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  • Sligachan route on Skye – awesome, if hard!
  • coffeeking
    Free Member

    Well, we decided this long weekend was a good one for a trip to Skye, especially as the sun was cracking the flags. And fun it certainly was, thought we took on this route as the main fun of the weekend:
    http://www.mountainbikescotland.com/sliggy.html

    All I can say is it’s LONG and requires a lot of hike-a-bike, even on the bits described as rideable it was tough going. All the downs were perfectly do-able, but the valley-bottom stuff was a case of ride 200 yards, walk 50 yards across shoe-stealing bogs trying not to damage the trail, walk 50 yards across 1ft diameter rocks, ride 200 yards, repeat. All the photos you see of it – lies, they took them at the nice smooth sections of trail – the rest looks like someone scattered rocks liberally hoping to stop cyclists. The views are spectacular, but don’t start it at 2pm having spent ages trying to find spare tubes as you’ll finish it at 10pm a bit demoralised. We chose to set off from the end of the initial road section instead, leaving the road bit to do when knackered (easier!) but due to the late start it left us walking along the grass verge for sections avoiding the (nearly non-existant) traffic.

    I’d forgotten how much harder real trails are in comparison with trail centres when it comes to XC routes. I’d forgotten how exposed you can feel in the middle of a long valley where the scales are so huge you ride for 30 minutes and don’t seem any closer to the next hill.

    Great fun!

    Photos to follow.

    piha
    Free Member

    This is a ride that I really must do. Love the Isle of Skye but never taken a bike up there. Hurry up with the photos please.

    myheadsashed
    Full Member

    Don’t push through the bog just ride in the stream/river depth permitting of course.

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    Dr_Bakes
    Free Member

    I did an out and back from Sligachan to Camasunary Bay last summer and was very lucky with the weather. Still got wet feet at the stream crossings though!

    It’s a great trail in both directions and I was warned off the loop because of the bog and the road sections. I managed to pinch flat three times in quick succession on the rain gulleys as I tired on my way back.

    Also recommended is the route up by The Quiraing.

    fergal
    Free Member

    Do you guys live in the south? a long drive to go bog snorkeling.

    kenm
    Free Member

    We did this route a couple of years ago. The route is a bit of a contrived loop IMHO. The section from marker 3 to 4 was unrideable. We carried / pushed our bikes pretty much the whole way up the glen. No fun at all.

    Much better to do an out & return from Sligachan to Camusunary. A great remote bike ride through magnificent countryside.

    peachos
    Free Member

    out & back +1

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    None of it was totally unrideable, though the first half of 3-4 was pretty close to it. Back in my younger days I could have made a better go of it but would still have walked a bunch of it. same for the latter half of the other valley 7-1, very tough hike-a-bike at times but did feel like an expedition. A proper expedition, where we didn’t see anyone for about 5 hours. I came very close to throwing my bike as hard as I could in the air around 1/2 way between 7 and 1 🙂 and my normally fairly quiet and considered better half was heard cursing and swearing like a trooper at the rocks.

    user-removed
    Free Member

    I did the out and back a few years ago (and put up photos here which were entirely truthful!). It IS a hard slog. Going out was fine, but the way back was hard work. As you say, the “path” is covered in grapefruit sized boulders and the only way to keep going is to ride fast and hold your momentum, which is hard when you’re cold and tired.

    I can honestly (really!) say that I didn’t have to get off and walk once though. I did stop quite frequently for photos and food, and had one unplanned stop – over the bars and bent disc rotor…

    rickmeister
    Full Member

    I was told that Kenny Wilson was firstly a mountaineer that got into biking…. hence we renamed a few of his rides “Walks with my mountain bike”. Its a classic Scottish MTB route text and there are many classics in there as well as some duff ones. Glen Kinglass as a circuit. Miles of road. Devils Staircase with the road from KLL to Alt Na Feigh….every one an adventure… Times change, expectations change and the Slig route has ages of tarmac and bog that just dont do it any more….

    As an out and back its ace, way better and great ride in brilliant terrain and scenery. A shorter day but better quality.

    The Quirang is great too, but the Idrigil Point circuit…. another walk with the bike and I would rather ride than walk most times though I do see Hike a bike as part of the deal (eg Braemar – Glen Clova Jocks Road).

    Pics on the site ^^ are accurate…

    IMHO…

    lobby_dosser
    Free Member

    I rode the route and as plenty have mentioned above, an out & back would be much better in purely riding terms.

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