I know what you did next summer... « CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

I know what you did next summer...

(158 posts)

Started 9 years ago by I were right about that saddle
Latest reply from I were right about that saddle

No tags yet.

12…6 Next »

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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

@DaveC

I love this forum. So noted!

Posted 9 years ago #
Stickman
Member

Excellent cake at Inshriach Nursery near Feshiebridge.

Posted 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

DrAfternoon....chapeau.

Posted 9 years ago #
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 9 years ago #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 Download Get the Flash Video

Text-Link:

HTML-Link:

BB-Code:

Embed:

Posted 9 years ago #
steveo
Member

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

Posted 8 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

12…6 Next »

Reply »

You must log in to post.

// CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

About This Forum

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

I know what you did next summer...

Reply »

RSS Feeds

Links

Text-Link:
HTML-Link:
BB-Code:
Embed: