A write-up of a trip that didn't go to plan - if you have ever wondered what it would be like to be rescued by the marine equivalent of Dr Nefario's mobility scooter then have a read.

Sweary Dave and JimmyG of this parish also get a mention.

https://www.weirdosonbikes.com/2021/06/ ... strangers/

I've written this up more as a warning and for info to help others plan routes in the area in future.

Oh blimey.
Glad you survived, and well done all the strangers.
Some lovely pics there too.

Landslide wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:14 pm Oh blimey.
Glad you survived, and well done all the strangers.
Some lovely pics there too.

Cheers

Wow, B, if anything qualifies as 'epic' that is it. So many knock-backs, so many bits of luck, some dicey situations but some greatly humourous ones too. One salutes you guys. Again.

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 3:43 pm Wow, B, if anything qualifies as 'epic' that is it. So many knock-backs, so many bits of luck, some dicey situations but some greatly humourous ones too. One salutes you guys. Again.

Cheers Reg. I want a sleeping mat that turns into a packraft It needs to weigh 200g (+/- 50g) and cost around £100.
Oh and with an engine that runs off a 10,000 Mah power pack

^

I'm re-reading it all because the 'happenings' were coming so thick and fast and piling on top of each other that I couldn't take it all in the first time!

I'll bet there were several times when you just went 'oh for crying out loud now what??" ...

Great adventure and kudos for pushing on!
The trains really are a joke up here, and the conductors seem a law into themselves!
Scotrail are on strike on a sunday on a lot of the line just now meaning that Corrour is closed on a Sunday now, Not sure about Rannoch station Cafe on a sunday as there is road access?
Really need the whole thing overhauled

That track on the north side gets better. I’ve done it from the other way and the bit at the top of the loch is by far the worst.

Edit. About 3-4km from the end of the road it turns back to double track.

Just after this it went to sub standard..

Wow, what a holiday, i'm impressed you stuck with it, and it's really nice to read how many people helped.

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 4:26 pm ^

I'm re-reading it all because the 'happenings' were coming so thick and fast and piling on top of each other that I couldn't take it all in!

I'll bet there were several times when you just went 'oh for crying out loud now what??" ...

When we got over to Barra one of Joe's chain rings snapped. Thankfully we were almost exactly outside the house of the main bike repair guy there and he just sorted it so Joe ran 1x for the rest of the trip.

jam bo wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:06 pm That track on the north side gets better. I’ve done it from the other way and the bit at the top of the loch is by far the worst.

Edit. About 3-4km from the end of the road it turns back to double track.

That's really interesting right enough. So we were probably half way to something rideable in that case. I've since been told that it's awful til you get to the army training place which is probably 10km from the start of the path, so it's interesting that you found that wasn't the case. Certainly we didn't find anything like what is in your photo. If I'd found a path like that at that point I would probably have kissed it!

The weegies said that nobody had come past on that track in six days, though they might have been too trollied to notice.

robbie wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:19 pm Great adventure and kudos for pushing on!
The trains really are a joke up here, and the conductors seem a law into themselves!
Scotrail are on strike on a sunday on a lot of the line just now meaning that Corrour is closed on a Sunday now, Not sure about Rannoch station Cafe on a sunday as there is road access?
Really need the whole thing overhauled

Yeah it's an awful mess. We were told the strike on the day we reached taynuilt was the last one, but they were still at it when we tried to travel back weeks later. Don't get me started on the whole bikes-on-trains thing either. We actually had to put ours on the coach to come home - I will write about that when I write up the Hebridean Way in case it helps anyone.

Borderer wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:59 pm The weegies.... six days

To be fair to them as well, that's a good effort too - sat there in exactly the same place for a week doing nowt but drink themselves into a stupor. Goodness knows how they navigated out.

though they might have been too trollied to notice

trogladytes wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:49 pm Wow, what a holiday, i'm impressed you stuck with it, and it's really nice to read how many people helped.

There are a lot of good people out there.

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 7:06 pm

Borderer wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:59 pm The weegies.... six days

To be fair to them as well, that's a good effort too - sat there in exactly the same place for a week doing nowt but drink themselves into a stupor. Goodness knows how they navigated out.

One of them was a lot more pissed than the other. I was hugely relieved when he turned out not to be our pilot. I had to be careful what I wrote as I had given them our web address, but the bits I left out were pretty funny to be honest. Travelling to remote locations to drink themselves insensible while listening to some 'banging tunes' seems to be a popular Glaswegian pastime. I expect that in the event of the apocalypse small pockets of completely unaffected Glaswegians would subsequently emerge from the undergrowth miraculously unscathed, and without even serious liver damage to show for it.

jam bo wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:28 pm Just after this it went to sub standard..

It's not easy to tell from the photo, but I think you are pretty much directly across from where we got dropped off (and camped). What year did you take this photo out of interest?

Sep 2017. It was pretty grim after that but we knew how far from the road we were so knew it was worth pushing on.

jam bo wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 7:44 pm Sep 2017. It was pretty grim after that but we knew how far from the road we were so knew it was worth pushing on.

Yeah - it was an unknown quantity in the other direction so it was difficult to make the call.

Great report. You two like your trials and tribulations don’t you? I prescribe Butlins for next year

Dave Barter wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:15 pm Great report. You two like your trials and tribulations don’t you? I prescribe Butlins for next year

Joe would probably love that I know, I keep trying to put him off and he keeps coming back for more

As ever, that's an excellent write-up Bridget. Good on both of you for persevering and finally managing to complete a memorable journey, regardless of all the slings and arrows that came your way. Fingers crossed for a less incident-packed trip next time out eh!

PS: It is indeed a small world and I can confirm that those pancakes were very tasty!

I dont know how i missed this when it was posted, but you two are granite!

Great effort and splendid adventure.

Well done you two!

Regards

Ian

JimmyG wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:21 pm As ever, that's an excellent write-up Bridget. Good on both of you for persevering and finally managing to complete a memorable journey, regardless of all the slings and arrows that came your way. Fingers crossed for a less incident-packed trip next time out eh!

PS: It is indeed a small world and I can confirm that those pancakes were very tasty!

I didn't mention in the article that my carbon frame also snapped a wee bit on this trip (I think I showed you when we met). The frame sheered where the seatpost collar attached, but it was reasonably easily sorted in Oban - a guy there just glued it all in. I am unlikely to grow any more after all.

BreninBeener wrote: ↑Sat Jun 26, 2021 9:44 am I dont know how i missed this when it was posted, but you two are granite!

I only posted it yesterday so you are pretty quick off the mark

Not sure I feel like granite, when we bailed, hid from the rain and needed quite a lot of help, but it came good in the end. It was actually me that was getting very disheartened in the tough bits and Joe that was encouraging me along - the tables have definitely turned now that he is stronger than me!