Viewing 23 posts - 1 through 23 (of 23 total)
  • Staying in Fort William for a week,where to ride?
  • gravesendgrunt
    Free Member

    I know about the Nevis Range routes i.e,the Witches Trails,10 Under the Ben ,DH and Red descent,Laggan,Dunkeld,Pitlochry and have ridden the West Highland Way before.
    Are there any nice routes from/around Fort Bill?

    scotroutes
    Full Member
    gravesendgrunt
    Free Member

    @ Scotroutes that’s a good start – looks like my cuppa tea,40 miles or so out the front door ,cheers .

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    The river will be big right now. A spare pair of socks might be prudent.

    gravesendgrunt
    Free Member

    ah -this is some forward planning for a trip towards the end of May next year so fingers crossed for weather then …..

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    Kinlochleven enduro stuff, Ciaran path (overrated, but devils staircase is good), off piste stuff round witches trails, descent from CIC hut, ferry from mallaig to tarbet and ride back along loch morar, ardverikie loop……

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    Not teaching you how to suck eggs etc but the river crossing at Luibeilt needs to be reviewed before you set off.

    Here’s my pal Richie crossing in summer 2009 after a reasonably dry spell..

    ardverikie loop……

    Good call & not to far from FW.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Kinlochleven, the way I do it, isn’t so much a “ride”, it’s almost like a natural trail centre- up past the mamore lodge then down the mad trails on the right. It won’t satisfy “big ride” cravings but it’s some of the best technical descending I’ve ever done

    gravesendgrunt
    Free Member

    I love this place 🙂 great stuff so far peeps it’s all going in and on the OS map. Ta

    hodgynd
    Free Member

    Great call by Nobeer with regard to the Mallaig / Tarbet / Loch Morar route ..but if time allows and there is an early enough ferry crossing there is some great riding on the Knoydart Peninsula ..we spent 3 days there in 2012 took the ferry to Inverie and chartered a small boat to take us over to Tarbet at the end of our trip..
    While there we did a there and back up Glen Meadail to the summit ( bit of a slog ) but the return is fantastic..
    There was a feature in one of the bike mags last year for a guiding company who are now doing similar trips ( but I can’t find the details!)..

    whitestone
    Free Member

    @esselgruntfuttock – if you head upstream from the direct crossing between Luibelt and Meanach for about 300m then crossing is a lot easier and you might even cross dry-shod. The OP is talking about end of May so there could be some snow melt which would make things interesting.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    The OP is talking about end of May so there could be some snow melt

    Chance would be a fine thing….

    whitestone
    Free Member

    Has the estate that has the back of the Grey Corries extended the bladed track from Lairig Leacach? We rode over from Meanach a few years ago and about a Km from the high point the great singletrack turned into landrover track.

    hodgynd
    Free Member

    *..regarding the bike mag mentioned above ..Im now almost sure it was Singletrack ..
    I remember thinking at the time that the feature was old hat .. 😆

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    For guided routes in the area, chat to Emma at Nevis Cycles.

    mafiafish
    Free Member

    Torlundy “death tracks” are great if you like super steep, loamy trails, Alt-a Mhulin is also a cool trail that comes down to near the 10 under route. Generally speaking, any random trail through the woods at Nevis Range will be pretty good and usually rooty/techy/steep rather than the typical dodgy jumps built by kids in many woods.

    Kinloch is also decent, bit more rocky and not too slippy in the wet, save for near the dam.

    There’s some decent stuff in Glenloy, I think, but it’s yonks since I’ve ridden there.

    Stob bàn often gets mooted as a good ride but we found it to be pretty naff for the bottom three quarters, and thus on a smiles-per-mile it basis it gets outshone by a lot of other local routes IMHO.

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    IIRC there’s some winch n plummet type stuff above Glencoe lochan as well.

    gravesendgrunt
    Free Member

    Thanks for all the suggestions and advice so far peeps,Mallaig/Morar/Tarbet and Knoydart looks like a grand day out if you can work with the ferry times .

    @mafiafish I just stumbled across some interesting looking stuff around Glenloy ,which is handy as we’ve just booked up a couple of Lodges just down the road from there. Glad to hear there is more ‘expansive’ network of trails around the official Nevis range ones – thought there would be.
    I’ll continue to check out the other stuff,so far looks like we won’t have to go far to find lots of good riding 😀

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    @esselgruntfuttock – if you head upstream from the direct crossing between Luibelt and Meanach for about 300m then crossing is a lot easier and you might even cross dry-shod. The OP is talking about end of May so there could be some snow melt which would make things interesting.

    That’s where we crossed, we had a good look up & downstream believe me.

    Even longer ago My pal & me turned left at Luibeilt & headed down to Glen Nevis, 1st week in May. Not funny!

    EDIT, that track on the map, between Inverie & Kinlochourn? Never done it because I was advised not to (with a bike) I believe it’s a hike.

    kcal
    Full Member

    for getting “out there” you could work in a train to Corrour, and back in towards Spean Bridge or on towards Fersit (I think – without checking map). Nothing technical at all, but proper out in the wilds wandering, and estate tracks have been much improved I believe.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    Train to Rannoch Station then and pick up the Road To The Isles to Corrour first.

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    IF…the sections for the SSDT (2nd week in May) include ones previously used at Corrour Old Lodge, I intend to ride to them from Fersit.

    whitestone
    Free Member

    The first time I was in that area I was helping support a Ramsay Round attempt. I got off the train at Corrour (did the Trainspotting bit 😉 ) and walked along the Abhainn Rath. Somewhere just upstream of Staonaig bothy I noticed flood debris in the trees on the bank, the only problem was that it was at head height and the bank itself was a couple of metres above the river level.

    Have done the Corrour – Meanach – Spean Bridge ride mentioned, somewhat frustrating heading up the Abhain Rath so it might be better to cut the corner as it were at Creaguaineach Lodge

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