Watching the video reminded me of a few holidays I had in the Lakes 20 odd years ago. I’d set off in the morning with an OS map marked up with an over ambitious route and a packed lunch. Most days would turn into epic slogs, involving bogs, scrambling up hills carrying the bike, and losing the trail in the mist. They were some of the best days riding I can remember doing 🙂

**** sake – leave the girl alone. Proper rider with a smile .

+ 1. Well said Diane. Hannah comes across as very natural and lovely. 🙂

Don’t think much of her choice of bike colour though

MarkLG
They were some of the best days riding I can remember doing

And that is the funny thing you know. At the time, your hating it, sometimes even miserable. Yet, get back to civilisation, have a hot bath, some good grub and a pint, and quickly, you start to remember the good bits, and do so for years afterwards.

The opposite is what i get at trail centres. At the time i’m loving it, all smiles, and whoops. But about 5m after getting back to the car i’ve forgotten about it nearly completely………

What is it they say “Adversity maketh the manwoman” ??

😉

I don’t suppose she has anything to do with Simon Barnes?

Really enjoyed that, thanks. Cracking scenery, natural personality and really conveyed the enjoyment of riding bikes in the great outdoors and all that goes with it. For those of us who can’t teleport ourselves up there of a Friday night, it was a thoroughly enjoyable half hour pretending I had.

How the hell do they do the short flying shots like at Glenfinnan beach at the very beginning?

Octocopter type thing. Probably a big one that can carry a SLR, rather than the Go Pro type.

anyone else wanna ride bikes with her every day and make sweet love to her every night

Great video, loved the scenery.

*checks pulse*

I don’t suppose she has anything to do with Simon Barnes?

Nope, but she’s sister to Joe Barnes, elite Dh/Enduro rider.

Nice Video . Hannah Is bonny , the scenery was beautiful and she can ride a bike waaaaaay better than I can . I’d love to take a week off and do those routes.

Can we do the full critique now?

As expected, some of the scenery is marvellous. The use of aerial cameras to capture some of the riding works really well and the riders come across as happy and enthusiastic.

However, for a planned ride from Fort William to Cape Wrath it seems to have been very poorly researched. Yeah – the CWT is around 250 miles but was it ever planned to actually ride it all? Did no one involved (Andy McCandlish perhaps) look at it objectively? As soon as she says she’s going past the both in Glenfinnan, I’m thinking “there’s nae path on the descent”. Lo and behold….

Getting lost in the Torridon traverse – how? Unless it’s changed a lot since I was last there you have to specifically make the wrong turn rather than just carry on up the glen and it’s immediately obvious as the terrain is just too steep to be the north-bound trail. From where they ended up, I reckoned there was no “off piste” required. Just carry on until the paths meet up again.

etc. etc.

I do wonder if the film-makers have over-egged the “epic” a bit by concentrating on the rough/boggy push/carry and the midges rather than choosing to select and show the easiest and fun-est bits of riding. I’ve seen a similar approach in other stories in books and on blogs. As some above have already pointed out, it’s hardly an encouragement to ride in Scotland.

It’ll be interesting to see how the eGuide being put together by DMBinS (with the help of Lee Craigie) shapes up in comparison when it’s available next year. One advantage Lee will have is that she’ll have ridden many of the trails previously.

Jeez this place gets more daily mail all the time. Everyone who doesn’t like it should definitely stay away, I hear there aren’t even any 4 foot wide berms on those trails, the horror.

Anyway, that was really good, really got to spend more time up there next summer, and I REALLY want a quadcopter thingy now.

Yeah – this one

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ovsgui4YWs[/video]

(for those bogs)

At the time, your hating it, sometimes even miserable. Yet, get back to civilisation, have a hot bath, some good grub and a pint, and quickly, you start to remember the good bits, and do so for years afterwards.

this.

it was done as a wee adventure.
fair enough, there were sponsors etc, and i daresay they could have found more exciting mtb trails, but getting lost/eaten by midges/stuck in a bog/arriving home late/and most of all having some memorable fun is exactly what happens when you go exploring, even if it is only a few miles away from your van and the road.
ace.

Big thumbs up from me on that video. Just watched it with my 16yr old daughter. Admittedly she likes outdoor stuff: biking, DOE, etc. but she was seriously inspired by this and now wants to go night riding through the wilderness and stay in bothys 🙂

That totally floated my boat. All the folk tunes!

It’s not made me add that to my riding bucket list…

seemed like there was hardly any shots of the fun bits just of the bike carrying and river crossings then her saying how good the last bit was without really showing it.

I loved the video. She came across as the sort of person it would be great fun to ride with. No moaning or complaining when some pushing is involved.

No, it isn’t the purest of mountain biking, nor the “gnarliest” (silly word), but it had a lovely home spun feel to it. It won’t suit everyone, and fair enough, each to their own, but to those of us who love that area and that type of day out then that video was both inspiring and brought back many happy memories.

What Kenny said. I just love those parts of Scotland. I’ve even been to Cape Wrath! (but in about 1979)

Love to do trip like that.

Just make sure you do it in May before the midges start.

I loved it. Reminded me why I drive 12 hours to get to the Highlands each year. I spend a couple of weeks carrying and pushing my bike around on days which are sometimes 12 hours long. Sometimes you find the most sublime bits of trail, and sometimes you don’t, but they are truly memorable days.

On the way home I break up the journey by stopping at Whinlatter or Cannock.

It’s like having a Ginsters pasty after eating rib eye steak for a fortnight.

Oh,and I usually ride alone to get away from the moaning that some people seem to bring with them on big days out. I suspect a day out with Hannah would be good fun.

Each to their own, but I’d take the Scottish Highlands over every trail centre.

Look like a big drop down to the right at 7:40 😯

No, it isn’t the purest of mountain biking,

I disagree. Just getting out there and riding with a map is the very essence of mountain biking imo.

I liked the vid, but them I’m biased.

Almost every weekend I make my way to the WH, to ride, walk, climb, snowboard, socialise…but a lot of the time we just go to be there and end up doing not very much at all. There’s probably “better” places to do all these things in the UK, but it’s the feel of the WH that makes it (obviously on top of the fact that it does offer incredible mountain sport opportunities).

The WH, as many have already said, is a really special place that either does it for you or it doesn’t. It does it for me, every weekend.

That said, I was in the Cairngorms last weekend and I do have a wee soft spot for the east too, despite how often I claim west is best 🙂

That little section of trail with the drop after the waterfall

Shit off! I’d be walking

Most of it looked like a bit of a slog. Too much faffing for a bit of nice riding

She is lovely though. Smiling through the bad weather and bogs when I’d be swearing and losing my rag

Jeez this place gets more daily mail all the time. Everyone who doesn’t like it should definitely stay away, I hear there aren’t even any 4 foot wide berms on those trails, the horror.

I don’t think anyone has said they didn’t like the film, only that it doesn’t present the area very well as a riding destination. The emphasis on pushing the bike through bogs, mud etc. does not sell the area very well. Personally I don’t mind adventure, I just prefer my adventure to be enjoyable at the time rather than have some retrospective feeling of “well that was crap but I feel manly now”

Nice work Hannah et al. Well done for producing overall a good short film & having the best job in the world. It has what you expect filming in this part of the world- amazing trail, stunning landscapes and an attractive personality leading us through her adventure. So what’s not to like about that? Not much really, but given that all the resources backing this production I was perhaps expecting a bit too much and was awaiting something really exceptional. Perhaps where this film falls short of the mark for me is it is perhaps a bit too realistic showing clearly the diverse Scottish conditions; great weather + crappy weather, great trails + some really poor ones. I’m not sure you would want that all on a film that’s supposed to be promotional. Also when undertaking such an adventure I’m sure they would have met some interesting characters along and/or had a good laugh. I’m guessing it’s down to the editing.

Some predictable ‘unless you enjoy traipsing though a bog carrying your bike for hours you’re not a real mountain biker responses’. 🙂

As scotroutes pointed out though – some real schoolboy errors involved that a few posts on here asking for route advice and having a GPS would have easily sorted. Or would that have ruined the adventure?

My best adventures in life have all been in highlands. It has a magic no picture or film truly captures. Part of my heart will always be there.

Riding like this transcends everything you think you know about bikes and riding. Mountain biking, hiking and climbing stop being sports you do and becomes life itself. Everything else you do is just waiting to get back to that place.

I enjoyed it. Well put together with some great surroundings, some good trails and some bad ones. That’s mountain biking for ya. I can sympathise with getting lost as i do it a lot, and my only complaint was that one cup of tea didn’t see me through the entire film. Maybe i need a larger mug.

I disagree. Just getting out there and riding with a map is the very essence of mountain biking imo.

I know what you mean, I just didn’t put it across well. By “pure” I meant it wasn’t 100% riding. But I agree totally. Most of my most memorable mountain bike trips have involved a map and being out in the middle of nowhere, sometimes on amazing bits of singletrack and sometimes knee deep in bog.

Nothing wrong with trail centres either I should add. I ride at Glentress a lot and love it. It is just that films like Hannah’s are, to me, what makes mountain biking such bloody brilliant fun.

I liked it, Torridon looked ace and I thought the whole point of the trip was that it was as much for the exploration as the riding.

As scotroutes pointed out though – some real schoolboy errors involved that a few posts on here asking for route advice and having a GPS would have easily sorted. Or would that have ruined the adventure?

I agree and I disagree. Depends on whether you are seeking out great riding or just wanting a wee adventure. Both are perfectly valid. Both are great fun in their own way. And people who only ever do one should try the other.

ianv – Member
Jeez this place gets more daily mail all the time. Everyone who doesn’t like it should definitely stay away, I hear there aren’t even any 4 foot wide berms on those trails, the horror.
I don’t think anyone has said they didn’t like the film, only that it doesn’t present the area very well as a riding destination. The emphasis on pushing the bike through bogs, mud etc. does not sell the area very well. Personally I don’t mind adventure, I just prefer my adventure to be enjoyable at the time rather than have some retrospective feeling of “well that was crap but I feel manly now”

If it didn’t show the bogs and bad weather, it wouldn’t be a true representation of riding in the north west, would it?.

Not quite sure that I can relate to folk that aren’t inspired by that.. You must be very pink and shiny..

I was thinking of leaving the wife and kids before I watched that vid, but I’m gonna stick with it for another year as Mrs yunki has some friends we can stay with in the highlands 😀

I liked that. Good film. Adding Torridon to my List Of Place I Want To Ride A Bike In.

Riding like this transcends everything you think you know about bikes and riding. Mountain biking, hiking and climbing stop being sports you do and becomes life itself. Everything else you do is just waiting to get back to that place

Amen to that, never ridden there but totally on your wave length

I assume that filming a riding video is probably quite hard work; lots of carting gear about, setting up shots, repeating for different angles, etc. They obviously didn’t have the resources to do that out in the wilds for this video, so apart from a bit of rider-cam footage, they concentrated a lot on the start and finish of each day, where the support crew could get access to film properly. I think the overall sense of the journey suffered a bit as a result. It would also have been interesting to have a few comments about the geography and history of the places they were riding through, rather than just “it was great today”.
The attempt to introduce a bit of drama with getting lost and riding in the dark felt a wee bit forced to me, and being old fashioned and low tech, it never feels quite right to have a fully equipped camper van shadowing you on an ‘adventure’…
A wonderful part of the world however, and the riders obviously genuinely enjoyed being out there. No argument with that.

Let’s be honest, people on internet forums have been known to talk a lot of pish. I have two books for MTB routes in Scotland and they may as well have been in the fiction section in the bookshop. Sometimes you just have to get out there and have a look for yourself. I liked the video and think its very representative of Scottish mtbing, sun, rain, bogs, midgies and some great riding.

I guess the point of the trip was to see partly what the trail was like rather than knowing straight out that it was going to be all perfect to ride. Not a trail centre is it.

She’s cool, well filmed, managed to not even look cold in the lock?! Not everything has to be full of riders with the skills to back flip a road bike.