It always looks like this http://www.stevecarter.com/beaches/beaches.htm

Wow, feels the need to do a fat bike beach tour of the Western Isles.

Askernish, South Uist….

[url=https://flic.kr/p/o2P95f]Uist[/url] by jimmyg352, on Flickr

Nothing to see here..

[url=https://flic.kr/p/opiX2y]DSC_0097[/url] by ScotRoutes, on Flickr

Or here…. Barra

P1010386 by pickers48, on Flickr

Beautiful shots dudes.

We went up that way in may, it’s stunning!

Sadly this was us leaving Tarbet with the fat bikes. And the sun was actually out 😉

Quite a few pictures of Harris there.

It’s stunning up (out?) there isn’t it? One of my fave places in the UK.

Rain? In Scotland? Unheard of………

horrible stitch of bad photos (blackberry camera) but you get the idea!

What the camera doesn’t show is how bloody cold the sea is! 😉

Yep, never ever.

Some nice archive photos there. 🙂

Tripods wait for sun

Meanwhile at Glenlivet

What they’re not telling you- until this weekend’s floods, all those beaches used to be munro tops.

Torridon on Thursday night. Midges omitted for clarity.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/omVEe2]20140807_202342[/url] by lowey.com, on Flickr

England. Honest.

Thats the trouble with Scotland, when you have good weather in summer its spoiled by the bloody midgies.

Glen Prosen, Angus, on Sunday. Not only was it biblical rain, but the forestry operations had obscured the path I was looking for. Spent a very soggy 2hours schlepping about this hillside fruitlessly searching for a way over. Ended up turning back the way I came. Nice.

Got sunburned there once. At least I think it was sun, and not a core breach at Hunterston B.

MussEd, you looking for the Kilbo path?

overcrowded too..

It never rains, but sometimes the humidity is horizontal… 🙂

(Coffin Road Harris)

There was a bit of rain in the Nairn area on Sunday, Police are looking into it 🙂

bedmaker – Member
There was a bit of rain in the Nairn area on Sunday, Police are looking into it

err, very subtle… 🙂

Poltheball – yep. Eventually followd an newly cut access road alongside which they seem to be laying thick bore pipe? Road ran out before I saw any path up to the saddle between Mayar and Dreish so I chucked it. Any pointers? Though I won’t be back until next August!

Poltheball – yep. Eventually followd an newly cut access road alongside which they seem to be laying thick bore pipe? Road ran out before I saw any path up to the saddle between Mayar and Dreish so I chucked it. Any pointers? Though I won’t be back until next August!

@Poltheball – We are supposed to be going that way in a couple of weeks. Would be grateful if you have some local knowledge on that path and whether we need to reconsider our route

There was a bit of rain in the Nairn area on Sunday, Police are looking into it

Well I laughed 🙂

More proof…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/c6rZ61]Lismore[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/esiAnL]schiehallion[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/ndDfPR]Ben Venue[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

There was a bit of rain in the Nairn area on Sunday, Police are looking into it

Haha good one 😆

That Glen Prosen ride is pants, its sloggy pushing up through bogs and then a descent that’s barely rideable for the very skilled.

Hebrides last month…
Skye
[url=https://flic.kr/p/nVDyEt]Skye[/url] by clarkpm4242, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/od8tLK]Skye[/url] by clarkpm4242, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/ob6U37]Skye[/url] by clarkpm4242, on Flickr

Harris
[url=https://flic.kr/p/nRhF1S]Outer Hebrides[/url] by clarkpm4242, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/nRhEWT]Outer Hebrides[/url] by clarkpm4242, on Flickr
South Uist from Barra
[url=https://flic.kr/p/o6AoyP]Outer Hebrides[/url] by clarkpm4242, on Flickr

Damn, wish I was back there!
Paul

Roll on next May

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nRvmUh]Near Dornie[/url] by RichSeipp, on Flickr

Poltheball – yep. Eventually followd an newly cut access road alongside which they seem to be laying thick bore pipe? Road ran out before I saw any path up to the saddle between Mayar and Dreish so I chucked it. Any pointers? Though I won’t be back until next August!

@Poltheball – We are supposed to be going that way in a couple of weeks. Would be grateful if you have some local knowledge on that path and whether we need to reconsider our route

Once you pass the (recently rebuilt) cottage on your right near the top of the glen, you pretty quickly come to the end of the road; there’s a patch of trees (on the same side as the cottage; they’re the only trees that end of the glen), of which the west side is fairly straight. The Kilbo path runs parallel to the west side of the trees (heading north), pretty close by them, so if the path isn’t visible, just follow the line of the trees and you’ll pick up the path further up. The gamekeeper uses it with his 8-wheeler, so it’s fairly easy to find (tyre tracks etc). You keep heading up this track til you reach a t-junction; head left for Mayar/Corrie Fee, head right for Dreish/Kilbo path to Glen Doll forest.

Once you get up there it’s worth topping both Munroes (Dreish and Mayar) as they’re easy and the view is great; both are pretty bike friendly. The Shank of Drumfollow (Kilbo path heading down towards Glen Doll forest) is a bit sketchy, but about 75% rideable on a hardtail. Just whatever you do, if you feel like you’re falling off, bail to the left… Once the Kilbo path reaches Glen Doll forest, the track is absolutely ace after a stream hop or two; really soft and loamy with rooty sections, drainage ditch hops etc. You then pop out into a deforested area, which is a bit rockier but still 100% rideable, and you just follow the path down. It eventually reaches and crosses White Water, and you can head down to the ranger centre from there. Great ride, done it a few times and can safely say it’s worth it!

@poltheball

So how do you get back to Glen Prosen? There’s the Minister’s Path further east, what’s that like?

@poltheball brilliant. thanks for that 🙂

Kilbo path heading down towards Glen Doll forest) is a bit sketchy, but about 75% rideable on a hardtail.

It was pretty much washed out when I was there last month, quite a few OTB moments. I’d be tempted to heather bash it down the ridge instead and re join at the start of the forest section.

Aye its shite in Scotland

@poltheball

So how do you get back to Glen Prosen? There’s the Minister’s Path further east, what’s that like?

A few years back, before the Kilbo cottage was rebuilt, me and a couple of mates camped in the ruins that were there for a couple of days. One ride we did was up the Kilbo, down into Doll forest, and back round via the Minister’s Path (mostly to avoid stags and hunters as we’d made the mistake of going during the rut…). It’s a grassy track, starts off in the woods on the Clova side but soon opens up to a grassy hill which you hurdle. It’s wide enough for a Landrover, and doesn’t seem to be used very often. There are wee shooting posts along the way, and although you don’t climb very high I seem to remember having a decent view.

I’d say if you’re planning on doing Minister’s path, park your car at Glen Prosen village (where Minister’s spits you out) and do the tarmac/gravel riding up the glen to Kilbo at the start of your day, so that you finish on a downhill. Only problem with that plan is the lack of watering hole in Prosen; the pub in Clova is definitely worth a stop for a chat and a pint before the final 10km or so back to the car via Minister’s Path.