CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

I know what you did next summer...

(158 posts)
  • Started 10 years ago by I were right about that saddle
  • Latest reply from I were right about that saddle

12…6

  1. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Just staving off the winter by thinking about projects for next year at lunchtime. Anyone have any thoughts on this ratty hybrid coast to coast route that I've dreamed up?

    Ride Begins

    Taynuilt, cross river and head north up East coast of Loch Etive
    At Ardmaddy turn up Glen Kinglass
    Follow track to Victoria Bridge
    Tarmac to Bridge of Orchy
    West Highland Way to Gleann Achad-innis Chailean
    Up and over into Glen Lyon
    Down track to tarmac at Pubil (map says no track, but I have seen it and it's on the satellite images)
    Tarmac to Innerwick
    North up the Lairig Ghallabhaich, over to Carie
    Tarmac to Dalnacardoch
    Gaick Pass to Drumnaguish
    Tarmac to Grantown on Spey
    Dava Way to Forres
    Tarmac to Findhorn Bay

    Ride Ends

    Posted 10 years ago #

  2. Bhachgen
    Member

    One long day? One or two overnight pub stops?

    Sounds like a cracker though I can't comment on rideability or otherwise of any of it.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  3. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @Bhachgen

    That's certainly more than I could manage in a day. My preferred approach is to take cross-country cycling as accelerated walking, making plenty time to stop and investigate anything found en route. Sixty miles off road makes a good day for me.

    Kit would be trailer, one man tent and NATO ration packs for three or four days. Wild camping where possible.

    Route's not bad for resupply oppos.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  4. cb
    Member

    Looks like a cracking route.

    Does Taynuilt count as west coast given it's above the Falls of Lora? Maybe only at high tide?

    Double wheeled trailer (or any trailer) might be a pain on the stretch to Victoria Lodge (and possible some of Gaick)?

    Posted 10 years ago #

  5. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @cc

    Cheers! Trailer is a single wheeler. It's amazingly discreet on the trail, and I've pulled it over the watershed between Glen Feshie and Glen Geldie, parts of which were really quite sketchy. Worst comes to the worst trailer comes off the bike and gets hauled over anything impassable. Did that over 400m of uphill heather once after a luminous navigational error. I am quite stubborn.

    And Taynuilt smells like the sea, so I'm counting it as coast.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  6. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Perusal of Ordnance Survey maps reveals the possibility of crossing from Loch Rannoch to Glen Garry (ie the A9) by a pass going north from Aulich and taking in the Duinish bothy. A9 cycle path south to Dalnacardoch and the entry to the Gaik Pass.

    Less tarmac, more remoter, more fun.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  7. Slug
    Member

    Nice route! I'd be tempted to do the bit between Drumguish and Grantown via Glenmore, Ryvoan Pass and Abernethy forest into Nethybridge. A bit longer but infinitely more interesting terrain than the road from Coylumbridge to Nethybridge - I assume you mean this? - but that's just my opinion. You've also got the bothy at Ryvoan...

    Posted 10 years ago #

  8. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @Slug

    Genius! Thank you - hadn't spotted that. Route now;

    Ride Begins

    Taynuilt, cross river and head north up East coast of Loch Etive
    At Ardmaddy turn up Glen Kinglass
    Follow track to Victoria Bridge
    Tarmac to Bridge of Orchy
    West Highland Way to Gleann Achad-innis Chailean
    Up and over into Glen Lyon
    Down track to tarmac at Pubil
    Tarmac to Innerwick
    North up the Lairig Ghallabhaich, over to Carie
    Tarmac to Aulich
    Track to Duinish bothy and Loch Garry
    A9 cycle path south to Dalnacardoch
    Gaick Pass to Drumnaguish
    Tarmac to Glenmore
    Ryvoan Pass to Nethy Bridge
    Tarmac to Grantown on Spey
    Dava Way to Forres
    Tarmac to Findhorn Bay

    Ride Ends

    (And Ryvoan sounds so Lord of the Rings...)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  9. DaveC
    Member

    Your original route looks good. I did Aviemore to Fort William over the Porrieyairack Pass a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it. Count me in! Just give me a heads up on the dates please. I am self sufficient and hope to aquire a single wheel trailer over the winter.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  10. Dave
    Member

    I've been over the Gaick with a loaded trailer and it's a great ride. Back to Blair Atholl down Glen Tilt. One I'd do again (although the horseflies are horrendous. Don't stop for any reason!)

    I got a cheap knock-off single wheel trailer for the trip and destroyed it on that one loop (second day a rock exploded the pin that holds the trailer body onto the pivot for the two arms that hook onto the skewer).

    Always meant to do something with the pics of that trip. Made me want a fat bike, or a light FS.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  11. Slug
    Member

    @IWRATS

    You're welcome... and it looks a seriously interesting route.

    I was out that way last weekend, Aviemore-Drumguish-Kingussie-Laggan-Corrieyairack Pass. Terrific cycling, apart from all the construction work (and traffic) going on up the Corrieyairack, erecting those enormous pylons.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  12. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @Dave

    I destroyed one of those trailers a couple of summers ago on the Fort William-StCyrus trail.

    Sent it back to Amazon as defective and they replaced it, so I'll have a brand new one this time. The treasury of the Duchy of Luxembourg was outraged, but what do I care?

    Cleggs in the Gaick eh? Good knowledge, cheers.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  13. cb
    Member

    I reckon Glen Tromie to Glemmore could be done with less than a mile on tarmac if you're keen to stay off road.

    Might be a bit fiddly in places. I've done Loch an Eilein to Glenmore via Rothiemurchus forest on a folding bike with no bother.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  14. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @cb

    Cairgorm Club footbridge? Scutter for navigation, but I like it. Minimising tarmac is the aim (without getting all SAS about it).

    Posted 10 years ago #

  15. cb
    Member

    So I reckon...

    Turn off the Glen Tromie track just before Tromie Bridge then take tracks via Baileguish and Corarnstilbeg.

    Join the tarmac for a mile then take a right past Ballintean to Feshiebridge.

    Another 100yds of tarmac over Feshiebridge then immediately right to take forest tracks to Drake's Bothy. Then singletrack past Loch Gamhna to Loch an Eilein.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  16. DaveC
    Member

    Slug typed "I was out that way last weekend, Aviemore-Drumguish-Kingussie-Laggan-Corrieyairack Pass. Terrific cycling, apart from all the construction work (and traffic) going on up the Corrieyairack, erecting those enormous pylons.

    I did that route a month or so back. Funny how the Wade road is a scheduled monument and signs say damage may result in prosecution but the zigzags have been re-laid with bags of sharp stones where the contractors have driven up tracked vehicles for prep work.

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13578

    Posted 10 years ago #

  17. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @DaveC

    When I crossed the Corrieyairack they hadn't yet messed with the Wade road, so that's sad to learn. I'd like to see it restored to be honest. A network (he typed, nervous of Simon Parker's return) of Scottish hill tracks crossing watersheds would surely create a market for XC MTB tourism.

    I did get a chance to chat with the contractors on the pylon work in the Co-op at Kingussie. They were lovely Philipinos, who were a) being paid peanuts for hard work in harsh conditions and b) quite uncompromising about getting that work done.

    Can't imagine they or their foremen were too concerned about our 18th century history.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  18. DaveC
    Member

    If I may make a slight suggestion?

    Nethy Bridge to Granton on Spay can be done on the Speyside way, disused railway path. Less tarmac.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  19. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @DaveC

    I love this forum. So noted!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  20. Stickman
    Member

    Excellent cake at Inshriach Nursery near Feshiebridge.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  21. DrAfternoon
    Member

    Looks great. Had a go at a ridewithgps version, feel free to steal and alter. Helps to switch to OSM cycle map view.

    http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6508209

    Posted 10 years ago #

  22. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    That's much easier to see DrA. I think you should choose a dry day for the north shore of Loch Lyon. The stalkers path was drowned when the dam was built and there are an awful lot of burns crossing the new path.

    That detour through Ryvoan is clever. The whole Rothiemurchus bit from Glen Feshie/Lagganlia will be great.

    Jelly much, as the girls say.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  23. drnoble
    Member

    The section between the West Highland Way at Glen Orchy, round the north side of Loch Lyon is all reasonable estate track, the only minor difficulty might be crossing the Allt Cailliche if there has been a lot of rain, as the ford isn't great and there ain't any bridges.

    Haven't been up for a few years now, but was round those tracks a bit for work quite a bit, looking at possible new hydro schemes there.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  24. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    DrAfternoon....chapeau.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  25. algo
    Member

    @stickman - indeed the cake is very nice.

    @IWRATS - concerning that area of the world, Inshriach house is where the insider festival takes place. You can almost certainly wild camp there, and there are loos and showers and the like - if it happens to fit in with your plans you can ring them on 01540 651 341….

    (edit - although I've just noticed they seem to be more serious than I remember it when I stayed there, so it wouldn't really be wild camping!)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  26. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I thought I'd go through the motions of contacting Scotrail to see how they'd respond to a customer desperate to use their Edinburgh-Taynuilt and Forres-Edinburgh services to transport two trail bikes with trailers. (Trail trailers?) They did not let me down;

    Dear [IWRATS' given name]

    Whilst we are continuing to look at ways of developing our trains to provide additional space for cycles and luggage, I hope you will understand that we also need to be mindful of the increasing demand for seating capacity on them. I regret that larger items such as the trailer you have suggested cannot be carried on our trains. This includes canoes, hang-gliders, sail/surfboards, large furniture and any large musical instruments that cannot be carried without assistance.

    As mentioned above, we will continue to examine ways of developing our trains further but we do not feel that the trailer can be carried safely on our trains to the detriment of other passengers. There are no suitable storage areas on our trains for articles of this size.

    Thank you for contacting ScotRail.

    It hadn't even occurred to me to take my hang-glider, but the slopes of An Dun would indeed make a perfect launch point for a quick flight over the Cairngorms, so it wasn't a total waste of time writing to them.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  27. algo
    Member

    @IWRATS - I can lend you a child to put in one trailer just for the journey - just needs water and the odd oatcake. That way you can say it is a buggy

    Posted 9 years ago #

  28. wingpig
    Member

    Assuming that you can at least lift the trailer and carry it without assistance, it sounds like you just need to add a reed or mouthpiece or stretch a few guitar strings across the frame in a couple of places.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  29. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @algo

    That's very kind, thanks. I think I've got some odd oatcakes somewhere.

    @wingpig

    I do believe I may actually try that. A trail gamelan perhaps....

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Flash Video

    Posted 9 years ago #

  30. steveo
    Member

    So, whats the chances of riding this on a 'cross bike?

    Posted 9 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

12…6

Reply »

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin