Hoping to tick this ride off in June this year as part of a Scottish road trip.

We’ll be travelling back from the Wester Ross area having spent a few days riding there, staying overnight and then riding it the following morning.

When I say it, it’s the 40k variation as found in Kenny Wilson’s Mountain Bike Scotland or the V Publishing Scotland Mountainbiking Wild Trails V2 books.

The problem is time! How long do you think this route will take?

I could do with being back in Alnmouth that same day in order to catch a train home (Leeds) by 1900. The drive from Kinlochleven to Alnmouth is 4hr 30mins. So we’d need to be finished, car packed and ready to set off by 1430.

Is this possible? Or am I leaving too much to chance?

Should we opt for the shorter variant up to the Blackwater Res and back (17km). Personally I feel it would be a shame to miss out on the bigger route whilst we are there but I don’t want to spend an extra night away from home.

By the bigger route do you mean start in KLL, road round to Altnafeadh, then up and down DS before the BWR, or just from the village up to the BWR then back down the CP to the village?

KLL up to BWR on the WHW and Land Rover track is pretty dull riding, although you could liven it up by racing along the conduit! The scenery is agreeable though.

The route leaves KLL, up to Mamore Lodge, onwards skirting Loch Eilde Mor, up to the river crossing of Abhainn Rath, onwards to Loch Treig, then towards the bothy at Loch Chiarain, then Blackwater Res and back into KLL

Ah up that way. I don’t know how long that would take, never been up there on a bike. The thought of cycling up the drive to Mamore Lodge is enough to put me off 🙂

How many cars will you have between you, or is their someone driving but not riding?

With two cars, or one person driving, you could do Altnafeadh, Devils Staircase to the Penstock, quick whizz along the conduit to the dam, then down the CP to KLL. That’s way shorter but lots of going downhill.

I’ve ridden the Abhainn Rath part in the opposite direction and it’s somewhat time consuming: 50 metres of riding then cross a deep ditch/stream – repeat. Read up reports on the Highland Trail 550 and you’ll find similar thoughts – Ian Barrington has a video of last year’s HT550 and there’s some sequences of this bit, it’s on his blog. You’ve also got to cross the Abhainn Rath by Luibeg, you could stick to the S side of the river but it’s much harder going.

As thegreatape says, it’s stunning scenery and you are likely to be on your own.

If you are pushed for time I’d do the shorter loop, you can always go back and do the longer one.

As above. Long slow climb to, and past, Mamore Lodge, not a bad track to the river, then a long, slow hike-a-bike to Loch Treig. South to Blackwater I don’t know but I’ve heard it’s not great.

Really depends on things we can’t know now – how dry it has been beforehand, how fit you are, how early you start.

It “should” be possible with early start and reasonable fitness.

The bigger route is an epic day out, it’s a really good day’s riding/pushing.

From Kinlochleven to Loch Treig was three hours for me last year on the HTR550, but that was with full bikepacking gear so you’ll possibly be much quicker. I think I managed the full ride up from Kinlochleven without my lungs exploding, so it’ll take longer if you walk any of it as it’s pretty grim.

If pressed for time I’d do the Ciaran Path differently, in part so I could get the Devil’s Staircase in as well. I’d start at Altnafeadh, push up the Devil’s Staircase, down the other side to the doubletrack, ride up the pipe (it’s almost flat so you don’t notice the gradient at all), cross the dam and down the Ciaran Path to Kinlochleven, and then up and over the Staircase again. Budget an hour to push up each side of the Staircase.

We’ve done it in a big group a couple of times. We were up there for the weekend and stayed at the Glencoe Mountain resort campsite. From there it’s about 30mins to the bottom of the DS. The ride took us approx 7hrs but that was in a big group with lots of waiting (mainly for me!) and chatting (mainly by me!).

I would recommend riding along the pipes up to the dam, it’s much flatter than the road and there a few squeaky bum moments as the ground below you drops away.

All in all it’s a fantastic day out

Here’s the video http://ianbarrington.com/2014/06/10/highland-trail-race-video/ from about 2 mins to 3mins is the bit you want.

It sounds like you’re after a “big day out” sort of deal but if it’s more “I want to ride the ciaran path” then it can be accessed much faster up the pipeline/conduit road. Then if you like, up the mamore lodge road to do 1 or 2 of the rocky footpath descents back to kinlochleven (which, imo, are way better riding than the ciaran path). Basically gives you first class descending and in more managable chunks for your time management, but at the expense of losing the overall event, it’s still beautiful but you never feel very “out there”.

Thanks whitestone. Just watched that.

OK, so there will be two us of riding. We’ll have ridden Torridon and Ben Damph up in Wester Ross the previous two days. We’re both of reasonable fitness (although I’m way off were I was a few years back).

The VP route guide suggest 5 to 7 hours. Previous routes ridden from the book I’ve always ridden the route under their suggested times but I’m not as fit as I used to be with breaks, injuries, daughter and house all happening within the last 2 years 🙂

Although I’ll no doubt be back riding 2-3 times a week now BST has arrived.

Anyone got any details of the alternative route taking in DS?

What we did last year was 30km and 3:30 moving time (so probably about 5h for us with food stops, etc)
(same as AlasdairMc a couple of posts up)
Route on here:
https://app.strava.com/activities/136570069

Your car will be a fraction closer to Alnmouth too 🙂

This is the shorter variant I mentioned:

http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=gfwrpcyvbwkcqfmg

My fav bit was the techie climb back from the fireroad to Devil’s Staircase, but maybe that’s just me.

Ahh OK, thanks Alex. That route looks good. Have booked marked it.

If Kenny Wilson is involved allow time for being rescued from bogs, pushing for miles and strops. And a little time near the end for ripping his book to pieces.

I would allow a good chunk of time, allow for seven but it will take less even if you are tired from the previous two days.

I’d do what Northwind suggests, I found the Ciaran path underwhelming. It’s almost more like trials riding. There were some short sharp climbs that without momentum and/or a dropper post I couldn’t get up. It wasn’t helped by being very wet that day but that’s not unusual. The Kennels(?) Descent was much more fun. Although its been a long time since I did it the Devils Staircase was great fun, we parked in Kinlochleven and rode round, there’s a path on the left just after you leave KL but we should have stuck to the road. If your desperate to do the CP then I’d suggest doing the devils staircase then up to the dam for the CP.

Aargh the wee climbs! I did the ciaran path as a race stage, I spat the dummy so hard they had to add the impact crater to the OS map. I did enjoy it, though- I decided halfway down I wasn’t racing it, and just rode it, much better.

Yep, the Ciaran path wasn’t for me either. I did it by riding up to the Mamore Lodge (being a road I see this as an easy way to get that height gained), then taking the track that runs south from Loch Eile Mor, following the pipleline round to the dam. It’s shorter and the views to the Devil’s Staircase and the north side of the Aonach Eagach are fantastic but…

If I was doing it from one car I’d ride on the road from Kinlochleven to Glen Coe village then on the path that runs up through Glen Coe – not technical and beside the road but it’s in Glen Coe and it’s an amazing place – then Devil’s Staircase from Altnafeadh which can lead on to the climb up to the dam and would at least make you feel like you had a good ride if the CP does disappoint.