as requested by IWRATS:
Day 1 -> Fort Augustus
Distance: 52k
B&B rating: Hostel, 6/10.
Rideability: EasyPeasy
Glasgow Queen St to Fort William (0821-1208). Out the station, quick picture, turn left and off. Easy going, cycle-paths, empty tarmac and fire-roads to South Lagan. Sadly the pub on the boat was closed, so quick coffee and off again. The track from there much improved, as they’ve lifted the track from Invergarry and replaced with a lovely hardcore – I recall it was boggy single track previously. Memory after that a little vague as it's just following the water, so dead flat and easy cycling. We averaged about 18kph. Think I shall take Mrs & Mini McR one day soon.
Comment: Fort Augustus is everything that’s wrong with Scottish tourism – blatant, unnecessary price gouging. Beer almost 1 pound dearer than the same pint in Kingussie or Montrose.
Day 2 -> Kingussie
Distance: 58k.
B&B rating: Top notch, 10/10. Even let us use the washing machine.
Rideability: highly variable
Recommended for: people who like to push.
Day starts with a bang. Tiny bit of tarmac then it's off up General’s Wade’s excuse for a road (Corrieyairack Pass), more of a rockslide that’s stopped than a road. Continues for 10k, varying steepness 5-15%, surface loose. Hike-a-bike territory. The down is extremely sketchy and loose, a HT 29 the way to go, although the regular culverts every 50m or 100m were too big to bunny hop. Definitely an adrenaline fuelled decent. After that it was 5k on a very loose bumpy track until tarmac the rest of the way – uneventful.
Day 3 -> Ballater
Distance: 95k
B&B rating: 4/10.
Rideability: Arduous
Recommended for: fish
Struggling to remember the first part, so was probably not too bad although one small crossing has taken out a fair section of the nice new path, plus a few kms of clinging to the side of the valley, it was quite a small path. However, once you get to the Feshie it gets kinda serious. Two crossings in a couple of hundred meters. The way to go is def put bike over shoulders and gently march through. It was quite high (mid-thigh), was mid-calf last time, but there are sections downstream which look much wider, so probably shallower. Probably. Once you get past that, it's serious hike-a-bike for several hours due to the peat/mud/water. Totally un-rideable. Eventually it becomes less horrific and you can even ride short sections ie 10m until the next bog. At some point, I've blocked it out, it becomes ridable and it's a tired trundle into Ballater. A hard day.
Day 4 -> Montrose
Distance: 85k
B&B rating: n/a as was home.
Rideability: ludicrous in parts
Recommended for: goats
Tarmac out of Ballater soon turns into farm track climbs, rather tough and a lot of it. Near the top it's more hike-a-bike as the track resembles a dry river bed. The decent to the bottom of Mount Kean is firstly extremely sketchy, then tremendously fast and adrenaline filled. Slog along the bottom a few km to Mount Kean, which is bonkers. Pushing from the very bottom which just gets harder. No option to go round, just got to go up about two thirds of it. It's proper scrambling. Massive rocks, unridable in either direction. Once you’re up it's fine for maybe 3k, then a couple of kms of nice path then a remarkably terrifying decent to the Queens Well. It's ridable, I was very tired and pushed it as much as I dared, really loose, big rocks. Once down, it's fire roads to the tarmac and a push on to the sea.
Already planning to do it again.
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