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.


  1. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I suspect you could do it on a cross bike, if you had no luggage. My style is trailer with tent and rations and I would expect to spend the majority of the ride on the 22 tooth chain ring, but that's just because I like to sleep in the hills - you could B&B if you went fast and light.

    The watershed between Loch Rannoch and Loch Garry is a bog in any case - a cross bike will be easier to carry for the unrideable mile. You could ride the Dava Way on a Dutch bike. The Gaick pass does need mountain skills - there are no bridges over the several quite wild rivers.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  2. steveo
    Member

    IWRATS I can see that you've posted from the front home page but I can't see any post in this thread...

    Odd your post just appeared.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  3. steveo
    Member

    I'd either B&B or bivvy either way everything would have to fit in the Nelson Longflap which has managed in the past.

    Having schlepped over the Lairig an Laoigh after being advised it was largely cycle-able I'm a little nervous about taking a bike when realistically walking would be more advisable. If I track down the guy who said that pass would be (remotely) sensible on a bike he'll be a very sorry chap. Spent 6 hours either carrying my heavy mtb or pushing over very narrow paths till finally finding the only bit of dry ground for 10 miles to bivvy down for the night in the dark.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  4. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @steveo

    All of the Cairngorm crossings are at least a little bit mental. I saw tyre tracks on the Lairig Ghru the other week, a path I would never, ever, attempt to cycle not even as part of a nightmare. The top of the Glen Feshie - Glen Geldie crossing on the classic MTB coast to coast is....punitive at best.

    This route....I'd expect to be, in wingpig's memorable phrase, sweating my face off at least twice a day. Almost all of the route is known MTB territory apart from Bridge of Orchy to Glen Lyon and the Rannoch-Garry bit via Duinish, but Yatube has film of people doing both.

    Please don't peg me out for the ravens if you have a puncture or can't get a decent latte en route.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  5. steveo
    Member

    Oh yeah having walked the Lairig Ghru there is virtually no circumstances I'd consider taking a bike there and if someone had given me similar advice for the Lairig an Laoigh I'd have never considered it.

    I guess these things are all about balancing one persons expectation of ridable and vs another's. Though spending 90% of a ride pushing wouldn't qualify imo.

    Steep doesn't particularly bother me, I'm shameless enough to admit pushing up large parts The Lecht two days after the afore mentioned incident (heavy mountain bike, tired, luggage, not fit enough...). But I really can't be doing relentless miles manhandling a bike over narrow rocky paths where a rucksack and good boots would have been a more appropriate solution. I think I need to go off and do some of my own research.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  6. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Depends on you bike handling skills too. It's amazing what a bike will float over if you trust it.

    This route, I'd only really expect pushing at Duinish and Gaick. A lot of it is Landrover track.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  7. steveo
    Member

    Depends on you bike handling skills too. It's amazing what a bike will float over if you trust it.

    Totally. Its just nice to know upfront if you're appropriately biked. I trust my MTB will handle anything I'm brave enough to point it towards but its also slow and overkill for Landrover track so it would be nice to take something lighter and faster like a cross bike or a hybrid. Whilst a Cross bike might struggle on a rocky technical decent the big tyres and suspension on the mtb can make all difference.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  8. steveo
    Member

    double post

    Posted 8 years ago #
  9. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Took advantage of someone needing a lift to Pitlochry early doors to motivate myself to scout a bit of this ride today. Entry of the Gaick Pass to Loch Rannoch and back via Duinish. The pushing at Duinish wasn't too bad. A teenager coming the other way with his dad tried to ride over it and fell into a small pond in front of me. Awkward.

    Duinish Bothy intact, new bridge over the river installed for some engineering project.

    Could be O/T as not city cycling?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  10. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Just fettled the Scaffolding Bike (© gembo) for this ride. I've had the frame for sixteen years now and it's been through many iterations of running gear. This time I think I've actually got the stem right. Had to buy it from Rose - it's a very short one with a bit of rise. Only about 25mm shorter than the old one and 10mm higher but what a difference in perineal comfort.

    My mate's baled again this year so i'll be soloing it as a pilgrimage to Scotland, taking care to pitch the tent a respectful distance from the Taigh nam Bodach one night to see if Cailleach has any message for me.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  11. gembo
    Member

    The Cailleach her husband and numerous weans.she has another child every 100 years?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  12. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Before;

    Well that was quite a trip. Rode in with Madame IWRATS from Taynuilt to the spartan Narrachan bothy in Glen Kinglass on Thursday afternoon and stayed the night there. She turned back in the morning and I ploughed on over the watershed to Glen Orchy and on to my camp site in Gleann Murrain above Loch Lyon. I was too knackered to make the extra climb to the Taigh nam Bodach, but the Old Man was very present in the whole glen.

    On Saturday morning on the way north from Loch Rannoch the kingpin of the trailer snapped, requiring a bit of field ingenuity to progress to Duinish bothy where Madame was to cycle in from the A9 end for a cozy night with a few beers round a blazing fireplace.

    After slithering down the A9 cycle path a few kilometres on Sunday morning I took on the quite awful Gaick Pass, as forbidding and unwelcoming a place as you could find in our country. If you're going to fall off the bike on this trip then the place not to do it is on the slope of An Dùn - the Fortress. So that's exactly where I catapulted myself over the handlebars and down the rocky slope to the loch's edge. Properly frightening. Once over that and through the infinitely long Glen Tromie on the other side the rain came on in the way you see in Vietnam war films. My shoes filled up and camping at Feshie Bridge was a survival exercise as much as anything.

    Next day was gorgeous, through Inshriach and Rothiemurcus and over the Ryvoan pass to Abernethy. Surely the most beautiful part of Scotland. Camped in a meadow above Castle Grant with a view over the northern Cairngorms. Tuesday was a hack along the wilder than expected Dava Way, stopping at Altyre Estate to see friends, then down through suburban Forres and along the hippy cycle way to Findhorn where Madame was waiting with the automobile.

    The experiences, the people, the thoughts and the feelings encountered along the way won't really fit in a post here, but I'll say this; If you have a cycle expedition you fancy then just get on with it. I really can't see how time spent on a bicycle regardless of bruises, cuts, bites, cold or wet could ever be regretted looking back at the end of life which is surely the perspective we should all aim for? Bicycle adventures are an unalloyed good.

    After;

    Posted 7 years ago #
  13. HankChief
    Member

    Great write up and adventure.

    " If you have a cycle expedition you fancy then just get on with it. I really can't see how time spent on a bicycle regardless of bruises, cuts, bites, cold or wet could ever be regretted looking back at the end of life which is surely the perspective we should all aim for? Bicycle adventures are an unalloyed good"

    +1

    I'm still buzzing from my North Coast adventure earlier in the month and thinking of what next...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  14. steveo
    Member

    Fantastic IWRATS. Glad you enjoyed it.

    So cross bike? :)

    I'm hoping to get my (much) more modest Borders trip done this weekend.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  15. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Cheers @steveo

    I'm formal on this one - that bike is a hybrid. The world's most capable hybrid maybe, but a hybrid none the less.

    Hope the Borders ride goes well.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  16. algo
    Member

    Inspirational write-up IWRATS thanks a lot - glad you survived your nasty fall ok... one of these days I'm going to copy this ride...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  17. neddie
    Member

    Maybe create a CCE copycat ride? - I'm in...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  18. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @algo

    The bruises from the fall haven't made it to the surface yet....suspect they won't be pretty.

    I've incited my mate to do this ride the other way round next year. Suspect it's a bit easier that way with the climbs of Coire Beithe and the Lairig Ghallabaich both being quite asymmetrical.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  19. algo
    Member

    @edd1e_h - I'd never get clearance currently - will have to wait a while I suspect, but I'm also in...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  20. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Reflecting further on kit from this trip;

    Things that did outstandingly well;

    1) Schwalbe Land Cruiser tyres

    Slipped on wet Moab-style slabs in Glen Kinglass, but any tyre would have. Otherwise seemingly bomb-proof and cheap as chips.

    2) Hilleberg Akto tent

    Featherweight, but withstood biblical assault. Up in five minutes, easy. Mine's second-hand. Pricey new.

    3) Merchant Gourmet ready to eat lentils

    Boil in the bag and as tasty as home-made. Standard lunch on the trek and great for slow-release energy.

    4) Rab waterproof jacket. Perfectly dry, but at that price it should be.

    Things that let me down;

    1) Adventure C1 trailer. Seems the kingpin is a known weak spot.

    2) Tiso Snugpack Travelpak 2 sleeping bag. The zip failed and it wasn't old. Maybe four years.

    3) OS Landranger Maps. Spent time floundering in a bog because a bridge was missing on one sheet that is shown on the Explorer equivalent. Irritating.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  21. steveo
    Member

    I'm not a fan of that sleeping bag, its very bulky and not terribly warm. If you're ever in Glasgow the Blacks there has been closing down for months now and have a fairly warm Eurohike down bag for £50.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  22. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @steveo

    Not the warmest either, no. Pinched Madame's synthetic Eurohike after the first night - will look the down bag, cheers!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  23. paddyirish
    Member

    @IWRATS.

    great write-up - sounds like a wonderful trip. Hope the damage is minimal and short-lasting.

    Interested on Hilleberg Akto- worth knowing.

    +1 on Merchant Gormet- their quinoa mixes are good as well, even for non- backcountry cuisine. They are quite pricey but on a good offer in our local supermarket at the minute...

    Landranger/Explorer debate continues. I much prefer Explorer, but you have to carry more weight. The customised one can be worthwhile when a route covers the edges of multiple maps. I do like Harveys maps, but their coverage is incomplete.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  24. algo
    Member

    perhaps this is missing the point, but would going all modern and getting the online OS maps allow you access to both Explorer and Landranger? I realise there are then battery issues etc to overcome....

    https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/os-maps-online.html

    Posted 7 years ago #
  25. paddyirish
    Member

    @algo

    Online has advantages when deciding on a route/planning, but once committed to a trip I like to buy the paper map(s), mainly because
    - I love pouring over a real map and
    - a tiny screen wouldn't cut the mustard for me
    - and the loss of battery power would be a major concern

    Also, assuming that by online you mean downloading to your device. Assuming 100% coverage in the backcountry may not be great...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  26. chdot
    Admin

    If you are going to (partially) rely on electronics, perhaps OSM would be more likely to be up-to-date?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  27. algo
    Member

    @paddyirish - I was absolutely assuming that this would be downloaded to your device first and the device would not be connected to anything other than GPS. Your points are absolutely valid though and I don't think I'd manage a tiny screen either if I had to do it for much time. Battery loss is something that can be overcome with external power sources and/or hub dynamos though.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  28. paddyirish
    Member

    @algo, may be overkill but if in a party of > 1 then maybe a combination of old and new school would be best. After a few trips of varying length/remoteness, would be able to test reliability and soon know which got used the most.

    Unfortunately since kids came along, haven't done any good trips where this would be an issue. When they're older...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  29. cb
    Member

    Purchasing electronic Explorer maps is very pricey.

    I have MM Tracker on my phone which displays my (now rather old) Memory Map - North Britain 1:50000.

    Also use "UK Atlas" which will cache the maps at LandRanger and Explorer scales if you scroll around your route before leaving data coverage.

    OSM is pretty poor once you leave the big city in my experience, although IWRATS's entire route does appear to be on there (possibly would have avoided the bridge issue if it is where I think it is).

    Anyway, I enjoyed reading the report and the obligatory following on the map.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  30. algo
    Member

    @cb - it seems to say it's £20 a year for electronic Explorer maps at 1:25k, and 1:50k on Landranger

    https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2015/05/use-os-maps-online-for-free/

    would that not be sufficient do you think?

    @paddyirish - "When they're older".... my current mantra too

    Posted 7 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply »

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin