Just posting this up in case anybody ever decides to do this, if you do, do it [b]to furnace[/b]! I bloody climbed up from there, fully loaded with camping gear, only to find the other side unpassable, trees down every where, got over some, but then it just got ridiculous, luckily someone built a fire road over to the forest drive so we could get over! 😀 But I was expecting some kinda decent downhill! 🙁 would be cracking coming from the other side mind you!
Anyhow, just thought I'd share!
Used to be one of my favourites, ride from furnace, up and over to loch awe, road to eredine, then back up and over. I believe they resurfaced some of the best bits a few years back though. So what bit was ****ed?.
Is it still a bog snorkelling extravaganza? Did it after a drought and we were frequently axle deep in water.
Must be the wettest ride in Scotland. And that's a fair old achievement.
Was part of a road offroad cycle camp we just did there if you have a look here you see roughly what we had to do.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/401256198
As for bogfest, it was alright once we pushed up I could cycle right along the top past the lochs(but I imagine it would be a nightmare in the rain, was still wet in parts), so all that was fine. Like I say downhill part soon dissapeared.
Btw also never cycle that bit of the a83. Most horrible 6 miles of my cycling life!
Ah, I see. Tbh there was never really a good descent to loch awe anyway, the best bits were up on the moor going over to loch awe, and the last descent down to furnace. It was a fire road down to loch awe iirc.
Ah cool, well I know now! Least if someone googles it it should pop this up! Aye I reckon I'll do it again the other way that does look cracking. If that was all the good bits, they still seem intact. Not been touched in years. I'll maybe see if I got any decent pics to post in a day or so. Might/might not.
Once you get to the fire road. It looks like there a path down past it if you go down the you'll soon find a forest of trees blown over blocking your way. So back up to the forest road it was.
Aye, that bit of the A83 is deeply unpleasant on a bike.
didn't get too many picks but here's a couple
the push up
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start of the moor bit, this was quite good and reasonably cyclable, would be a bogfest any wetter though
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and the start of the down before the fallen trees, this would be a bogfest too(btw that's not me, I'm much fatter! 😀 (and better packed!:D))
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the view to loch awe from the fire road at the other side
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btw bet you are all jealous of my lidl sleeping bag cover? 