 2019 9:33 amIt's funny that (especially on fb) people have become quite excited about this 'new' route which in reality is simply sections of existing routes joined together. I realise that it took some time to connect them but anyone could have done it at any time.The bottom section is simply the pennine bridleway.
- whitestone
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
The original intention of the Pennine Bridleway was to get to the Scottish border or thereabouts but they ran out of money just short of Kirkby Stephen. I'm not sure of the proposed route north of there but it's probably not dissimilar to that taken by this route.
The PBW money wasn't just putting in gates and all weather trail surfaces but there were the costs of getting entirely new sections of bridleway agreed with landowners to link up with existing sections. So you have sections of trail right next to a quiet lane, just so that it's "off-road". Incidentally the BW that this route takes from Pendragon Castle to Kirkby Stephen is better than the PBW route going up and over Wild Boar Fell.
The PBW money wasn't just putting in gates and all weather trail surfaces but there were the costs of getting entirely new sections of bridleway agreed with landowners to link up with existing sections. So you have sections of trail right next to a quiet lane, just so that it's "off-road". Incidentally the BW that this route takes from Pendragon Castle to Kirkby Stephen is better than the PBW route going up and over Wild Boar Fell.
Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry
Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Its a good thing that someone has started to pull something like this together, but i'd be interested to know if anyone has ridden the route yet, or if its been a desktop exercise.
Aware that the Yorkshire section follows the PBW, but it wouldnt be the route i'd follow and there are much better route options, especially the Calderdale portion
Aware that the Yorkshire section follows the PBW, but it wouldnt be the route i'd follow and there are much better route options, especially the Calderdale portion
Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
^^^ Not the route I'd take through the Pentland Hills either and the canal from Edinburgh to Glasgow has some very pretty bits but boy does the flat riding get tedious.
- Bearbonesnorm
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Does this make up the bulk of the Scottish bit from Glasgow onwards?
https://www.anturasmor.co.uk/about
https://www.anturasmor.co.uk/about
May the bridges you burn light your way
- fatbikephil
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Re: 800 miles, 98% off road - anyone?
Looks like it (the pic on the front page is one of the thousand puddles on the Orrin res track)Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:45 pm Does this make up the bulk of the Scottish bit from Glasgow onwards?
https://www.anturasmor.co.uk/about
Couple of bits of the GPX track are following whats on OS rather than on the ground so looks like its not a 'ridden' track. That said, its all been ridden so should be no bother following it.Chew wrote: ↑Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:40 pm Its a good thing that someone has started to pull something like this together, but i'd be interested to know if anyone has ridden the route yet, or if its been a desktop exercise.
Aware that the Yorkshire section follows the PBW, but it wouldnt be the route i'd follow and there are much better route options, especially the Calderdale portion