240km by bike, 20km on foot, 2km by boat and 200m swimming in the highlands.
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[b]Day one[/b]
Bonar Bridge - Croick - Ullapool - Altnaharrie - Dundonnell
[b]Day two[/b]
Dundonnell - Achneigie - Shenevall - Gleann Na Muice Beag (Ruadh Stac Mor & An Mhaigdhean on foot)
[b]Day three[/b]
Down to Carnmore - Poolewe - Tollie Path - Road to Kinlochewe - Coulin Pass - Craig - Glenuaig
[b]Day four[/b]
(Maoile Lunndaidh on foot) - Glenuaig Lodge - Gleann Fhiodhaig - Scardroy - Strathconnon - Muir of Ord - Beauly
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My Turner Flux with Wildcat harnesses, Jandd frame bag and camelbak. Quite happy with the setup. Not too much of a compromise on maneuverability, drainage bar bunny hops possible and ultimately - still fun to ride.
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My riding buddy’s Scott Racing with rack/panniers/bombers. Only time I was jealous of the old school setup was that the two 40 litre panniers needed less fiddling to repack than some of my bags.
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Looking back up Loch Achall after passing Rhioddorach lodge
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I’m on a boat.
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The harbourmaster is a total gentleman and all round super dude and saves us a very long journey by road to Dundonnell.
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Sunset over An Teallach.
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Climbing from Corrie Hallie into the Fisherfield.
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Descending to Achnegie.
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Singletrack beyond Achnegie looking towards Beinn Dearg Beag and Beinn Derag Mor. Things got a little more technical in here and while I stalled in a few places I really enjoyed the challenge of the riding.
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The lunch stop tranquility at Shenevall is briefly disturbed by an unexpected Hercules flypast.
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Crossing the Abhain Na Sealga. Only knee deep and lazily flowing into the loch.
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Tricky, but mainly ridable.
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Still rideable, but not for much longer.
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Lovely singletrack on the plateau following the push/heft/carry up to the top of Gleann Na Muice Beag.
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Lochan Fada, Slioch and Torridon beyond from the craggy summit of An Mhaigdean. A very fair maiden today. Bikes did not come up here, although the pony path that runs to the saddle between Ruadh Stac Mor and An Mhaigdhean looks like it might be pretty good.
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Ruadh Stac Mor and Fuar Loch Mor.
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An inversion in the evening sunshine. Carnmore and the Fionn and Dubh Lochs hiding down in the cloud.
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Not a bad spot to wake up.
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Fresh coffee, oatcakes with cheese and chorizo for breakfast. Hop on the bike and descend to Carnmore. This is a very good way to start the day.
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Carnmore causeway after we descend into the clag.
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The Tollie Path. When its good, its very very good and when its bad its awful.
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A refreshing dip in loch Coulin.
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Coulin Pass looking toward An Teallach and Beinn Eighe.
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Which way?
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Clag in a bag.
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Another day, another inversion. Cloud obscuring Loch Monar from Carn nam Fiaclan.
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Gleann Fhiodhaig track. Unfortunately, It’s not all like this, but eventually it gets good and spits us out into Strathconnon to spin down to Beauly for showers, steak and beer 🙂
Very nice!
Awesome!!
Spectacular adventure
Wow - just fantastic. Love that part of the world. Great pics.
Looks great, thanks for sharing
Brilliant. Great pictures.
Inspirational. Thank you.
I like the fact you show what can be done with bikepacking without having a classic adventure style bike. Proving you just have to get out and do it.
Looks fantastic!!
Nice work Al. Looks like a great trip. Good to see a fellow full suss loader.
Great scenery. Nice ride.
Wow, that's an amazing set of photos and a great looking route. After moving up here last year, I'm now thinking a week long bivvy trip may be an ideal honeymoon.... 🙂
Superb...looks fantastic
Stunning pics
Amazing! Very jealous..
Also very jealous. I did some of those tracks in May and it was wet and freezing! Looks a lot better at the moment.
Simply breathtaking 😀
Contender for the best post on STW.....ever 8) 8) 8)
awesome !!!!!!! thanks for sharing
i wish i was you 🙂
That trip looks ace!!!! Thanks for posting and I'm rather jealous now. When did you do it exactly?
Great pictures and route.
Crosses off any Great Divide ambitions and decides to focus on riding epic trails at home.
Nice,and good weather for most of it.
That looks superb. Fisherfield? Torridon? You certainly made a pig of yourselves on some of the best bits the Highlands have to offer 🙂
Do you have a GPX file of your route?
Fantastic post. Thanks for sharing. Superb photos.
Awesome stuff. I really am going to have to get my act together and do rides like this.
Good stuff! Makes me wonder why I don't move back to Inverness.
Thanks folks, glad you like the photos. I always enjoy ride reports when stuck behind a computer of a Monday morning so thought I'd pop this up for others in the same predicament.
Rode from the 6-9 of June. One of those rare times when leave and weather patterns magically align themselves.
Will dig out the GPX and pop it up somewhere when I get home later (It's just a line drawn on to estimate mileage rather than a live track).
Just discovered the [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mcmoonter-boblo-ride-coast-to-coast ]McMoonter/Boblo coast to coast[/url] thread. Fantastic stuff 🙂 don't know how I missed that one first time round… Not that I'm avoiding work and looking at routes for more rides 😉
Glances at map, checks route summary. Yup, that'll have me thinking distracted thoughts for the rest of the day. Pics of perfect conditions just in case that alone doesn't remind me that it's too long since I've ridden those tracks. Good work.
Really nice photos and a great adventure. Love these types of threads!
Wow - looks amazing - Kudos
Looked like a cool adventure. Thanks for sharing.
Bloody marvellous! Well done fella! 😀
Fantastic - this is what STW is about for me.
It does look as if it could be McMoonter's commute to work or something.....
Lovely. Never been past Slioch yet. Must do.
[url= http://pixelfire.co.uk/images/ht/BonarBridge_to_Beauly.gpx ]GPX file[/url] for boblo and others that might be interested.
Thanks Matey, just the ticket 🙂
Mint! I love it when people put the M back into MTB!
Oh, that is a lovely trip. 😀 *adds to favourites*
Great pics - looks amazing. Very lucky with the weather though!
Don't suppose you have a list of the kit you took with you?
Fabulous - and the weather gods were obviously with you. Can you please let me know the next time you are going so I can plan a trip at the same time??
Bloody hell! Those are some stunning photos, got a genuine homesicky lump in my throat for Strath na Sealga right now, one of my favourite nights in the highlands was sitting outside Shenavall watching a snipe drumming across the bog.
Lovely post Al!
That's a great trip and lovely pictures - thanks for sharing!
Great trip and some inspirational photos.
I really need to buy a bivi bag and get out there!
Now that's what I call an adventure,great pics,really liked the causeway shot
Al, there's a guy with no facial hair pretending to be you on that boat 😯
Great report - would love to see a full-size of the An Teallach sunset?
Brilliant.
Cheered me right up that has.
Looks absolutely crap and boring, so glad I wasn't there.
*wanders off muttering jealously*
Beautiful. Great pictures.
Amazing. Well done.
Glad that folk are enjoying the thread, especially the folk whose posts/photos have inspired me to get the maps out and get out on this kind of trip.
😀there's a guy with no facial hair pretending to be you on that boat 😯
Don't suppose you have a list of the kit you took with you?
Okay, since someone has requested the geek gear stuff... I put this together after I got back with the intention of figuring out which bits I didn't use and what could be lighter/better/warmer/different next time. Don't think I'd change much. Lighter/less bulky sleeping bag on this trip would have been good, but the Alpkit SH600 is my only option at the moment. Would have taken a Vango Banshee tent or adapted plans around bothies if the weather was looking rubbish.
[b]Wildcat Mountain Lion bar harness with ‘large’ drybag (12l ish)[/b]
Alpkit SkyeHigh 600 Sleeping Bag
Alpkit Slim Airic Sleeping mat
Alpkit Hunka XL Bivvy bag
Map case (1:50 000 prints of route and options)
[b]Wildcat Tiger seat harness with ‘medium’ drybag (8l ish)[/b]
Raceface Ambush convertible trousers
long sleeve merino top
montane prism jacket
thermal leggings
spare socks
merino T-shirt
spare liner short
[b]Jannd Frame Bag[/b]
Pocket Rocket Stove and windshield
Vargo Ti mug
2 x 100g gas canisters
Firesteel, fork, spoon, pot scourer
Toolpouch (lezyne 19 multitool, opinel no7, spare chain links/powerlinks, zipties, instant patches, glue/patches, spare derailleur hanger, tyre levers, spokey, gear cable, 2x sets brake pads)
Headtorch
[b]Camelbak Mayhem[/b]
2l bladder, 2 x inner tubes, lube with gaffa tape wrap, pump, first aid kit, chamois cream sachets, toothbrush, toothpaste, inhalers, midge head net, smidge, sunblock, tiny pack towel, earplugs, trowel, coreless bog roll, wet wipes, ziplock bags, matches, antiseptic handwash
[b]Bike clothes[/b]
Helmet
Gloves
Liner shorts
Baggies
Riding Jersey
Sunglasses
Five Ten Exum Guide shoes (Bought these mainly for scrambling/via feratta but it turns out they are a perfect flat pedal/hike-a-bike/hillwaking shoe)
Bandana
Pace 3x3 Waterproof
Buff
Merino Gloves
Ground Effect Baked beanie
Most important of all - a hipflask filled with Ardbeg 🙂