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  • Bikepacking the Kintyre Way, Argyll, Scotland,
  • coastkid
    Free Member

    I had planned a 3 day ride with 2 overnight camps to cycle the Kintyre Way,
    The 87 mile route is split into 7 sections crossing the Kintyre penulsia from coast to coast several times from Tarbert to Dunaverty,
    Inquiring about cycling the route revealed that section 6 from Campbeltown to Machrihanish was on Tarmac, and i was advised not to cycle the final section 7 from Machrihanish to Dunaverty as it crosses open heather moorland for around 4 miles to the finish,so although the finish on the south coast looked very scenic i decided to ride from Tarbet to Campbeltown and finish at the stunning Macrihanish beach…
    so sections 1-5 total 66 miles…i decided on one nights camping and ride to either Tayinloan on the west coast to camp or push on and over to Carradale depending on how i felt,weather etc on the first day… the weather forcast wasnt looking good with heavy rain forcasted both days late in the afternoon…
    cant recommend the website and the leaflet enough as both worth reading for excellent detail which matched the excellent way marking and information boards,the best waymarked offroad route i think i have biked…

    here is a link to my bike packing set up, of what i took and how it was carried,
    you can read the full story here which has a film i made too,
    heres a few pics… excuse the water filled camping shots-was a bit damp 😮
    Tarbert,


    descending to Claonaig with views to Arran,

    descending into Clachan,

    along the coast to Rhunahaorine Point,

    and the lowest trig point in Scotland,2 meters above sea level!

    the climb up to the windfarm at Deucheran Hill before it rained,

    sideways rain!


    camped with the Hennessy Hammock,food cooked sitting under out the weather then wet clothes hung under the tarp and a warm nights sleep in spare dry base layers,

    a good nights sleep aided by this,

    clearer weather next day and the last section over to Campbeltown,view over Lussa Loch,


    down to finish at Campbeltown Harbour,


    then headed to the coast at the 3 mile long Macrihanish beach,a great finish to 2 days fun despite the weather the previous evening!


    Cycling the Kintyre Way,
    my views of the Kintyre Way is it is very good to cycle for originally a walking route,it is all ridable after a few short steep parts near Tarbet by any confident cyclist,there is some tarmac road to ride between sections and there is alot of forest road…not everyones cup of tea but most of the forests you ride through is mixed forest and to have 99.9% of the route to Campbeltown to myself is for me the attraction…a real feeling of remoteness up on the hills…
    the scenery is stunning esp out to the surrounding islands and it is a shame i did not get nicer weather down at Carradale as around there is lovely and would of been nice to see the coastal section there too…
    i imagine that in time more of the forest roads will get replaced by sections of narrower all weather track and if undulating will be better to cycle…
    my advice to someone wanting to do the same 5 sections and camp is maybe take 3 days to get to Campbeltown then spend a night or two at Macrihanish campsite spending a day resting and enjoying the beach there then maybe have a crack at that last section to the offical finnish at Dunaverty,completeing all 7 sections…then let me know if i missed a nice trail 🙂

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    Looks awesome.

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Brilliant! Threading routes through Argyll is always an interesting challenge, not many well-documented trails through the hills in some areas.

    I like the look of your kit, neat and compact.

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    swiss01
    Free Member

    that last bit from macrahanish, no, it's not a nice trail, at least from macrahnanish across the moor and around the bit past the sailor's grave. once you're up that it's easy enough but not really worth it for what's gone before.

    druidh
    Free Member

    Awesome. As with 13thfm, I'm impressed by your dedication in getting photos of yourself riding too.

    This has given me the incentive to investigate another wee corner of Scotland.

    balfa
    Free Member

    Nice write up. Luckily I had better weather than you when I did the first two sections. I didn't remember the climb out of Tarbert being too bad but I didn't have a laiden bike! Will need to try sections 2,3 & 4 as a route when I'm next over in Arran. What were the trails over cnoc nan gabhar above carradale like? Any singletrack?

    coastkid
    Free Member

    thanks, for once i took the advice of a non cyclist person at Tarbert tourist information centre re the last section,often they dont realise where a bike can go!,but sounds like he was right!,my sisters partner is a hill runner who has ran all of the Way and said it wouldnt be much fun with a bike,
    down in the S.E. corner of Landranger sheet 68 is a small hill called "the Bastard" 😆 that i would have liked to visit, reckon the way to Campbeltown would be ok to do on a cyclocross bike,a bike with panniers and even a bob trailer as only i think 3 styles,
    found a nice trail to Kilmore too on an old road across the Knap penulsia near the holiday house my sisters family stayed,will post that up when typed up,that last post took a while 😮

    coastkid
    Free Member

    balfa the descent from the winfarm starts as switchback allweather track about 4 ft wide then goes down a steep forestry road,glad of disc brakes down there in the pouring rain!,there is i think a few different trails descend down through the woods into Carradale aswell as the signed Way, i passed one called crow wood,lovely west coast mossy woods there,bound to be some good singletrack on those hills with all the cows and sheep,

    flatfish
    Free Member

    can i suggest gettin the HH Hex Tarp and an extra set of snake skins. well worth the extra 300 grams over the asym fly.
    mahoooosive coverage for approx 300g.

    coastkid
    Free Member

    thanks for that flatfish,that would proberly be better than taking another (hoochie) tarp and cord to sit and cook under which i have thought about after that wet evening!

    stanfree
    Free Member

    Great write up Ck , I think I'd have been tempted to give up after a day of driving rain . I admire your will power.

    coastkid
    Free Member

    Thats the problem with telling folk where your going Paul…have to carry it through whatever! 😮 really enjoyed that ride…

    steviegil
    Free Member

    Cracking photos mate and you do make it seem appealing 😀 i have quite often toyed with cycling it (based in mid-argyll) but not gotten around to it. What is the climbing like around the carradale area on the route, i actually assumed that would be the worst part.. 😕

    cuckoo
    Free Member

    Great pics. Missed this the 1st time round.

    Like the look of the frame bag too. Can I ask where you got it from?

    coastkid
    Free Member

    framebags are made by epic designs in Alaska and cost around £175 posted to UK,now renamed revelate designs after a near lawsuit by specialized!,
    excellent quality,waterproof zips on frame bag and keeps gear wieght low down,tarmac coast road was steep out of Carradale!, i slept in woods above saddle castle on the last climb before section 5 begins,brillant long descent from windfarm to carradale,like to ride it in the dry!,
    alot of the forest road climbs were in the granny ring but the isolation was brilliant,not like the west highland way!, lovely part of our country,

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