Bikepacking in W Highlands

[markshaf]

Been doing lots of road biking over the past couple of years but I'm in need of getting back out into the hills so have just booked the sleeper for a slow and easy trip from Fort William up to Fort Augustus, over the Corrieyairack Pass, through the Ardverikie estate along Lochan Na H-Earba, down to Loch Ossian, along to Kinlochleven and then the WHW back to Fort William.

Anyone got any favourite spots to camp or any advice/suggestions on the route?

Cheers

Mark

[Richpips]

Hi Mark,

We did that route, but the other way round on the HTR, though I don't see why you shouldn't do it the way you've suggested.

If you are doing it over 2 days, you have a choice of bothy on either side of the Corrieyairack pass. If you want to camp, you're spoilt for choice for spots.

If the water is high crossing the Abhainn Rath at Luibeilt, you may have to hack a good way upstream to get across, but doing it your way round, you won't know until you get there. Having said that, if it's been tipping down I'd not cross at Creaguaineach heading E-> W in the first place. It's not as if you're forsaking a quality track on the other side.

Let me have you email and I'll send you a GPX.

[markshaf]

Thanks.

Yes - I'll be camping. TN Laser Comp 1 plus sleeping bag in a drybag on the handlebars.

And I'll probably take a more leisurely three days (or even four with a detour at Laggan Wolftrax possibly?)

Reversing the route to follow the HTR may not be a bad idea.

[fatbikephil]

At the Abhain rath crossing by the Meanannach bothy pick up the tour-de ben Nevis route back to fort bill - North up over the bump to the right, great descent down to the Bothy in the Lairig Leachach then down the double track towards spean br. You can get into the forest (as per the td bn route) and pick up the trails in leanachan or follow the GGW back from Spean bridge to Fort bill. This avoids the crossing of the abhain rath, the WHW (which is rubbish and full of walkers) plus adds a nice bit of descending.

Alternatively from Loch trieg take the Chiarain path up Glean Iorlairean - its a bit vague at first but improves to a nice stony single track - past another bothy and down to the Resevoir, over a short section of boggyness and then do the excellent Chiarain path descent down to KLL.

In Glen Spean, if you get to the turn off to go up to Loch ossian and can't be bothered with the above the East Highland way offers an easy pedal down to spean bridge.

All will be fab with the Autumn colours coming out!

[markshaf]

Thanks. Gives me a couple of options to think about.

[AlasdairMc]

I'd definitely recommend reversing the route too. The Corrieyairack Pass would be a horrible climb in that direction, whereas from Laggan you've really only got half an hour of crap as it's quite gentle an approach up. My advice re bothies - if you're approaching Blackburn, keep checking the map for it as I rode straight past it when I tried to find it. I kept going though and bivvied about a mile outside Fort Augustus in a lovely spot under a tree by a stream. Perfect location!

Re the Abhainn Rath part, I too would recommend avoiding it - it's indistinct and crap in places. The alternative by Glen Iolairean is better because you can ride up the water pipe to the Blackwater Dam (it's flat topped) from the WHW turnoff above Kinlochleven and the gradient (after that stinker of a climb on the WHW) is such that you barely notice the ascent. There's a nice bothy en route there too, it doesn't seem to get much traffic due to the approach to it. The alternative to that alternative is the path that breaks away from the Eilde lochs towards the bothy - haven't ridden it myself though.