We’re thinking of spending a week around there in June. Been to Skye and the Highlands many times but never been to this area.
Could anyone recommend any day routes suitable for a hybrid or CX, say 30-50 miles long?
Thanks

I recommend this one though be warned the descent into Kingairloch is steep and its a singletrack road with quite a few blind corners. However the road is very quiet. There’s a café in Strontian.
http://www.ridefortwilliam.co.uk/trailsdb.asp?trailId=39

^if you do that ride, take your swimmies. There are some amazing beaches, one particularly between Kingairloch and the Ardgour Outdoor Centre….

My limited riding of the area suggests a good few excellent hill tracks, however all seem to descend into boggy or rocky, unmaintained section.

If your happy to walk/take on a challenge, then there are some ace routes. A lap of the Glen and on upto the mines at Strontian is also a nice short ride.

From Strontian over to polloch ( north of strontian) is a nice road ride ( with a big climb) and there is an offroad alternative back. I have walked the offroad bit – north to south looks the best way to ride it but some of the climb would be a walk

I’d not do the off-road option on a CX bike. There is a significant amount of carrying even with a full sus.

There’s very little off-road stuff in the area but the roads are all lovely and pretty quiet.

Glenborrodale to Acharacle then round to Kilmory is a wee classic but again not really suitable for CX/hybrid.

not ridden offroad, but toured through mull and Ardnamurchan last summer.
simply stunning riding area.

Out-and-back to the lighthouse, from wherever you want to start, is splendid.

Not done any off-road there but toured a couple of times on Mull and Ardnamurchan.

Definitely worth going out to Ardnamurchan lighthouse, most westerly point on the mainland.

On Mull the loop round the north western “half” of the island is great riding, a bit hilly but none the worse for that. It goes past the island of Ulva with the cafe mentioned in the Scotland routes thread (we didn’t get to go to it unfortunately). On the other side of Loch na Keal is a great bit of road that runs between the coast and the cliffs.

Go down to Iona, along with Tobermory probably the most touristy part of Mull but worth it nethertheless. Eating on Iona is expensive BTW. Also worth going to the beaches at Erraid – turn left in Fionphort. Good campsite at Fidden.

There’s a brilliant cafe at Pennyghael on the way to Iona run by a completely nutty geordie woman – the main room was full so we got sat down, dripping wet, in the kitchen!

easy ride on Mull from Salen along the side of Loch Frisa, turn left then around Loch Torr then up to Glengorm Castle(also diverts to Dervaig). Easy on a tourer or gravel/cx. There’s a few alternative options on this route too if you look on an OS map, up through the pass instead of along Torr. Turn right out of Frisa and 100yds on the right go through forest gate. This is a nice route if you’re a couple or family. Places to stop, not much steepness and a castle at the end of it with standing stones.

Medium ride on Mull from Glenforsa Hotel, cross over to Glenforsa Estate and up to the bothy. The track carries on over a fence and you can head down to the river or carry on. The track vanishes here and gets a little tricky without navigation but it brings you out onto the main road on the opposite side of the island. To the bothy easy on a cx/gravel/hybrid.

Hard route up Ben More, lots of pushing, steep but a mad way down. MTB needed.

There’s an off road route along Carsaig too but it’s super boggy. I was up to my knees and stuck!

The roads are good around Mull with some not much travelled routes and steep sections.

Don’t forget Ulva.
Road ride to the little ferry. Great food on the island, then a couple of hours plodding around the island.

Route around Loch ba to Gortenbuie ruins and graves. Bumpy with some small stream crossings. Can go through to other side of island but very, very boggy and need some sort of nav skills.

Thanks everyone, these look like great ideas.

@matt_outandabout/scotroutes – have you ever walked/scrambled up Garbh Bheinn, Ardgour? I’ve often looked across at it from the Glen Coe hills and always wanted to go up it. It “frames” the sunset from the Invercoe campsite so beautifully.

Shalimo: Garbh Bheinn is a stonker of a hill! Have rock climbed up there a dozen times; sunny mountain cliff with superb quality rock (there is the odd snappy hold tho’)and amazing views. The Great Ridge is really not more than a scramble unless you do the direct start.

That’s interesting Chickenman, when you say ‘not more than a scramble’ what do you mean? Some sort of horrendous grade 3 route finding nightmare or something more enjoyable for a veteran of mostly contrived Grade 1s? 8)

The descent on the road into Kingairloch is amazing, just make sure you don’t end up with a car in front of you and end up doing 25mph the whole way down 👿

Some fun to be had linking ferry crossings together, Kilchoan to Tobermory, Fishnish to Lochaline, etc.

I’d second what’s been said above, i’ve walked off road right across Mull – Fionnphort to Lochaline – and through Ardnamurchan on foot and a ridden a fair bit on the full suss and although there are a few possibilities there is a lot of carrying and bog adventure. I think a fat bike might be more use tbh

The roads are lovely though, very quiet and enjoyable with fab views

Gharbh Bheinn is a classic day out, ideally the full horseshoe if possible but the round via the glen is fabulous too

Ha 13thfloormonk! I just checked the guidebook and the line I “scrambled” up is graded Severe (the normal route Diff!). Don’t listen to me…memory faulty with old age! Short pitch and the rest is a scramble.

Ha, glad I checked, hadn’t remembered reading about any decent scrambles on Garbh Bheinn..

Closer to 60 miles, but this loop would be fine for a CX bike, with a beautiful offroad ride up Loch Sheil to Glenfinnan followed by mostly single track roads back round the coast.

Strontian Loop