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Tyndrum Bike packing Trip, September 2020

With a week off work and the weather forecast looking ok, it was time to head North again to Scotland for another bike packing adventure. My starting point would be the small village of Tyndrum on the Southern edge of Rannoch Moor. The large car park next to the Green Welly shop is an ideal safe place to leave the car for a few days while you disappear off into the wilds. An early morning start saw me arriving at Tyndrum about 11.30am, the sun was out and it was pleasantly warm so I wasted no time in putting the bike back together again and attaching the bags, it was around about here that I realised that I had forgotten to pack my helmet, oh well, nothing to be done now, I just made a mental note to myself to not fall off. The Highland Trail 550 is a bike packing route that starts in Tyndrum and heads off Northwards to Bealach Hourn taking in some of the best natural mountain bike trails and quiet roads in Scotland and then heads South back to Tyndrum. The full route is 550 miles long and if you look at a map of this route it looks like 3 loops stacked on top of each other, my aim for this trip was to do the southern loop. I left Tyndrum heading North along the West Highland Way for about 5km then turned right and went under the railway viaduct between Beinn Odhar and Beinn Dorain, this easy track follows the Allt Kinglass for several kilometres and criss-crosses the stream many times at fords, almost guaranteeing wet feet. Soon Loch Lyon comes into view and after a short but steep climb up to the dam at the Eastern end of the Loch you get a great view down into Glen Lyon, the route then joins the very quiet road through the glen for 8 miles or so to Bridge of Balgie, where I stopped off at the Glen Lyon Tea Rooms for some soup and a coffee. After another 1.5km on this road you turn off left onto a forestry type of track and head North steeply up a stony track heading for Rannoch Forest, eventually you pass a lake and start heading Westwards through the never ending forest. After crossing the Allt Camghouran you turn left and head for the gap between two steep-sided hills (Leagag and Cross Craigs).

Bridge leading to Ben Alder Cottage

It was almost 6 o’clock now and I was looking for somewhere to stop for the night. i was only carrying a sleeping bag and a waterproof bivi outer so was looking for somewhere flat and soft. I decided on a soft grassy river bank spot next to one of the bridges, it looked idyllic and I soon had everything set up, however I had made a big mistake…. soon the midges found me and I was tortured that night by these small but infuriating insects. The next morning I was up and away as fast as I could before the dreaded midges could gather in numbers again, I was however slightly shocked when I saw all the red bite marks on my legs from last night. I cycled the 6km or so into Bridge of Gaur in a steady drizzle but by the time I reached the Rannoch road it was raining quite steadily, I turned right for a kilometer or so before turning left on the forest road that heads North to the shores of Loch Ericht and Ben Alder, it was now pouring it down but it didn’t last long and gradually the weather improved as the day went on. The trail was good most of the way but seemed to run out about a mile or so before reaching Ben Alder Cottage bothy and the way I went I had to cross some very rough boggy ground before the unusual wooden bridge that leads to the bothy came into view. There were a couple of other mountain bikes parked here but no sign of anyone, I’m guessing they were out climbing Ben Alder. After a coffee and some breakfast I headed off on the much anticipated single track section around Ben Alder, there’s a hike a bike start but it’s not long before it gets rideable, it helps if you are good at bunny-hopping as there are numerous drainage channels that cross the narrow trail, unfortunately I’m not but felt I was improving as the miles went by, I met another couple of mountain bikers as I was heading down, they had cycled in from Dalwhinnie and were doing the full Ben Alder loop which looks like a great day out. The sun was now out so I stopped by the stream for half an hour or so to have something to eat and to dry my damp sleeping bag out, then set off on the fabulous trail that leads down to the bothy at Culra.

Culra Bothy near to Ben Alder

Shortly after leaving the bothy I crossed the stream on the right at the bridge, there was a sign attached to it saying that the swing bridge at the ford on Loch Pattack was damaged, this trail leads up to the main track that goes past Loch Pattack and heads North along the River Pattack and eventually comes out onto the A86 main road from Spean Bridge, I turned right here and headed for Wolf Trax mountain biking centre, hoping to get there before the cafe shuts, unfortunately I was just too late, so I continued on my route and turned left off the main road shortly afterwards on a dead end road that leads down to the Spey Dam and followed this road to Melgarve Bothy at the end of the road and the start of the Corrieyairack Pass. The bothy was locked up due to the covid restrictions so I had bivi number two by the stream nearby. The next morning I was all packed up and away by 7.30am and it was a steady climb from the start, into the gloomy green and brown Corrie, with low grey clouds covering the tops and a line of huge electricity pylons on my left, snaking its way off into the distance, a lot of the trail is rideable which I was pleased about but the hairpins certainly weren’t and involved a steep push, a small square concrete building marks the top of the climb and from here it’s a very long fast descent, I had to stop a couple of times to let my brakes cool down as a I could smell them burning, eventually you come to a fork in the road which wasn’t marked on my old OS map, I went left and the road started climbing again into the distance and I thought I must have gone wrong but eventually after another long descent down some hairpins I arrived at a small lake and an easy track brought me past the impressive Culachy House and onto the road, where I turned off left at Ardachy Lodge, on an overgrown narrow trail that leads to the B862 road into Fort Augustus, where I had a coffee and something to eat at Cobbs Cafe overlooking the 5 canal lochs.

Looking over to Buachaille Etive Mor from the Kinghouse Hotel

The next section to Fort William is via the Great Glen Way and is 36 miles long, it basically follows the Caledonian Canal and is easy pleasant cycling, the only hilly bits being through Clunes Forest on Loch Lochy, there is even a nice bit of single track to look forward to between Bunarkaig and Gairlochy. Once in Fort William I went round to the Bank Street Lodge, a place I’ve been to many times before, to see if they had a room, I was in luck and tonight I would have a comfy bed to look forward too. The final section of this tour would be along the West Highland Way from Fort William to Tyndrum, a distance of 43 miles. I stocked up on food and drink from the local supermarket and was heading along Glen Nevis by 8.00am. It’s a long steady uphill ride through Nevis Forest up to the Dun Deardail ancient fort sign, shortly afterwards you turn off left on a single track section and it’s a bit of a roller coaster section and some pushing through the rest of the forest. Once out of the woods you are on a wider loose rocky path and you can ride it all the way to the turn-off for Kinlochleven where I pushed the bike down the steep narrow slopes into town and had a sandwich on a bench overlooking the river. The weather was improving rapidly and it was now a beautiful sunny hot day as I set off on the massive climb out of Kinlochleven up to the Devil’s Staircase, most of it was hike-a-bike and I did get some strange looks from the steady stream of West Highland Wayers coming the other way. The views were spectacular though, to the North the impressive peaks of the Mamores and looking South there was Buachaille Etive Mor and the Glen Coe peaks. I stopped off at the newly refurbished Kingshouse Hotel and sat on the wall outside drinking an ice cold pint of lager and enjoying the beautiful weather and views before setting on on the final 19 miles to Tyndrum, initially over the Black Mount to Victoria Bridge, then along the newly resurfaced and velvety smooth road to Bridge of Orchy and then finally back to Tyndrum. After packing the bike away in the car I headed over to The Real Food Cafe and had a much needed meal of fish and chips, then set off to drive home, arriving close to midnight… it had been another memorable trip up to Scotland.

5km after leaving Tyndrum the route goes under the railway viaduct and follows the Glean Achadh-innis Chailein

Arran – The Glen Rosa Horseshoe

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Exploring the mountains in the North of the island was one of the things I was most looking forward to on this trip to the island of Arran, which is situated off Scotland’s beautiful West Coast. I set off from Brodick bunkhouse at 7.30am and was greeted by the sight of a badger trotting along the path next to some gardens, i was heading for Glen Rosa. Once I left the town it was very quiet and it would be many hours before I saw anyone else. The Glen Rosa road ends at the basic campsite down by the river and a good stony track heads up the Glen with the mountains shrouded in mist and low cloud. After crossing a wooden bridge I turned sharp left and headed up the steep path alongside the mountain stream (Garbh Allt), I was heading for Beinn Nuis. Visibility was quite low as I squelched my way uphill over boggy ground hoping to pick up a good path, after 30 minutes or so I sensed the mist starting to thin, then all of a sudden I emerged out of the murk and into blue skies, warm sunshine and christal clear views, it was a magical moment. The way ahead now was obvious and I could pick out all the mountains on the map. After Beinn Nuis it was onto Beinn Tarsuinn and past the “Old Man” who resides on the ridge. Ahead lay the rocky peak of Cir Mhòr but before that was the formidable obstacle of the A Chir ridge which is actually classed as a moderate rock climb. Once on the ridge the way ahead wasn’t obvious and you are faced with a choice of which way to go, all of them tricky and with exposure too. My route took me so far along, then i bailed out on a steep loose gully on the left, so I missed out the crux descent off the end of the ridge, which maybe was a good thing! Anyhow, it’s a good reason to comeback again sometime. Compared to A Chir the scramble up Cir Mhòr is straightforward and the views from the top are stunning. From Cir Mhòr I picked my way down the steep east ridge to a feature called The Saddle, then ascended the south-east ridge of North Goatfell. The weather was changing now and the top of Goatfell was shrouded in mist but as I waited it would clear for a few seconds and then close in again. I descended back to Brodick via the normal tourist route and for the first time that day starting seeing people again, on reaching the Arran Brewery I crossed the road and took The Fisherman’s Path into town. It had been a long tough day but felt privileged to have seen the Goatfell range at its best.

Neighbourhood watch on the way to Glen Rosa

Exploring Arran, October 2019

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Arran Map

I first visited the island of Arran briefly in September 2019 on my way to a cycling holiday on the Outer Hebrides and was impressed by the outdoor possibilities, so I decided to return again in October and spend a few days exploring the island. Situated on the beautiful West Coast of Scotland, Arran is very easy to get to by public transport therefore I left the car at home and took my mountain bike with me instead. I got the mainline train to Glasgow Central , then caught another local train to Ardrossan Harbour, which is right next to the ferry terminal. The train and ferry timetable are intergrated so I had 30 minutes to buy a ticket for the 55 minute ferry ride to Brodick on Arran. The island is not very big, it is approximately 20 miles long by 10 miles wide, a road follows the coastline and is 56 miles long. For my first day here I decided to explore the Southern half of the island by bike, setting off from Brodick to Lamlash, Whiting Bay, Kildonan, Blackwaterfoot and returning to Brodick Bunkhouse via the String road.

Day two on this exploration of Arran was a tough and spectacular walk around the mountains in the North of the island that surround Glen Rosa, you can read about my day out on the Glen Rosa Horseshoe here.

After yesterday’s exertions doing the Glen Rosa Horseshoe I thought it would be a good idea to do a gentler walk today and set off to do part of the Arran Coastal Way. I set off from the Bunkhouse in Brodick for Lamlash, which is 3 miles away via the Fairy Glen track, Originally i had intended to get the ferry from Lamlash to the Holy Island and maybe climb the big hill there but it had stopped running for the season now and would be Easter before it started again. Leaving Lamlash I turned right onto the Ross road which crosses the hilly interior of the island, i took this road as far as the forestry commission car park, where I followed the signs for the Arran Coastal Way (high level alternative) which snakes it’s way uphill along a wide forestry road for a couple of miles. I’m not a big fan of walking in man made forests as they can be very boring and this one was no exception but eventually i came to a path split and the one i took went to Glenashdale Falls. A finger post leaves the main track and goes to an man-made viewing platform from where the impressive two-tier falls can be seen unimpeded. There are some good views over to the Holy Island and Whiting Bay on the way to the next point of interest which was the intriguingly named Giants Graves, which are the remains of two Neolithic chambered tombs, set in a flat grassy area with great sea views it’s a good place for a picnic. I then headed down to Whiting Bay via a steep eroded path and headed North along the pleasant bay road before turning off right and heading for Kingscross Point. I was hoping to walk along the Coastal Way back to Lamlash, however the tide was in and this made the path totally impassable, I had no option but to return to the road for a mile or two before a short cut lead me down to Cordon and Lamlash. It’s a very pleasant walk along Lamlash Bay with great views over to the nearby Holy Island. I followed the small road around the bay to Clauchlands and up past the farm to the ancient site of Dun Fionn fort and the nearby trig point which gives panoramic views of Arran, i then took the small road that leads back to Brodick.

After two tough days of walking on Arran it was time to get back on the mountain bike and explore the rest of the islands roads. The plan was to set off from Brodick and ride down to Lamlash again, from there I would pick up the Ross road that goes across the island and then head North to Lochranza Youth hostel where I would stay the night. Instead of riding on the road to Lamlash, i went off-road and took the narrow track through the Fairy Glen, which I had walked yesterday, this track takes you all the way to Lamlash where I turned off right onto the Ross road and headed across the island. The road is nice and flat to start with and has recently been resurfaced but it soon starts getting steep and it’s a long steady climb that keeps on going. The road crosses a remote and quiet part of the island and about half way across there is a Buddhist retreat center. Eventually the Ross road rejoins the main coastal road not far from Lagg, where the new whisky distillery has just opened, here I turned right and headed North through Blackwaterfoot and on past the tourist hotspots at King’s Cave and Machrie Moor standing Stones. The road hugs the coastline and is relatively flat apart from one short steep bit near Imarcar and in calm conditions like today it made for easy cycling, i can imagine with a strong Northerly wind it might be a different story. I rolled into the beautiful and peacefull Lochranza at about 1.30pm. To fill the rest of the afternoon i went to the Lochranza distillery and went on a very interesting tour and followed it up with a tutored tasting session immediately afterwards where the drams kept coming….

This was my last full day on Arran and on paper it looked like the easiest one, cycling from Lochranza to Brodick….. if i took the main road it would be only 14 miles, a steep climb out of Lochranza up the Boguillie climb followed by a swooping descent and a largely flat ride into Brodick. However there is another way and this is the reason i brought my mountain bike on this trip. This off-road route uses sections of the Arran Coastal Path from Lochranza to Sannox, followed by a short road section past Corrie before entering Merkland Woods for the final section into Brodick. After a leisurely breakfast at Lochranza Youth Hostel, i got chatting to the warden who was also a mountain biker, he warned me that with the heavy overnight rain large sections of the route would be very muddy and difficult to ride but i decided to go ahead anyway and was prepared mentally for any hike-a-bike sections on the way. Leaving the hostel i cycled up the road and turned off left to the golf course and explored the tracks around Newton point, one goes along the coastline and the other climbs quite steeply and gives great views back over Lochranza. With my curiosity satisfied i then set off on the route proper, along the track to the right this time and climbed steeply up a stony path/track heading for Laggan Cottage. The hostel warden was certainly correct about the difficult conditions, this was more like a stream bed and was unrideable. At the top of the climb there are good sea views out over the Firth of Clyde and the isles of Bute and Cumbrae. The long grassy slopes leading down to the dilapidated bothy of Laggan Cottage were treacherous in the wet conditions and it was a relief to get back onto level ground, though the coastal path was still quite rugged, all the way to the aptly named Fallen Rocks, after this it’s an easy ride to Sannox. A short road section was next, taking me past Corrie and then I turned off right into the forest at the Moal Donn car park. This rough potholed forest track was quite hilly and had some steep ramps in places. There had recently been some logging activity here with piles of timber stacked up on the edge of the road and I may have missed a turn here because the track became very rough and muddy and was covered in the discarded branches from the felled trees, it was a great relief to finally emerge from this quagmire onto the well trodden path that descends from Goatfell. There are some good trails leading off this path and I explored a couple of them before finally rolling into Brodick.

Specialised Hardrock SL mountain bike with Apidura frame fitting bags

Arran, Mull and The Outer Hebrides, Sept 2019

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Arran, Mull and the Outer Hebrides route.

I had visited the Hebrides with the bike in July of this year but I didn’t have enough time to complete all of the 185 miles of the Hebridean Way from Barra to the Butt of Lewis. I really enjoyed the trip and so I decided to go back again in September and complete the whole thing, to make it more interesting I would be starting and finishing in a different place to last time. Last July i drove up to Oban with the bike in the boot but this left me the problem of what to do with the car when I was off cycling. also it meant that I would have to return to Oban to retrieve the car when I was finished, which was not ideal. This time I would be using the train and my intended route was to head for North Ayrshire town of Ardrossan where the ferry departs for Brodick on Arran, then cycle North to Lochranza to catch the small ferry to Claonaig on the North Kintyre peninsula, then cycle up to Oban and maybe spend a day exploring Mull. I would then return to Oban briefly to catch the ferry to Barra on the Outer Hebrides. After finishing the ride I would head for Stornaway and get the ferry to Ullapool and then cycle to Inverness to catch the train back home. The ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick only takes 55 minutes and bikes go free, so it only cost me £4 to get to Arran. Once off the ferry I turned right and cycled North heading for Lochranza Youth Hostel which is only 14 miles away, it’s flat until just after Sannox then it’s a steady climb over “The Boguille” and a rapid descent down to the beautifully located Lochranza. The next morning I caught the early ferry for the 30 minute crossing to Cloanaig on the North Kintyre Peninsula. I headed North to Kennacraig (ferry goes to Islay from here…) and turned right along the A83, just before Tarbert i turned left and took the quiet undulating road around the Knapdale Peninsula which eventually rejoined the A83 again and entered Lochgilphead where I stopped at a cafe for much needed pie and chips. Leaving Lochgilphead and heading northwards again I picked up a quiet road along the Crinan Canal for a while then the B8025 heading for Kilmartin heading for the quiet road on the North side of Loch Awe. This road was actually in very good condition and had recently been resurfaced, I think with European money, to make it easier for big lorries to get the timber out, the drawback was it was extremely undulating with lots of short steep climbs coming one after the other, it was a relief to finally get to Annat and head left to Taynuilt, from here I took another small road along Glen Logan and eventually rolled into Oban at about 5.30pm. The next day I caught the early morning ferry to Craignure on the Isle of Mull, I was booked into Tobermory Youth Hostel for tonight so I had a full day to explore the island. From Craignure I cycled South through the mountains of Glen More and descended down to the road junction at Loch Scridain, here I had a decision to make….

Wet and very windy conditions on the road along Loch na Keal, heading for Tobermory.

I really wanted to visit the island of Iona but it would be a detour of at least 40 miles to do so and I would still have a long ride to get to Tobermory after that. In the end I decided to go for it and kept up a steady pace all the way to Fionnphort where a regular ferry does the short hop to Iona. The crossing was quite choppy and the ferry captain said that they would be halting sailing early because of an impending storm, so I had about an hour on the island and made my way up to the famous Abbey for a look around before returning to Mull and the 20 mile ride back to the head of Loch Scridain to continue my journey to Tobermory. It was quite calm cycling through Gleann Seilisdeir but when I descended down to Loch Na Keal the weather got quite wild with some very strong gusts making cycling hazardous. I had intended on cycling round the coast past Loch Tuath to Tobermory but in these conditions I had to bail and headed across the narrow neck of land to Salen and reached Tobermory via the main A849 road, the rain was very heavy by now but I couldn’t get much wetter and it was a relief to finally reach the hostel. I left Tobermory early in the morning to cycle back to Craignure and to catch the 09.45am ferry back to Oban as I was going to get the afternoon ferry out to Barra this afternoon, an island at the Southern end of the Outer Hebrides. The ferry from Oban to Castlebay on Barra takes 4hrs 45 minutes and during the voyage I got chatting to Helena a student from Glasgow who was also going to do the Hebridean Way, we agreed that after we landed we would team up and do the short ride over the causeway to Vatersay and to try and find the elusive sign signalling the start of the Hebridean Way which had eluded me last time, the poingent Annie Jane memorial is close by too, so we visited that also. After this Helena checked into the Dunard Hostel in Castlebay and I cycled off into the twilight heading for Barra Airport (Traigh Mhor) to bivi on the beach. Early the next morning I cycled further North on Barra and had a look around small church of Cille Bharra before catching the ferry for the 40 min voyage from Barra to the small island of Eriskay, which is connected to South Uist by a long causeway.

Part of the causeway linking Benbecular to North Uist

South Uist is fairly flat and the cycling is easy (providing the wind isn’t a problem!). I stopped off again at the Kildonan Museum cafe for some hot food, which has what looks like a Viking longboat parked outside it. The Hebridean Way continues Northwards along the main road and every now and then there is a detour off into the Machair, a low lying, fertile grassy plain, before returning to the road, then past Our Lady Of The Isles statue and over another causeway to Benbecular. This time I took the coast road which passes a supermarket and the airport. Yet another causeway takes you onto North Uist, i took the West coast route and the terrain here along the single track road is more undulating and harder work than earlier in the day. Eventually the final causeway of the day came into view, the one leading to Bernarey, last time I was here I stayed at the picturesque Gatliff Trust hostel but this time I decided to check out John’s Bunkhouse and I’m pleased I did as it was a very comfortable and pleasant place to stay. Chatting to a couple of other cyclists who were also staying at the Bunkhouse it was clear that the weather the day after tomorrow was going to be pretty horrendous for cycling, with rain and very strong winds forcast. I wasn’t booked in anywhere for accommodation tomorrow yet so I decided the best plan was to catch the 07.15am ferry from Bernarey to Leverburgh on Harris and see how far I could go. Harris is quite mountainous and has some long road climbs but with a strong Westerly blowing most of the day they didn’t really seem that bad and I was making really good progress and very soon I was past the turn off for Rhenigidale, which was as far as I got last time, with all the big hills behind me. The section where I turned off the main A859 and headed West to Callanish was torturous however and was straight into the wind. I stopped off to see the impressive Callanich standing stones and also made a small detour to see Blackhouse village at Gearranan.

The Callanish Stones on the West side of Lewis are arranged in a cruciform pattern.

Now the wind was greatly helping me and I was flying along the never ending road on the top of Lewis and reached Port Nis at 4.30 pm, from here it another 2 miles or so on a side road to the iconic end of this ride, the impressive Butt of Lewis Lighthouse. Now I had to find somewhere to stay for the night, the weather was changing, it was getting cold and windy and rain wasn’t far away, i tried at the pub a couple of miles back up the road and they suggested Galson farm about 4 miles away so I headed there and very luckily I got the last bed. It was only a small farm type hostel with 6 beds but it was warm and cosy and had a small kitchen to cook dinner, what more could you want after a long day in the saddle? As forecast the weather the next day was very bad, i had 20 miles to do to get to Stornaway so I made an early start. Progress was painfully slow against the wind and as soon as I turned South onto the exposed A857 that heads up and over the moors to Stornaway it became quite dangerous with very strong side gusts forcing me to walk at times, it was a massive relief to finally drop down into town. I checked into the cosy Heb Hostel and headed straight for a hot shower and some dry clothes then had a wander round town and explored the culinary delights of Stornaway. Before catching the 3.00pm ferry to Ullapool the next day I had time to cycle the length of the Eye Peninsula and visit another impressive lighthouse at Tiumpan Head, on the way back I made a small detour to see the Iolaire Memorial recalling the loss of over 200 lives as HMY Iolaire, which was carrying troops home from the First World War, hit rocks and sank very close to Stornaway in 1919. I stopped that night at the lovely Ullapool Youth Hostel and the following morning set off at 8.00am to cycle the final 60 miles of this holiday to Inverness Youth Hostel, the next day I caught the train home.

The Outer Hebrides, July 2019

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Map from Wikipedia Commons by Kelisi

The West Coast of Scotland is a great place to go bike touring and with a week off I headed back North, this time to Oban, a place I had never been to before, to continue my exploration of this beautiful area. My original idea was to take the ferry to Mull and spend some time there but having looked at some of the ferry options available I decided to head for the Outer Hebrides instead. Caledonian Macbain run the ferry services from Oban and are a great way to get around the western isles, for cyclists they are amazing value too as bikes go for free, you just pay a foot passenger fee. In summer the ferry leaves Oban at 13.30 for the 4 hour 45 minute voyage to Castlebay on Barra, at the Southerly end of the Hebrides, (the ticket cost £15.15 one-way).

Day 1 (Mon 15th July) Oban to Barra With the ferry departing at 13.30 this left the morning free to explore Oban on the bike, I first went along the quiet, dead-end coastal road for 2 miles or so to explore the peaceful sandy bay at Ganavan, then retraced my route back into town to visit McCaig’s Tower on Battery hill which overlooks the town, it’s not very far to the tower but it’s up some very steep residential roads and with a fully packed bike it got me huffing and puffing up to the top. It’s well worth the effort though as the views are stunning. Next it was back into town for a short scenic ride along the Sound of Kerrera, I only went as far as the campsite though. Then it was back into town for a full Scottish breakfast and waited for the ferry. The weather stayed warm and sunny for the rest of the day and I spent most of the outward ferry journey outside, on the upper observation deck, chatting to Angela, who was also with her bike. She was hoping to do the Hebridean Way cycle route (waymarked as route NCN 780), which starts in Vatersay and finishes on the Northerly tip of Lewis , a total of 185 miles. I knew nothing about this route and was just hoping to visit the islands. The Hebridean Way cycle route was launched in 2016 and Mark Beaumont was recruited to ride the 185 mile route in 24 hours to publicise it. Once off the ferry we turned left and cycled to the end of Barra and over the causeway to Vatersay and continued on until we ran out of tarmac and then returned to Castlebay where Angela was booked into the handily placed Dunard Hostel, unfortunately they were now completely full, so I headed back to Vatersay by myself, to a beautiful white sandy beach we passed earlier and found an ideal spot for an overnight bivi.

Causeway just North of Gramsdale on North Uist

Day 2 (Tuesday 16th July) Barra to Berneray After a good nights sleep I awoke about 6.00am and packed my stuff away in the pleasant morning sun. I then cycled back to Castlebay and up a rather long steep hill to the ferry on the far side of the island, this would take us across the Sound of Barra to the small island of Eriskay. Here I teamed up with Angela again as we traversed the island and crossed the causeway to take us onto South Uist. The terrain on the Uist’s in general was fairly flat and the direction we were going meant that the South-Westerly wind was on our backs most of the time. After a while cycling we called into the Kildonan Museum and cultural centre, it also has a good cafe where we stopped for a coffee and a meal. We then continued North on the main road, which became increasingly a single track road with passing places and crossed over the causeway onto North Uist and took the left hand fork at Clachan that took us round the top of the island, past Sollas, before turning off north and crossing yet another causeway onto the island of Berneray. The weather was changing now and becoming quite stormy and we rolled into Bernarey Hostel about 5.00pm, it was only a couple of small, single storey thatched roofed cottages and it looked quite full, luckily there were a couple of free beds. There was a lively and mixed group of people staying there that night, a mixture of cyclists, walkers and travellers some of whom were heading North to Stornaway for the Hebridean Celtic Festival (HebCelt), which was happening at the end of the week. We went to bed that night with the sound of folk songs being sung in the kitchen next door.

Angela on the way to Rhenigidale…

Day 3 (Wed 17th July) Berneray to Harris We awoke to the sound of wind and rain lashing against the windows and it looked like it was in for the day. After a quick breakfast it was back on the bike again for the 2 miles or so trip down to the ferry landing, this would take us across the Sound of Harris to Leverburgh on Harris. There was no let-up in the rain and soon we had to stop to put all the rain-gear on. We passed some fine looking beaches which looked stunning even in the deluge and the terrain was certainly more hilly than the Uists with some long climbs on the way to Tarbert. It was a relief to finally pull in to town and we looked straight away for a cafe to get some food and get warmed up again, but everybody else seemed to have the same idea and they were full, so in the end we settled for the local fish and chip shop instead. Tarbert is a ferry port with regular sailings to Skye (Uig), there is also a gin distillery with whisky on the way too, it has a good little store selling most things and a Hostel, which was also full. Refreshed and warmed up we set off again heading North to try the Hostel at Rhenigidale, about 21km away, it’s another long, steady climb through the hills but the turn-off for Rhenigidale soon appears, it’s a very quiet road that drops down to the shores of Loch Seaforth, before a long steep climb over the pass and a steep drop down to the charming hamlet of Rhenigidale with its hostel. We got there about 4.00pm, enough time to get some gear washed, get a shower and sit outside in the now much improved weather and enjoy the situation of this very pleasant hostel with some nice people. It was even more pleasant when another guy turned up with 2 bottles of single malt and insisted on sharing most of it. I was now running out of time on this holiday, I really wanted to complete the Hebridean Way, all the way to the lighthouse at the Butt of Lewis but that wouldn’t leave me enough time to get back to Oban on Friday, so I was resigned to cycling back to Tarbert tomorrow and taking the ferry from there to Uig on Skye and cycling back to Oban.

Uig Bay in Northern Skye with the Ferry that travels to Harris (Tarbert) getting ready to sail.

Day 4 (Thurs 18th July) Harris to Skye It was hard saying goodbye to my cycling companions knowing they were going to complete the ride but it gives me a reason to come back here one day. It was a steep pull-up almost immediately from leaving the hostel as the small road weaved its way up and down and back to the main road to Tarbert, I managed to make it back to town in the dry but as soon as I did there was a torrential downpour. The ferry to Skye took a couple of hours and was a chance to get a coffee and relax a while, it was about 2.00pm as I cycled away from Uig under leaden skies, it didn’t take long for the rain to start, gentle at first then a full-on prolonged deluge. I kept on going and as I approached Sligachan the traffic got quite busy, a mixture of heavy rain, traffic and road spray made it quite an unpleasant ride, conditions eased by the time I reached Broadford at about 5.00pm but I’d had enough by then and checked into the backpackers hostel there. After a hot shower and a change of clothes I felt much better and headed off into the small town for pasty and chips and the local chippy.

Day 5 (Fri 19th July) Skye to Oban I left Broadford the next morning at about 8.00am and after yet another heavy shower, which lasted for an hour or so, conditions rapidly improved and turned it into a beautiful day for cycling. I turned right off the main road and headed down the A851 for 17miles, heading for the ferry at Armadale, it was a quiet pleasant road. I didn’t have long to wait here before the Mallaig ferry arrived for the 30 minute crossing of the Sound of Sleet, back to the Scottish mainland again. I followed the main Mallaig to Fort William road for 19 miles to Lochailort before turning off right on the much quieter and very scenic A861 which heads down to Strontian, then around the head of Loch Sunart, then up a very long steep climb, before eventually dropping down to Lochaline, where there is a ferry across the Sound of Mull to Fishnish on the island of Mull. I had enough time here to enjoy a much needed cheese burger and mug of tea before the ferry arrived for the 30 minute sailing. Once off the ferry on Mull it was an easy 5 mile ride down to the main ferry terminal at Craignure for the hour long crossing back to Oban, arriving there about 8.00pm. I was already booked into the very comfortable Oban hostel a short distance away along the sea front.

I really enjoyed this week away, it was done at short notice and I never really had anything planned, carrying the sleeping bag and bivi bag gives you the flexibility and confidence to do this, as you know whatever happens, you have got somewhere to sleep. I had explored a part of Scotland I’ve never been to before and it has given me ideas for lots more trips around this area.

: Oban from McCaig`s Tower

: Oban

: Oban from McCaig`s Tower

: Oban from McCaig`s Tower

: McCaig`s Tower on Battery Hill in Oban

: Oban and the whisky distillery tower

: Sea views just North of Oban on short ride to Ganavan

: St Columba`s Catholic Cathedral in Oban

: View from Oban Youth Hostel dining room

: Approaching Castlebay on the ferry from Oban

: Castlebay town on Barra

: Castlebay on Barra

: Bivi site on white sandy bay on Vatersay.

: Bivi site on Vatersay

: Dunard Hostel on Barra, close to the ferry landing.

: Sculpture at he ferry landing on the North of Barra, waiting to go to Eriskay.

: Bikes on the Barra to Eriskay ferry crossing

: The Eriskay ferry

: Longship outside Kildonan Museum and Cafe, with the flag of South Uist .

: Causeway just North of Gramsdale on North Uist

: Bernarey Hostel

: Bernarey Hostel

: Harris beach in the rain

: The steep road that leads to Rhenigidale on Harris

: Angela on the climb over to Rhenigidale, Isle of Harris.

: Angela on the way to Rhenigidale…

: The final steep descent to Rhenigidale

: Rhenigidale (Harris)

: Rhenigidale Hostel on Harris

: The Harris to Skye ferry (Tarbert to Uig)

: The ferry sailing away from Tarbert on Harris to Uig on Skye

: Uig in Skye with the Ferry that travels to Harris getting ready to sail.

: Map from Wikipedia Commons by Kelisi

Cycling Scotland’s North Coast 500

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North Coast 500 route http://www.northcoast500.com/

Scotland’s North Coast 500 is probably the best bike ride I have ever done. A combination of the route, scenery and beautiful sunny weather for the entire trip made this a memorable ride. The route starts and finishes at Inverness Castle and is 516 miles long. The route was officially launched in 2015 by the tourism board for the North Highlands to boost visitor numbers and increase business and it has been a huge success though not universally welcomed by all locals who value their quiet way of life. For the cyclist the NC500 presents a tough challenge with some serious climbs and exposed roads where you are at the mercy of the elements. There are a few recommended variations to the normal route for cyclists, eg around Lochinver and later on near Portskerra where the A897 can be taken, which avoids having to cycle south on the busy A9 road. The week before I set off I came across a great YouTube video by the GCN boys with Simon Richardson and Mark Beaumont it’s called Bikepacking Scotlands North Coast 500 , it’s beautifully shot and well worth a look.

Day 1 Inverness to Applecross

Looking back to Tornapress on the way up to the Bealach na Ba

An early start saw me in the Inverness Youth Hostel car park reassembling the bike from the back of my car and making those last minute adjustments about what to take based on how the weather was looking. It was about 8.00am by the time I cycled round to the castle for the obligatory setting off photo. By chance it was here I got talking to a guy called Liam Harris, he runs a cycle touring holiday business www.gocycletours.co.uk and this week he had 5 clients doing the NC500 and setting off at the same time as me. The clients do the cycling without carrying anything and Liam provides the backup with a transit van and they camped there way around the route. Over the next few days we would be leapfrogging each other and meeting up in cafes and pubs a lot. I made my way out of the city via the end/start of the Great Glen Way, (a route I had done a few years ago), then cycled along the Caledonian Canal until I reached the A862 and headed for Beauly and Muir of Ord, then left to Contin and Garve. It was a beautiful sunny morning, quite chilly to start with but it wasn’t long before the gloves and arm warmers were stashed away and as it turned out never used again for the whole trip! The riding from lnverness to Lochcarron is quite easy with gentle climbs, that changes quite dramatically when you leave Lochcarron when a 20% climb has you reaching straightaway for the bottom gear… a good warmup for what is to come……. The Bealach na Ba is one of the highlights of the whole route, a fearsome long climb and swooping descent that allows access to the Applecross Peninsular. My bed for the night was the SYHA affiliated hostel called Hartfield House, about a mile away from the popular Applecross Inn.

Day 2 Applecross to Kinlochewe

Robert on the hilly road around the Applecross Peninsular

my cousin Robert was by chance stopping at Kinlochewe caravan site this week, he is a keen cyclist and despite being 71years young is still strong on the bike. He set off from the caravan about 7.30am and we met on the Applecross Coast road at Fearnmore. We then cycled back to Kinlochewe together along the very hilly northern section of this road to Shieldaig, stopping off at the very nice Nanny’s cafe for a big breakfast, where we also caught up with Liam and his cycling group. Then it was a stunning ride down to Annat and along Glen Torridon with great views over to Beinn Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe and down to Kinlochewe where I spent the night sleeping in the awning of his caravan. This was only half a days ride really but it allowed us to visit a rather nice pub at Badacro and to go and visit Gairloch.

Day 3 Kinlochewe to Polbain

Gruinard Bay

By 7.45am the next morning I had said my goodbyes to Robert and Delia and was enjoying the early morning sun cycling on the road alongside Loch Maree With the imposing Slioch in the background. It was fairly easy going as far as Gairloch then it got hilly before descending down to Poolewe and past Inverewe Gardens, another steady climb takes you up to a good vantage spot of Loch Ewe, which was a marshalling point for Artic convoy ships during the Second World War. Then it was round Guinard Bay with its beautiful beaches followed by another long steady climb up to a viewing point looking down the length of Little Loch Broom, followed by a very fast descent past the Dundonnell Hotel, well known to mountaineers as its a good base for climbing the mighty An Teallach located behind it, one of the grandest Munros. Another long steady climb ensues before a fast descent down to join the A835 for the 12 mile run into Ullapool along the banks of Loch Ewe. I spent a couple of hours in Ullapool, enjoying the beautiful weather and then resupplying at Tesco’s, I was planning to bivi out tonight so I needed food and drink for later on as well as something for in the morning, when all that was sorted I had an enormous fish and chip supper just to make sure, I might have gone for something smaller had I known about the big climb coming up straight out of town. About 10 mile along this road I turned off left on a small road leads to Achiltibuie and skirts Loch Lurgainn and gives great views of Stac Pollaidh, once past this mountain I was on the look out for somewhere good to bivi for the night, I nearly chose a small sandy spot on the loch side but instead carried on to Polbain and found a good spot on some low grassy cliffs overlooking the Summer Isles and fell asleep listening to the ferry chugging its way back and forward with the sun still shining on my face.

Day 4 Polbain to Durness

Beautiful views on the Nedd to Unapool section

I was out of the bivi by 6.00am and had a quick cup of coffee and some food and was back on the road again before 7.00am making my way around around the tiny hamlets of Atlandhu and Achnahaird then a stiff pull up to join the road I travelled last night past Loch Osgaig turning left at the next junction signposted to Lochinver, this was a beautifully quiet, scenic and hilly road and in the sparkling morning sun I was seeing it at its best. I was looking forward and slightly dreading this next section to Lochinver and Kylesku , Dave Barter in his book “Great British Bike Rides” brings together 40 of the best rides in Britain and highlights this ride (done as a loop from Lochinver) as his personal favourite and he stresses how hilly it is and labels it a bit of a leg ripper! I rolled into Lochinver very hungry and called into a new looking Bunkhouse and cafe (An Cala cafe) for a big Scottish fried breakfast, it was a chance to recharge my phone too. I forgot about the famous pie shop here which I intended to visit and only noticed it when riding out of the village, the road steepened up straightaway but after a few hundred meters I turned off left onto the minor road that gives access to the beautiful beaches at Achmelvich, Clachtoll and Clashnessie Bay. At the tiny hamlet of Drumbeg I called into the very well stocked little store for an ice cream and juice and sat outside on the benches enjoying the sun. After Drumbeg the road got proper hilly with several climbs and one long steep climb in particular standing out. Eventually though the Kyelescu Bridge came into view in the distance across Locha’ Chairn Bhain and it was a long swoop down to rejoin the A894. Here I turned left and crossed the eye catching bridge, stopping to take a photo and admire its sweeping curves. I found the 10 miles to Scourie hard work, a series of long steady climbs combined with a rough road surface and an increasingly strong headwind took their toll and I crawled into town looking for refreshments. Here I teamed up with another cyclist doing the 500 too and we set off for Durness vowing to “take it easy” but competitive instincts took over and I think we both went harder than we really wanted. There is a massive long steady downhill into Durness which goes on for miles but the wind was now so strong we were pedalling downhill just to maintain our speed. The Cape Wrath running festival was on this week and all accommodation in Durness was taken, so after a good meal in the campsite bar/restaurant, it was bivi number 2 on the beach.

Day 5 Durness to John o’ Groats

East side of Loch Eriboll

After a quick cup of coffee and some bars I was back on the road again by 7.00am basking in the warm early morning sun, cycling past Durness Smoo cave and then the millennium cairn and onto the pleasant circuit around Loch Eriboll. The landscape was changing now, the rugged rocky terrain of the West Coast was gone and it was rolling smoother hills which reminded me of the North York’s Moors at times. I stopped at the store at Tongue for some breakfast before continuing onto Bettyhill enjoying scenic views over the Kyle of Tongue on the way. Just before Strathy I came across the section of moor that had been burning for some days, there was a convoy system in place to escort vehicles the mile or so where visibility was really bad due to all the smoke. At Melvich I called into the Haladay inn for a bar meal and pint, where I caught up with the cyclist I rode with yesterday. This was a decision point in the ride. My original intention was to turn right just after Melvich onto the A897, this road would head south on cycle friendly small roads and would be in keeping with the route so far, this was the way the GCN boys went in the video mentioned earlier. However I had never been this far north before and a couple of years ago I was all set for a Lands End to John o Groats attempt before a broken knee cap spoilt everything, I was curious to see the finish point, so I carried heading East on the A836 past the decommissioned nuclear power station at Dounreay, through Thurso and past the golden sands of Dunnet Bay. The strong and cold Easterly wind was making progress slow and I eventually rolled into John o’ Groats at about 5.30pm, after the obligatory photo next to the famous finger post, I headed for the Seaview Hotel just up the road for a bar meal and a couple of pints. I checked out the price of their camping pods, they wanted £50, so I ordered another pint and mentally prepared for bivi number 3 on John o’ Groats Beach. I was tucked up in the sleeping bag by 8.30pm listening to the waves lapping on the nearby shore.

Day 6 John o’ Groats to Inverness

John o’ Groats Hotel and finger post (5.30am)

I was up again at 5.00am, quickly packed my gear away and scrambled back up to the finger post again and took another picture hoping to capture the early morning golden sunshine. The plan today was to try and make it all the way back to Inverness, a ride of about 120 miles. The 17 miles along the quiet A99 into Wick went quickly, where I spotted the Old Pultney whisky distillery. Another 17 miles on the A99 following the coast brought me to Latheron where the road becomes the A9 and the traffic was noticeably heavier. Somewhere near Dunbeath I stopped off at a little roadside cafe and gallery near a Croft to get a sausage sandwich which helped get me up a long Braes of Berridale climb, then continued on to the picturesque Helmsdale, the last 4 mile down to the village is a very fast descent. I arrived in Golspie about 11.30am, just in time to get a huge Scottish fried breakfast at Poppy’s Cafe on the main street. I was looking for ways of getting off the busy A9 now and was advised my best bet would be to continue along it as far as Tain. Just before reaching The town I passed The Glenmorangie distillery, another old favourite single malt of mine, this time I stopped and had a look around. In Tain I picked up the marked cycle route that takes you on a very quiet back road to Alness. This way marked cycle route in fact takes you all the way back to Inverness via Evanton, Dingwall and across the Moray Firth using the Kessock Bridge and delivers you right in the centre of the city. I finally arrived back at Inverness Castle at about 5.30pm, 6 days after setting off, I then cycled round to the Youth Hostel and managed to get the very last bed, a good end to a memorable ride.

: North Coast 500 route map http://www.northcoast500.com/

: Stayed at Inverness Youth Hostel before and after the ride

: Looking over the River Ness to St. Andrew’s Cathedral from Inverness Castle

: Loch Carron

: Inverness Castle… the start and finish point of the ride.

: The Bealach Cafe at Tornapress at the foot of the Bealach na Ba climb

: Bealach na Ba warning signs

: The early slopes of the Bealach na Ba

: Looking back to Tornapress on the way up to the Bealach na Ba

: Bealach na Ba hairpins

: Hartfield House Hostel at Applecross

: Highland cow at Applecross

: Deer at Applecross

: The Applecross Inn

: Applecross war memorial

: Applecross Peninsula views

: Robert on the hilly road that goes around the Applecross Peninsular

: Beinn Alligin

: Shieldaig

: Gairloch

: Loch Ewe, North of Poolewe

: Loch Broom on the run into Ullapool

: Ullapool

: Ullapool

: Had a bivi near to Polbain,looking out to the Summer Isles

: Not far from Lochinver

: Inverkirkaig

: Lochinver

: War Memorial in Lochinver

: North of Clashnessie

: Clachtoll

: Clashnessie Bay

: North of Clashnessie

: Beautiful views on the Nedd to Unapool section

: The road from Nedd to Unapool has a reputation as one of Scotland hilliest roads

: Nedd to Unapool road… looking over to a long steep section (20%)

: View looking North from Drumbeg

: Gruinard Bay

: The Kylescu Bridge which spans Loch a’ Chairn Bhain in Sutherland, opened in 1984

: Durness Beach, site of my second bivi…

: Durness Smoo Cave access

: Durness millennium cairn

: East side of Loch Eriboll

: Loch Eriboll, close to Heilam

: Moorland fire on the road to Portskerra

: Dounreay nuclear power station, which is now being decommissioned

: Dunnet Bay, East of Thurso

: Nomadic Boulders sculpture at John o’ Groats

: John o’ Groats famous finger post

: John o’ Groats harbour

: Bivi site on John o’ Groats beach (8.00pm)

: John o’ Groats Hotel and finger post (5.30am)

: Glenmorangie Distillery at Tain

: Glenmorangie Distillery

: Kessock Bridge from the North

: River Ness flowing into Moray Firth (view from the Kessock Bridge)

: Back at Inverness Castle 6 days later ….

The Glen Coe Skyline recce, Oct 2018

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The Glen Coe Skyline fell race takes place in September on the West coast of the Scottish Highlands. it is part of the Skyrunning series and has been held annually since 2015. The race immediately attracted lots of attention as Glen Coe is steeped in Scottish history and mountaineering folklore and is a beautiful and much-loved place, eyebrows were raised however because of the extreme nature of the route, as it includes two of the most famous scrambles in Scotland namely Curved Ridge (grade 3) and the Aonach Eagach (sustained grade 2). The route is 52 km long and this includes 4750m of ascent. My interest in this route was re-kindled after reading that the mountain running legend Kilian Journet who had recently broken Billy Bland`s long standing record for completing the Bob Graham Round (a gruelling 66 miles over 42 peaks in the English Lake District), was going to be running run in this years race. He is the current record holder for this event with an amazing time of 6 hours and 25 minutes. That got me digging the maps out again to see what the full route involved. I know this area reasonably well and it was interesting to see how the route linked up the bits i had previously done, with a week off work coming up i decided to head north to Scotland to do a full recce.

The view from Curved ridge looking back over the A82 road to Beinn a Chrulaiste

To help split up the long drive north i stopped off overnight in Edinburgh, while there I stretched my legs on a hilly hike up Calton Hill then over to Arthurs Seat and Salisbury Crags with great views over the city and is a thoroughly recommended half-day outing. An early start in the car the next morning saw me arriving at the Altnafeadh car park in Glen Coe at 9.30am and the weather, for today at least, was looking great. The plan today was to climb up to Stob Dearg by Curved Ridge and then traverse Buachaille Etive Mor past Stob na Doire to a col then descend northwards to the Lairig Gartain, where the river is crossed and there is a long climb up to Buchaille Etive Beag col, followed by a descent to the Lairig Eilde. Here i would make my way back to the car at Altnafeadh, by a track of sorts just north of the busy A82 road. The highlight of the day was going to be climbing Curved Ridge and the first challenge of the day was to locate the start of the scramble. From Altnafeadh you cross the river by the bridge then just after Lagangarbh cottage the path splits and you take the left hand track that curves south-eastwards around the mountain, gaining height all the time. If the visibility is good you can keep an eye out on the left for a track coming up from Jacksonville climbing hut. Another good marker is a huge stone slab that appears on your right. From here the going gets a lot rougher as you ascend a scree slope to the rocks above where the scrambling starts, easy at first but as you approach Rannoch Wall it steepens considerably and so does the exposure, holds are good but care is needed as a slip here could be very costly. After this 45m section I found the rest of the route much easier and I was blessed with good weather and visibility with great views in particular out over Rannoch Moor.

Looking back to Stob Dearg from Stob na Doire

My base for this week was the Glen Coe Youth Hostel, which is only a mile or so away from the Clachaig Inn which serves hearty meals and real ale. The next morning a guy from the Hostel very kindly drove me back to where I finished the route yesterday – the Lairig Eilde carpark on the A82 road that runs through Glen Coe. The plan today was to complete the Bidean nam Bian section, finishing off at Loch Achtriochtan, leaving a two-mile or so walk back to the Hostel. I set off up the Lairig on a good path in a blustery wind, after an hour so it started to rain, hard enough to get the rain jacket on but not too bad for now. High up the valley you reach a large cairn, this is where you leave the path and head south-west to a col, here you turn right and climb your way up to Stob Coire Sgreamhach, the wind was now increasing with bursts of stinging rain every so often but visibility was still good. On reaching Bidein nam Bian this all changed, the mist came down and it started raining heavily. I made the traverse out to Stob Coire nan Lochan ok and quickly had something to eat, now I had to retrace my steps back to Bidean but somehow In the mist and rain I ended up taking the way down to Gearr Aonach, it was a good 10 or 15 minutes later and several hundred feet of descent lower that i had to finally admit to myself that I didn’t recognise any of this terrain! Cursing, I had to retrace my steps in the foul weather back to the summit of Stob Coire nan Lochan and this time I used the compass to locate the right direction in the whiteout back to Bidean. Cold and soaking wet I scurried along the ridge, dropping down to Stob Coire nan Beith, then down again to a cairn marking the top of the An-t-Sron path which leads down to Loch Achtriochtan. I found this rocky man-made path very tricky in the soaking wet conditions, the rocks were treacherously slippy and there are a couple of places where the path seems to disappear altogether, it was a relief to finally end up on level ground. Unfortunately for me the wet weather killed my phone and I was unable to take any more picture from this point onwards.

The long ridge of Gearr Aonach with the Lost Valley to its right. In the distance is the jagged ridge of the Aonach Eagach and behind that, in the sunlight, is Ben Nevis

Day three dawned and after another fine meal at the Clachaig last night and several pints of the wonderful Cairngorm Black Gold stout, I was ready to go again. I walked from the Hostel back along the road to Loch Achtriochtan and just before this side road joins the main A82 there is a faint trail that heads north, straight up hill, along side a gully with a stream in it, this takes you all the way up to the summit cairn of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh. After a quick check of the compass (lesson learned from yesterday!) I set off to Stob Coire Leith and the start of the infamous Aonach Eagach ridge, a sustained grade two scramble. The weather had been dry So far but now I could now feel drops of rain in the wind and then for a while there was hail mixed in as well. In the conditions and with the rock feeling cold and wet I found the ridge quite a challenge and I took it very steadily. After an hour or so the weather and visibility improved and with the major difficulties of the ridge behind me I could relax and enjoy what turned out to be a very pleasant mountain walk with great views all around. The route goes from Am Bodach to Sron Garb to point 903 to Sron a Choire Odhair-Bhig, then taking the north-west spur that leads down to join the West Highland Way. Here I turned right (south) and followed the Way up to the summit of the Devil’s Staircase and then descended down to the car park on the A82 road at Altnafeadh. Here my plan was to hitch a lift back to the Hostel. It has been a while since I last tried hitching a lift on a busy road and I did feel a bit of a pillock standing there with my thumb out being ignored by passing motorists, luck however was with me, after only 5 minutes a young French couple who were just leaving the car park kindly stopped and gave me a lift back to Glen Coe village – merci beaucoup!

Day 4 … I drove round to Kinlochleven to complete the last couple of miles of the recce from the official start of the race, which is at the Ice Factor Building, this involved a steep hike up the West Highland Way to where I joined it yesterday. Visibility was good with great views out over the Mamores mountains and it was Na Gruagaichean in particular which was the focus of my attention and where I would be going this afternoon…..the day before the Skyline race there is a lung-bursting Vertical Kilometer race from Kinlochleven to the top of this mountain where the race ends. To round off my stay in Glen Coe I checked out this route too and I take my hat off to anybody who runs up that!

: Glen Coe Skyline route

: Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh

: Salisbury Crags with Edinburgh Castle in the distance

: Looking back to Arthur`s Seat from Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh

: Lagangarbh Cottage in front of Buachaille Etive Mor

: The “Waterslide Slab” – a useful landmark in locating the start of Curved Ridge

: Easy scrambling leads to the base of Rannoch Wall and the steep crux pitch of Curved Ridge

: curved ridge makes its way up the buttress on the left, on the right is Rannoch Wall

: Rannoch Wall with two climbers doing Agags Groove

: Climbers on Agags Groove (Rannoch Wall)

: The view from Curved ridge looking back over the A82 road to Beinn a Chrulaiste

: The next big obstacle is this narrow gully , i went under the top chockstone.

: Looking down the narrow gully from the top with the A82 road in the distance

: Crowberry Tower and Rannoch Moor

: Looking over to Rannock moor to the Kingshouse Hotel and the A82 road

: Stob na Broige, Buachaille Etive Mor`s other Munro

: Looking back to Stob Dearg from Stob na Doire

: The route crosses the col between the two Munros on Buachaille Etive Beag

: The serrated Aonach Eagach ridge on the other side of the valley

: Stob na Broige, Buachaille Etive Mor`s other Munro

: Heading up the Lairig Eilde to the low col in the distance

: Stob Coire Sgreamhach and Bidein nam Bian from the Lairig Eilde

: Looking back down the Lairig Eilde from the col

: The Lairig Eilde and Buachaille Etive Beag tops from the climb up to Stob Coire Sgreamhach

: The long ridge of Gearr Aonach with the Lost Valley to its right. In the distance is the jagged ridge of the Aonach Eagach and behind that, in the sunlight, is Ben Nevis

: From Stob Coire Sgreamhach the route heads for Bidian nam Bian (the peak on the left) and then does an “out and back” to Stob Coire nan Lochan (the peak on the right) before continuing on to Stob Coire nan Beith

: The view from Stob Coire Sgreamhach towards Buachaille Etive Beag and behind that Buachaille Etive Mor.

: The Lost Valley (Coire Gabhail) with the ridges of Gearr Aonach on its left and Beinn Fhada on the right

Ben Alder Cottage Feb 2018

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Ben Alder Cottage with Loch Ericht in the background

An early Monday morning start saw me standing at Fort William railway station waiting for the 7.44am train to Glasgow, my destination was Corrour Station, only 46 minutes away and the highest station in the UK and probably the remotest too. My goal for this mini expedition was to walk into Ben Alder Cottage bothy with enough supplies to keep me going for 3 days and to explore the surrounding mountains. My route would take me right past Loch Ossian Youth Hostel, which is only a mile away from Corrour Station, so I left an additional carrier bag here with a further days worth of food, for the journey back. My route then continued along the Southern shore of Loch Ossian to Corrour Shooting Lodge, I then followed the river (Uisge Labhar) North-Eastwards for about 6kms to the shoulder of Beinn Chumhainn, where I crossed the river and headed up the Bealach Cumhann where I picked up a good trail which leads down to Loch Ericht and Ben Alder Cottage. As I approached the bothy I could see smoke coming from the chimney so I knocked on the door and said hello, inside where 3 guys sitting round a cosy fire, they welcomed me in and got the stove on. they were part of a group of 7 friends who had been here a couple of days already, the other 4 were out trying to climb Aonach Beag, unsuccessfully as it turned out. They knew this place very well as they had been coming here as a group, with other members too, for years and it had become an annual event to be looked forward to. They were a sociable bunch of people and had managed to carry in enormous amounts of food, fuel and alcohol which along with my supplies made for a very comfortable evening in Spartan surroundings. The highlight of the evening was the appearance of the haggis and the Diablo – a small, lightweight, toasted sandwich maker. The haggis was steamed and Billy, a Captain in one of the Highland Regiments, gave an impressive rendition of Robert Burns “Address to a Haggis”, see it here on You Tube. Thin wraps were then placed in the Diablo and sliced salami sausage, sauces and haggis were used as a filling with another wrap placed on top, the Diablo was closed and the excess trimmed off and it was then placed in the fire for a couple of minutes, the result was a beautifully formed and very tasty toasted sandwich… an unexpected treat in such a location.

Ben Alder plateau looking towards the summit

It had snowed a little overnight and there was a fine sunrise over Loch Ericht the next morning, a cold wind was blowing as I set off heading up Bealach Breabag hoping to do the two Munro’s, Beinn Bheoil and Ben Alder. The snow heading up the Bealach was knee-deep at times, in places it had a firm crust on top which made walking easy and other places you sank straight into it, higher up on Beinn Bheoil the strong icy-cold north-westerly wind had hardened the snow and I put crampons on for the very windy ridge leading to the summit. It didn’t take long to reverse my route to the Bealach where I headed straight up the steep slopes leading to the Ben Alder plateau, eventually the corniced edges of Garbh Coire came into view sweeping round to the right so I knew I was getting close, however the weather was changing quickly and in a few minutes the mist and low cloud enveloped me and I was in a complete whiteout, it really was like being on the inside of a ping-pong ball which made for nervous progress especially as I knew there were large cornices to my right and I was close to just turning around and heading back down, however I started to get tantalising glimpses of the horizon again and after a few minutes the wind had blown the low cloud away revealing that I was still on course and very close to the trig point marking the summit of Ben Alder. I had some great views reversing my route back over the plateau and it was a surprisingly quick descent in the deep snow Back to Ben Alder Cottage. The now deserted bothy was eerily quiet after last night shenanigans and before leaving the guys had done a good job tidying everything up and had even made a new fire, ready to light, which was much appreciated. I waited until it got dark before lighting the fire and it had just got going when I heard a knock on the door and a guy came in, i was quite shocked to realise that I knew him… it was Mick Tighe, a well-known Mountain guide and character in these parts. 22 years ago I went on one of his Skye ridge traverse and rock climbing weeks and had subsequently been to a couple of his winter safety and mountaineering lectures. Tomorrow he was hoping to do the same route as I did today but using cross-country skis instead.

From Ben Alder Cottage i traversed the 3 peaks from right to left (Meall a Bhealaich, Sgor Choinnich and Sgor Gaibhre) before heading SE to Carn Dearg and then down to Loch Ossian Youth Hostel

The next morning Mick was up early and I took a picture of him as he was about to leave, it was a very cold start and a lovely sunrise but there was already signs of clouds moving in, half an hour later and I was off too, crossing the Alder Burn by the strange-looking bridge and heading for the three hills lit up by the early morning sun in front of me, away to my right I could see Mick already high up on the Bealach Breabeg heading for Ben Alder. I was heading for the right hand ridge of Meall a Bhealaich with the idea to traverse the ridge to Sgor Choinnich then the Munro’s of Sgor Gaibhre and Carn Dearg before dropping down to Loch Ossian Youth Hostel. As I approached the first peak on this list the weather had taken a turn for the worst and visibility and temperature were dropping quite quickly and I was now totally reliant on the map and compass to make progress and it was a big relief to finally locate the frozen summit of Carn Dearg and head off through the deep snow down the mountain. As I approached Loch Ossian I was surprised to see it was now frozen over its entire length and it looked very bleak, quite a change from the walk in only a couple of days ago. It was a relief to get onto the good land-rover track next to the Loch and I finally arrived at the hostel at 5.00pm. Loch Ossian Youth Hostel is a small and cosy place perched on the edge of the Loch and even has its own tame stag which comes down off the hills to feed on scraps.

Creaguaineach Lodge at the head of Loch Treig

The next morning and I was up early again and set off at 7.00am for the long walk (maybe 25 Miles) back to Fort William. I was expecting and hoping for a cold and crispy start as my intended route can be very boggy in places but it was in fact noticeably milder and a lot of the lower level snow had disappeared overnight. My route was via Creaguaineach Lodge at the head of Loch Treig, then heading west along the river (Abhain Rath) past the bothies at Staoineag and Meanach then over the watershed, with the Mamores to the left and the Grey Corries to the right and dropping down to the car park at the head of Glen Nevis, then after just half a mile of road walking a young couple kindly asked if I would like a lift back to Fort William, i gratefully accepted their offer. Early next morning I drove back home, fresh snow and good light made the drive through Glencoe and over Rannoch Moor very pleasant and there were lots of landscape photographers out trying to capture the moment. I also called in to see the Kelpies near Falkirk they too looked stunning too in the strong winter sun.

: Corrour Station

: Early morning sun on Corrour Station

: Loch Ossian Youth Hostel in the trees

: Loch Ossian Youth Hostel (spot the stag…)

: The Futuristic looking Corrour shooting lodge

: The view NE towards Bealach Dubh before i turned right and headed up to Bealach Cumhann

: Bealach Cumhann looking towards Loch Ericht

: Ben Alder Cottage with Loch Ericht in the background

: Ben Alder Cottage bar area…

: Ben Alder Cottage stove… one of the guys had a Diablo toastie maker (visible on top of the stove with the red handle) a real treat in such a location!

: Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil from the South (photo, Mick Tighe)

: Settting off on the Beinn Bheoil to Ben Alder round

: Beinn Bheoil`s other top

: Beinn Bheoil Summit looking along to the Dalwhinnie end of Loch Ericht

: The route to Ben Alder from Beinn Bheoil

: Ben Alder from Bheinn Bheoil

: Ben Alder plateau cornices

: Ben Alder summit trig point

: Ben Alder plateau looking towards the summit

: Ben Alder plateau looking towards the Dalwhinnie end of Loch Ericht

: Ben Alder plateau looking East to Beinn Bheoil

: Ben Alder Cottage bothy, second night (photo, Mick Tighe)

: Mick Tighe at Ben Alder Cottage, about to set off on a ski traverse of Beinn Bheoil and Ben Alder

: The bridge over the Alder Burn leading to the bothy, with Loch Ericht in the background

: Frozen moors on the way to Meall a Bhealaich

: From Ben Alder Cottage i traversed the 3 peaks from right to left (Meall a Bhealaich, Sgor Choinnich and Sgor Gaibhre) before heading SE to Carn Dearg and then down to Loch Ossian Youth Hostel

: Sgor Gaibhre summit cairn

: Carn Dearg summit cairn

: Harsh conditions on the summit of Carn Dearg

: A frozen Loch Ossian

: Loch Ossian Youth Hostel

: Loch Treig.. the railway runs through the trees on the righthand side

: Creaguaineach Lodge at the head of Loch Treig

: Approaching Staoineag Bothy from the East

: Staoineag Bothy across the Abhainn Rath

: Meannach Bothy with Meall a Bhuirich in the background

: Binnein Beag from near Tom an Eite

: Approaching the Steall climbing hut in Glen Nevis

: Steall Waterfall in Glen Nevis

: Steall climbing hut in Glen Nevis

: The three-wire bridge near Steall Waterfall in Glen Nevis

: Glencoe (on the drive back home)

: Buachaille Etive Mor (on the drive back home)

: The Kelpies near Falkirk

: The Kelpies near Falkirk

: The Kelpies near Falkirk

Lake District hiking holiday Oct 2017

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About six months ago I had a bad accident on a mountain bike which resulted in a clean break of my left patella. The treatment for this in my case was a full-leg cast for six weeks then a hinged knee brace with crutches for another 5 weeks, followed by lots of physio and home exercises to help rebuild the wasted muscles and weakened tendons, now I finally felt ready to venture back into the hills and with a week off work I drove over to the Lake District in Cumbria to do some hill walking to try to get fit again. I was booked into Keswick Youth Hostel for a couple of nights to start with, it’s near to the town centre and right next to the River Greta. I had been here several times but not since 2015 when Storm Desmond hit and the entire ground floor was flooded by several feet of water, this forced extensive renovations and a redesign of the whole ground floor area.

Catbells summit, looking towards Skiddaw

Sunday 15th Oct. I set off walking from Keswick to do Catbells, which has to be a contender for the most climbed hill in the whole of the Lake District and its popularity is well justified as it is a very scenic hike and a good physical challenge too as it is quite steep in places. You can take the Derwent Water Lauch across the Lake to Hawse End or Low Brandlehow, then start walking from there, which is a really good option if you have got kids with you as it cuts the mileage down and adds an extra bit of excitement to the trip. Today though I walked from Keswick over the River Derwent swing bridge to Portinscale then turned left here and picked up the very nice trail through the woods from Nicol End Marina to the start of the climbing. Today the weather was a bit grey and overcast however the views were still good and there was lots of other people including families and groups with small kids working their way up the steep slopes. It got very windy on top so I quickly continued on to a path which descended towards Derwentwater and i turned left before hitting the road and continued back to Keswick the way I came. The knee seemed to be coping well so I started thinking about something more challenging tomorrow.

Grisedale Pike with Force Crag Mine in the valley on the way to Causey Pike

Monday 16th Oct. The Coledale Round. I drove over to Braithwaite which is about 3 miles west of Keswick and parked up in the first car park on the Whinlatter pass road and set off walking up the steep steps through the wood to the open slopes of Grisedale Pike. The weather was very grey and gloomy to start and there was light rain early on but it was only on the tops that i was exposed to the very strong winds, it would only be later on today after 6.00pm and throughout the night that Cumbria would feel the full force of the remains of Hurricane Ophelia. The skies certainly had a menacing look about them and one peculiar effect was that I could smell burnt wood and ashes several times throughout the day which puzzled me, especially on the tops, it was only on the night-time I read somewhere that the high winds heading our way had probably picked up some of the debris from the huge forest fires that had recently happened in Portugal. My route today went over Grisedale Pike and on to Hopegill Head before turning South over Coledale Hause and following the stream up to a path crossroads where I turned East up to the fine viewpoint of Eel Crag. The next peak was Sail where you get some great airy views to your right as you scramble down the ridge, then over Sail Pass to Scar Crags and finally Causey Pike where a steep rocky scramble takes you down to easier paths and the Buttermere to Braithwaite Road, here I turned left to walk along the road for a while before another footpath on the left takes you into Braithwaite.

Warnscale Bothy

Tuesday 17th Oct. I drove over to Honister Pass and parked up outside the Youth Hostel where I would be staying the night. The hostel is located right next to the working Slate Mine at the top of the pass. I set off walking westwards uphill on the Old Tramway path that takes you over to Haystacks, Just before you cross the stream there is a very nice Bothy (Dubs Hut) which was getting some repair work done on the roof. There is another bothy in this area too and I spent quite a bit of time trying to find it but gave up in the end and continued with my walk to Haystacks where on the summit I was exposed to strong winds again which made for difficult progress over the rocky top and it was a relief to get onto the easy rocky scramble down to Scarth Gap. Here I turned left down to Ennerdale and headed for the Black Sail Youth Hostel where I called in for a coffee and a chat, the high winds last night had resulted in some damage to the hostel, a satellite dish had been blown away, a chimney pot lost and some minor roof damage. Almost as soon as I set off again it started to rain quite heavily, i thought I was heading NW on the Coast to Coast route but instead I was heading straight up a minor path to the source of the River Liza, I decided to just continue up here anyway and eventually after a long climb up alongside the stream I hit the Moses Trod path which heads North to the Old Tramway path. I was still curious about that bothy I couldn’t find this morning, so I decided to have one final go at finding it, so I headed left once I hit the Old Tramway path and descended past Dubs Quarry again and down another path, here I caught a glimpse of the bothy, I won’t say exactly where it is, but from where I was it involved a lot of descent and reascent to get to it but it was definitely worth the effort and i hope to come back and spend the night in it one day. Then it was back along the Old Tramway path again and the descent down to Honister Pass where I had a very pleasant night at the Youth Hostel.

View from Hindscarth Edge looking down to the Honister Pass road

Wednesday 18th Oct. At last the wind had died away and it was blue skies and sunshine most of the day and i was treated to seeing the autumn colours of Lake District at its very best. My route today started from the hostel door where i crossed the road and headed straight up the slopes of Dale Head, then Hindscarth, Robinson and High Snockrigg before dropping down to Buttermere for some lunch. Then it was the brutal climb up the stone steps to Red Pike, the only respite being a brief flat section where Bleaberry Tarn is. After scrambling up the loose red gully to the summit of Red Pike the going gets a lot easier and on a clear day like today the views are superb. Next up was High Stile, you have to be careful with navigation here if you are heading for High Crag next as it’s very easy to just follow the cairns and end up descending into Birkness Comb which is not an easy way out, instead I checked the map and headed right along the ridge leading to High Crag and the long descent to Scarth Gap where i turned right and dropped into Ennerdale heading for Black Sail Youth Hostel, where I spent the night, arriving shortly after 5.00pm.

After Lords Rake there is another easier gully to negotiate

Thursday 19th Oct. After a good breakfast at the hostel I was on my way again at 9.00am, I headed off on the Coast to Coast path in the direction of Honister, this time i found it no problem, then picked up a good track that heads to Brandreth, Green Gable and the rocky climb up to the summit of Great Gable. From here I descended directly to the stretcher box at Styhead Pass and then picked up the Corridor route to Scafell Pike, this route passes Skew Gill and the impressive Piers Gill, shortly after passing this second Gill the route to Scafell turns left at a junction, however first I wanted to make a short detour up to Lingmell first to check out the view then i retraced my steps and climbed up to Scafell Pike. From the Pike I headed down to Mickledore, where there is another stretcher box. I continued right up to the cliff face and turned right and descended the loose gravelly West Wall Traverse down to the foot of Lords Rake and then scrambled up this. At the top you drop down a little and then climb a second easier gully to emerge on the flanks of Scafell where I turned left and climbed up to the summit cairn. From Scafell I descended into Wasdale, a very long descent. The way I went was via a gully just after Rakehead Crag which I think fell runners use when doing the Bob Graham round, then headed for Brackenclose and the National Trust campsite, once on the road I turned right and headed for the pub at Wasdale Head where I had a very nice meal. A second pint of Hobgoblin would have been brilliant but it was now well after 5.00 pm and I still had to make it back to the car at Honister Pass, so out I trudged into the now steady rain and headed off on the long climb up to Black Sail Pass, just after the Pass crests I turned right along another trail that traverses below Kirk Fell and Great Gable and joins up with the Moses trod path which would take me back to the Old Tramway and onto Honister. By now though it was pitch black and still raining steadily and with the beam of my head torch bouncing off the swirling mist it was quite an eerie and difficult walk across the moor. Finally with much relief the Old Tramway loomed into view, I turned right and dropped down to Honister. One final scare lay in wait however, it was such a fowl night that two pigeons had decided to roost on the path and they waited until I was almost on top of them before flapping and noisily flying away nearly giving me a heart attack. I finally reached the car at 8.10pm it had a been a very long walk but a very enjoyable one, my plan was to get in the car and drive home but because of the hour I thought I would ask at the Hostel to see if they had any room left for the night… they had one space…! the 2 chess players who had been at Black Sail the previous night were there also and along with a student geologist and an ex-paratrooper we had an interesting night.

: Catbells summit, looking towards Skiddaw

: Kong Adventure, Keswick

: Kong Adventure climbing wall in Keswick, there is also an indoor ice climbing room here and a caving section for kids

: Hobcarton Crag on the way to Hopegill Head

: Coledale Hause

: Eel Crag looking towards Causey Pike

: Grisedale Pike with Force Crag Mine in the valley on the way to Causey Pike

: Honister Youth Hostel

: Honister Pass

: Honister Pass

: Honister Pass

: Mine workings on Fleetwith Pike at Honister

: Dubs Bothy near Honister currently getting some repairs done, Haystacks is on the left.

: Dubs Bothy near Honister

: Spot the Bothy….

: Warnscale Bothy

: Warnscale Bothy

: Dale Head summit cairn, looking East

: View from Dale Head looking towards Skiddaw

: View from Hindscarth towards Skiddaw, Blencathra and Keswick

: View from Hindscarth Edge looking down to the Honister Pass road

: View from Robinson towards Crummock Water

: View from Robinson towards Rannerdale Knots and Mellbreak

: View from Robinson towards Buttermere and Crummock Water

: View from Robinson towards Buttermere and Crummock Water

: Looking along the fine ridge of Rannerdale Knotts from the flanks of Robinson

: St James` Church, Buttermere

: Wainwright memorial in St James` Church, Buttermere

: Buttermere with Fleetwith Pike in the distance

: Looking over to Robinson on the left and Fleetwith Pike on the right from the climb up to Red Pike

: Looking down on Crummock Water with Mellbreak on the left and Grasmoor on the right on the climb up to Red Pike

: Red Pike on the left and Bleaberry Tarn from the High Stile ridge

: The Honister Pass road in the distance from High Crag area

: Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks on the descent down to Scarth Gap

: Black Sail Youth Hostel

: Black Sail Youth Hostel

: High tension at Black Sail Youth Hostel

: Black Sail Youth Hostel

: Black Sail Youth Hostel

: Memorial on the summit of Great Gable

: Styhead Pass

: Looking over to Great Gable from Lingmell summit

: Piers Gill from the Corridor route up to Scafell Pike

: Piers Gill from the Lingmell side

: Mickledore and Scafell

: The rocky gully at Mickledore that leads down to Hollow Stones

: Lords Rake on Scafell with two people nearing the top

: Looking down Lords Rake with what looks like the remains of the hanging pinnacle visible

: After Lords Rake there is another easier gully to negotiate

The Cairngorm Loop April 2017

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http://www.cairngormsloop.net/map.html

The Cairngorm Loop is a 186 mile mountain bike route that takes in some of the best tracks and trails that the area has to offer, the challenge of the event is to complete the 186 miles in under 56 hours. You can do this at any time but twice a year (April and September) there is a group ride, effectively a race, there is no entry fee or prize money and it is totally unsupported, you ride as if doing it yourself and no caches or pre-booked accommodation is allowed. More information about the challenge is on the Cairngorm Loop webpage. I put my name down for the April group ride and this was to be my motivation over the winter to get in shape to complete the challenge, it also gave me some time to think carefully about the gear and equipment I would need and also plenty of time to get the bike in good mechanical working order. The bike I use is a 7-year-old Specialized Rockhopper SL hardtail mountain bike, with a 21 inch frame, it has 26 inch wheels, Deore XT gears, Avid Elixir disc brakes and a Rockshox Reba front fork. It fits me well and has an excellent light weight aluminium frame. I hit the trails at the weekend with it and use it for commuting to work during the week, I try to clean it regularly, particularly the drive train and keep it well lubed. However little problems were starting to mount up though, skipping gears, damaged chainring teeth, hard gear shifts, rattling pedals and a rough feeling back wheel…. time for a major overhaul.

Preparing the bike…

Wheels The wheels i have at the moment are an upgrade from a couple of years ago and they have Stans ArchX tubeless ready rims and run on Hope hubs which use cassette bearings, which makes servicing a bit easier.The front wheel was running smooth but the rear wheel was feeling rough so I took the cassette cluster off and then removed the free wheel body, on Hope hubs this just pulls off and comes off with a pop, being carefull not to lose the washer which sits behind it. This gives access to the rear wheel bearings and I could feel with my fingers that one of the cassette bearings was turning very roughly and needed replacing, you tap these out with a drift (or a screwdriver if you are feeling brave…) Hope sells servicing kits which makes knocking these bearings out and back in square a lot easier. With the new bearing in the wheel it was turning smooth again. Before replacing the free hub I removed the 4 pawls and springs (responsible for that distinctive Hope buzzing sound) and cleaned everything up for inspection and found out that one of the springs was broken… this seems to be a problem with Hope hubs as I have broken quite a few, anyhow I replaced it with a new one and greased everything and popped the freehub back on the wheel and made sure it was spinning ok.
New cassette (Shimano XT M770) 9 speed 11-32 ratio, replacing the old 11-34 cassette as I found I was very rarely using the largest 34 cog.
New chain (Shimano HG93) 9 speed. The last time I used a reusable link to join the chain, thinking I could then take it apart for cleaning, in practice I never did though so this time just used the pin Shimano supply with the new chain to join it together. Those re-usable links are handy to keep in your saddle bag though together with a small chain tool for any problems out on a ride.
New chain rings (Shimano Deore FCM590) 44-32-22 ratio. I took the crank arms off the bike to clean everything up and fit these 3 chain rings. You need to make sure you fit these the right way round, particularly the middle one. I fitted the last ones and I think I put it round the wrong way…. I’m sure now that this was responsible for some of the gear change slips I was getting as the Ramps and teeth profile wouldn’t be aligned optimally. With the cranks off it was a good opportunity to clean and re-grease the bottom bracket too.
new Jockey wheels (Shimano 105 RD-5700). This set is compatible with lots of derailleurs including mine, again care need as they are slightly different, the guide pulley is the top one and the tension pulley is the bottom one. I took the derailleur off the bike to replace these as I wanted to give it a good clean and was surprising how much gunk came out of it. After a good soaking with bike spray and oil it was moving much more smoothly.
New gear cables (Shimano MTB stainless steel gear cable set). Everything you need in one bag, cables and outer housing, end caps and cable stops too.
Headset service The bearings at the top and bottom of the steerer tube taken out cleaned and re-greased. I use a small neoprene collar attached with Velcro around the bottom of the steerer tube to help keep the worst of the mud and water out of the bottom bearing.
New pedals (DMR V12 platform pedals). The old pedals were the original alloy ones that came with the bike, they were still usable but were starting to rattle quite a bit.
New tires (Schwalbe Nobby Nics Evo, tubeless snakeskin, (26×2.25) pace star compound). The rims on my wheels are ZTR Stans Archx which are fully compatible with tubeless setups so this is the way I went front and back. The front tyre inflated straight away and soon after I heard the explosive pinging sound of the beads locking into the rims but with the back tyre I had a much harder job, even getting it inflated was tough but to get the beads locked in I tried all sorts of recommended tricks, washing up liquid on the beads, putting a tube in and trying to seat it that way (that got one side seated ok…) what done the job in the end was removing the core from the tubeless valve to allow a greater airflow from the track pump into the tyre, then pumping away furiously until finally with the sweat pouring from my brow I heard the explosive pings of success as the beads locked in. Once the beads are locked in you can deflate the tyres and the beads will stay in place, then you can inject the recommended amount of sealant into the valve hole and put the core back in and inflate the tyre as normal. They should now be immune to normal punctures as the sealant will quickly find and fill the hole in the tyres as it is spinning inside the tyre. The sealant does eventually dry up so check every now and then, I still carry a spare tube, patches and inflater just in case though!

Clothing and equipment…

Something you have to think carefully about is the clothing and equipment you take with you on the ride and that is largely dependant on the weather you are expecting, in Scotland at the end of April that can be a very tricky subject to predict! True to form the week before I travelled up to Braemar, winter returned to large parts of the country for a few days, with fresh snow and freezing northerly winds. On a bike it’s the extremities that feel the cold first, so a warm hat that fits under a helmet and winter mountaineering gloves went in the bag, along with a lightweight Montane insulated jacket which provides instant warm, particularly under a thin waterproof. Footwear choice is very important too as the route fords several rivers with no real choice but to wade straight across and this can lead to very cold feet, after much thought I decided on using my old Mammut summer walking boots, they were lightweight, comfortable and had room to get a nice thick wool sock inside too, which I was hoping would feel warm even when wet and they would be perfect on the hike a bike sections too.

Another big choice has to be made about your sleeping system, how much do you intend to get? and where do you plan to get it? There are bothies on or near the route but conditions on the ground may make you slower than expected or they could be full when you arrive there. I decided to take a lightweight down sleeping bag and a Alpkit Hunka bivi bag, so in theory I could stop anywhere. If you intend riding in the dark you need a good light and these can be expensive, the best mountain bike specific ones are probably by a brand called Exposure, I did have a look at cheap Chinese ones on eBay and was tempted but in the end I decided I would just use my old MYo XP head torch and some spare batteries. I probably would have left the stove and pot in the car just to save weight, the ready cooked meals in a bag are just as nutritious cold. Also there are places on the route to buy hot food if you arrive when they are open. To carry all this gear I used an Apidura seat-post bag (compact size,11 litres), this carried my sleeping bag wrapped inside a plastic bag and I also used a very light-weight OMM 20 litre rucksack for the other stuff including food, some tools, spare socks, maps, compass and a small first aid kit etc.

Waiting for race day…

I drove up to Braemar on Thursday arriving just after 6pm, I got something to eat then reassembled the bike and packed some gear for an overnight bothy stop and set off on the 6 mile ride to the Linn of Dee, just past the car park there is a signed track that heads off north into the heart of the Cairngorms, I took this and headed for Derry Lodge, an old abandoned shooting lodge. I was surprised to read on the notice board that there were plans to turn this lodge into a hostel with warden accommodation, I had mixed feelings when I read this, it certainly would be a good location but I think also it would lessen the remote feel and the commitment needed for the long walk or ride to access the Cairngorms from this side. Also there is a very nice bothy nearby and I wondered what the impact of a hostel would have on that….. it was starting to get a bit chilly when I arrived at the bothy, there were 4 people already in, 2 young guys and a Dutchman with his son, they had the stove going strong and candles lit and it was a very cosy warm atmosphere. They had been up in the hills the day before and said the conditions had been really tough, deep soft snow in places, cold wind and rivers in spate with a thaw setting in.

The next morning I wanted to recce a section of the race route from Glen Derry to the Eidart bridge as I would possibly be doing this section in the dark come race day, so I headed off past Derry Lodge and then north up Glen Derry to the edge of the forest to check the terrain out, I turned round here and headed back to the Linn of Dee and carried on west along the track to White Bridge and followed the track heading along Geldie Burn, a couple of hundred meters before this track crosses the river there is a smaller track heading off on the right, this leads eventually to the Eidart bridge. Up until now the cycling had been easy with a nice firm stony track to follow but now on this smaller track it was much harder because it was so wet and boggy and in places soft snow, in fact I ended up pushing the bike nearly all the way to Eidart bridge, this was as far as I went and I now retraced my route back to Braemar, however things didn’t go smoothly, just before White Bridge on a rough land rover type track I caught my front wheel in a rut and I came off the bike and my left knee hit a rock with some force. At first I just tried to walk it off and ride the easy bits but it soon started swelling up really badly and I slowly realised the race tomorrow was over for me, all that preparation and planning ruined by a lapse in concentration on an easy track, by the time I eventually reached the car in Braemar it was hurting quite a lot and it was difficult to bend it. The next day I went to the hospital to get it checked out and an X-ray confirmed that I had a clean break of my left knee cap and I’m writing this with a full leg cast on wondering when I will once again be back in the Highlands…..

Discussing this accident with friends when back home we talked about the best ways to get help if ever you are out in the wilds and need to contact the emergency services, this little video by Lyle Brotherton contains some very useful information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPZv_8dABfU

: Sign on the Linn of Dee road

: Bob Scott`s Bothy

: Bob Scott`s Bothy

: Bob Scott`s Bothy

: Bob Scott`s Bothy

: Confluence of the Eidart and Feshie rivers

: Eidart Falls

: Eidart Bridge

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Mountaineering, adventurous journeys and cycling

Category Archives: Uncategorized

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