[Closed] Help needed to put the mountains into mountain biking - riding the Munros

How would you go up for the Ballachulish Horse Shoe route?

Sanny - Member
Druidh

I mentioned Aonach Mor!!!!!!!! Anyone have any experience of it?

I've walked up Aonach Mor, don't remember there being anything interesting - no real trails up through the ski centre. Decent enough path along the summit plateau, but nothing worth the effort of getting up there.

top thread Sanny, and cheers again for your advice on [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ben-lomond-trossachsroute-advice-please ]mine[/url] last week - planning to take in Ben Lomond, Ben Vorlich and Ben Lawers next weekend to start my 'munro (by bike) bagging'. hopefully we'll be able to squeeze in a couple of others too.

will definitely be coming back to this thread to plan for next year though too!

this thread needs pictures too!

Path up from Bridge of Orchy to the saddle between Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dotaidh(sp?) has been a bit of a bog any time I've been up it on foot. Not sure how much fun a descent from either of the tops would be, wide and grassy if I remember right. Behind the hotel however there's minor road and landy track in towards the uni club hut at the start of the path to Stob Ghabhar - now there's a ridge loop with potential! Fair bit of carrying I'd think. Stunning view over to Glencoe from there.

Ben Chonzie from the Comrie side is OK - loose landy track steep in places makes for a dull climb but fun (if not very technical) descent. L-shaped plateau up to the summit is all rideable but not too interesting. One to tick off rather than one to make a day out of.

Ben More Crianlarich has always looked like it might be good in the same sort of way as Ben Lomond.

Not a Munro, but Ben Vrackie behind Pitlochry is quite good, and the descent down the main path of Schiehallion is fun (although the day I did it I could barely see 6 feet ahead, so took it kind of easy!)

Another vote for Lochnagar - I did the Stuartie_C loop clockwise, started way too late and got caught in some sudden horror weather on the summit of Lochnagar, one of the few times I've really needed a map and compass as the light went and the path vanished beneath snow.

I've always been curious about the hills (Ben Vane?) above the railway line as you head up the A82 before you get to Ardlui - you can see a path from the road which looks promising, and I've headed that way twice but been turned back by weather both times.

Can't imagine Aonach Mor would be that great up above the gondola - pretty featureless up to the summit, and I can't think where a path out of the back corrie might go. You'd need to traverse round into that anticlockwise from the gondola station anyway.

I think Bidean nam Bian would be a cracker - up one path between the 3 sisters then the ridge over the summit and down the other side, then down the other path to the glen floor. Big proposition though. Features in my helicopter/snowstorm of the century/snowboard dream on a regular basis!

Top thread, nice one Sanny.

Ben More from the Balqhuider side would go. Stiff and steep climb up. I'd aim for the lower peak to the east of Stob Binean for the descent as it has some lovely singletrack on the plateau to follow.

Stob Ghahbar - looks like there are trails on the map. Has anyone been up there to confirm its potential or am I going to have to just ride it and see?

Lochnagar would be scary in the cloud given the massive drop over the cliff edge.

Peachos

If the weather is poor for Ben lawers, take the trail up the Bealach beside Beinn Glas - great as a descent on the way back and very easy to navigate in cloud. The top of Lawers is tech and steep.

Sanny

Ben Hope from the south, it has been a few years but if I remember correctly then it would be fine for riding

so we went up to scotland in dismal weather this weekend - the plan was to bag ben lomond, ben vorlich & ben lawers, but we actually ended up with none. the forecast of strong winds and heavy rain slimmed down the group considerably but a small handful still managed to get up some hills.

we started on ben a'an, not a munro by a good few hundred metres but thought it was a good option with it being a lot lower. that is a tough descent! worth it though...reckon i managed to ride something like 85% of it, there's a large section in the middle that is stupidly steep & rocky - actually a proper scramble to get up & was wondering whether dragging the bike up would be worth it. is is - there's a nice section off the summit which consists of smooth singletrack broken up with chunks of bedrock sticking out.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

this slab looked roll-able on the way up. missed the wheel-trap at the bottom though which sent me crashing OTB & onto my head & shoulder. should've dropped it, but not much run-out.

[img] [/img]

after that it went mega steep & steppy so was a bit of carrying down. the bottom half consists mainly of roots and rocks, which were loads of fun in the october conditions. very greasy indeed! pretty much all ridable, a couple of sections needed looking at first though to get the correct lines.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

it was proper tough, especially given how wet it was, but really enjoyed it. definitely going back again at some point - especially with the 'previous' i now have with that slab!!

saturday we ventured up ben lomond. MWIS said 70+mph winds on the tops and i reckon they were spot on!! we climbed to about 870m, so about 100m shy of the summit, before the winds became too much. visibility was low as well, perhaps 3 or 4 metres at times...so common sense told us to call it a day and not push on to the top (even though that thing inside me was urging me to go on).

what a descent! so long and flowy...even with wind & rain in the face. it's pretty much all ridable too. some of it is fast and smooth with a few drainage bars to hop over, other parts are more full of big boulders to pick your way through. then there's the 'paved' switchback sections which call for loads of slow speed control and balance to try and get around. the bottom section below the lowest deer fence & dropping through the woods is just fantastic as well. i'd highly recommend this descent to anyone who like big mountain action, and i'm already planning the return to actually summit!

pics aren't all that good - camera was covered in rain & grit all day!

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

bit gutted we didn't get to have a crack at ben lawers & vorlich, but they'll be there come spring...and i can't wait!!

Carn a'Chlamain above Glen Tilt, landy track all the way to the top, then the descent off towards Forest Lodge is beautiful stalkers track (after an initial four or five bog crossings).

Was running with water at the weekend, but would be a belter after a dry spell.

Top effort!

I particularly like the second picture with your mate in the background looking like he is riding without a bike! Ha! Ha!

Ben A'an in the wet and the wind! Chapeau! That's a tough ride in the wet.

Looks like you were really close to the summit of Ben Lomond if yon pic is taken where I think it is. In the cloud, straying off the path can mean a very long drop with a sudden stop at the bottom.

Cheers

Sanny

Monk-e-man

Saturday was pretty wet at times eh? We did Loch Bhac then headed up behind Blair Atholl. Great ride despite the occassional heavy rain.

Definitely put me in the mood to do Beinn Dearg and Carn a Chlamain as a late autumn / early winter day ride. The stalkers track off the latter looks ace!

Peachos - discretion is the better part of valour sometimes. The final summit of Lomond is a bit exposed and in bad conditions could be a bit dangerous - and the riding won't be great I would have thought.

Glad you got some decent riding in

cheers TJ & sanny. yep we weren't far off the summit - my camera has gps and places that picture in the cloud about [url= http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idld.srf?X=237247&Y=702542&A=Y&Z=115&lm=1 ]HERE[/url], so we were getting close to the edge with a SW wind which just wanted to shove us off the side! was probably the right thing to do...just gutted that we were so close.

Reading the postings has put me in the mood for having a crack a Ptarmigan descent now. I've walked it and only recall a couple of scrambly bits....hmmmmmm!

Another one for the list, Glas Tulaichean (1051m) from Spital of Glenshee

[url= http://trailscotland.co.uk/glas_tulaichean.html ]http://trailscotland.co.uk/glas_tulaichean.html[/url]

[img] [/img]

Look for a feature in the next issue of Singletrack that has some great Schehallion pics in it. I can highly recommend the new path if you like a bit of all-mountain action.

chipps - I work here
Look for a feature in the next issue of Singletrack that has some great Schehallion pics in it. I can highly recommend the new path if you like a bit of all-mountain action.

Well Ben Chonzie got ridden by me and Marky Mark a few days ago. Blue skies but a wind of over 80mph (forecast predicted about 25mph). It was a great day despite the wind making for an alternative descent down into Glen Turret. Lots of snow made for a challenging but fun day out.

Schiehallion eh Chipps? I walked it and recall the top was a bouldery mess though the trail up to there would be pretty fun. Nothing remotely technical if I recall correctly. Looking forward to seeing the pics.

On a related note, are there any routes off Ben Nevis other than the main tourist path? I'm sure someone posted about it not so long ago on this here forum.

Also, has anyone ridden the Ptarmigan descent off Ben Lomond? It's a wee bit scrambly at the top but I rather fancy giving it a bash in the next few weeks if the snow clears a bit more.

Re Ben vane.

There is definite potential there with a path off the track up to Sloy Dam. It's on the list for a Spring bash along with the rest of the Arrochar Alps.

Glas Tulaichan can be made into a three summit round trip. When I do it, I'll post on here as it has great potential when the weather is nice.

Mt Keen is very good, tho I didn't go to the top.

**added to favourites**

Carn a Chlamain and Beinn Dearg are definitely worth the price of admission. The latter with the Stalkers Path descent is a bit of a peach. I rode it in November on a glorious blue sky day. The climb up Carn a Chlamain is tough but very rideable if you have the fitness and sheer bloody mindedness to really give it a go. Good call on that one 13thfloormonk.

The path from the CIC hut down to the North Face car park has been improved over the last few years and will be an excellent ride. Could probably ride up it if you had the lungs. Not sure how this would link to the path up to the summit - is suspect there's be significant carrying both ways even for superheroes.

Great thread!

If you come off the summit of Ben Nevis down to the half way lochan there is a path that goes round the lochan and down towards the CIC hut. Pretty techy but mostly ridable (probably). YOu can then pick up the North Face path down to the carpark.

chipps - I work here
Look for a feature in the next issue of Singletrack that has some great Schehallion pics in it. I can highly recommend the new path if you like a bit of all-mountain action.

I call Troll!

Definitely not a troll. It's an out and back and only worth doing as far as the boulder field, but the descent is ace and 100% rideable

If you come off the summit of Ben Nevis down to the half way lochan there is a path that goes round the lochan and down towards the CIC hut. Pretty techy but mostly ridable (probably). YOu can then pick up the North Face path down to the carpark.

That's potentially a good call although IIRC there would be a 15 minute push across the glen and then the burn crossing. So long since I walked it, can't really remember the main tourist path from the lochan down - 95% rideable?

You can actually get to the top of the XC course from the path down from the CIC hut. Can't remember how though, I did it a few years ago and just sort of stumbled onto it.

That's potentially a good call although IIRC there would be a 15 minute push across the glen and then the burn crossing. So long since I walked it, can't really remember the main tourist path from the lochan down - 95% rideable?

The Ben Nevis alternative sounds pretty interesting.

Captain

Are you up for that?

All

Are there any other shepherd path routes off the Ben?

Re Ptarmigan

I just noticed that Drjon rode that route in the last few days. One for this weekend methinks given the lack of snow and if the weather is halway decent. Some nice pics on his Flickr account.

On a related note, what would be the best route off Scaffell Pike? I know the summit is a bouldery mess but someone on here must have done it? Also, has anyone ridden off the Old Man of Coniston? I can think of some potential routes on a quiet day.

Off the Ben - on a good summers day, i'd be tempted to try the CMD arrete, havn't even walked it so not sure what it's like.

I can't think of any other routes off the Ben, it's a pretty un-friendly place. No Sheep = no shepherds 😀

Sanny - Old Man of Conistion is one of my fave Lakes descents.

This here path is the one you want: [url= http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=327409&y=497837&z=115&sv=327409,497837&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=834&ax=327409&ay=497837&lm=0 ]LINK[/url]

Park at the car park at the bottom of Walna Scar Rd and push straight up to the big cairn at the top. Then turn around. It's ace! Top section is tough going, mostly ridable though with just a couple of short bits where you'll have to lower your bike down. Next section drops you at the top of Low Water is great fun and the bottom section is fast and loose, dropping through some old quarry works (watch out for the cables!)

Edit: here's a nice shot of the trail from the top:

[img] [/img]

Interested to hear about Scafell!

Not quite a Munro but I did the loop round Ben Alder on Sunday in fantastic conditions. The ground was nice and hard and all the sections covered on snow where no problems to bike.

Going by the ground conditions alot of it looks like it could be very wet in the summer.

There has to be one or two in the Cuillin that you could ride to and from almost the top of. Am thinking in particular Am Bastier - Sgur nan Gilliean bealach, possibly Sgurr a Mhadaidh also.

Re Ben vane.

There is definite potential there with a path off the track up to Sloy Dam. It's on the list for a Spring bash along with the rest of the Arrochar Alps.

I seem to remember that there is quite a lot of scrambly bits on that path. It is pretty steep. I can't imagine it being particularly ridable! It was a while ago I was up there so may be wrong.

If you come off the summit of Ben Nevis down to the half way lochan there is a path that goes round the lochan and down towards the CIC hut. Pretty techy but mostly ridable (probably). YOu can then pick up the North Face path down to the carpark.

From the lochan to the CIC hut is essentially unridable. Certainly unpleasant to ride and an ill defined path. I'm sure someone on here tried to ride it before and regretted it.

i think you'd struggle with Ben Vane with a bike.

Ben Lui maybe a possibility by coming up the LRT from tyndrum (is that the way to gold mine?), leaving a fairly short hike/bike to the top.

tick

only been up Ben Nevis once but we took the path up via the CIC Hut which culminated in a fair scramble to the summit. not sure how much of that would be ridable but we had low vis and some snow up there so not the best conditions to scope therefore might have missed something.

the path that runs from the hut straight out of the valley along the stream/river looked interesting though. not massively technical, more fast and flowy. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idld.srf?X=216022&Y=773125&A=Y&Z=120&lm=1

Ace thread. Some top routes and ideas. Gets me thinking for days and evenings out from Inverness come the spring.

Ace thread. Some top routes and ideas. Gets me thinking for days and evenings out from Inverness come the spring.

agreed - love it! it's exactly the type of riding i love & very inspiring. it spurred me to organise the trip last october (see pg 2) which i have just re-booked for spring. hopefully we'll get some good weather this time round!

Peachos

Feel free to contact me nearer the time and I may be able to help with route choice on some of the hills local to me and further afield which I have ridden.

Ben Lui is a defite goer from all the research I've done on it and from having camped on it some years ago. Boggy at the bottom but gets better the higher you get if memory serves.

Has anyone ridden off road from Langdale over to Keswick? It can be done all on Bridleway with a last cheeky route from Honister Pass summit to round the ride off.

Has anyone tried The Cobbler, Ben Ime and Ben Narnain as a lollipop looped day ride?

I'm also wondering about the munros behind Beinn Dorain heading north? Ralph Storer's Munros book hints at possibilities.

Stob Ghabar - has anyone done the ridge walk with two summits? I was looking at Walk Highlands and it looks mint. Clear, obvious path with potentially great views on the right day.

Anyone?

Anyone?

Pics would be nice if you have them.

Jeez

The list is getting longer all the time. 😀

Great thread! Sbz, Sgurr a Mhaidaidh is rideable up to about 3/4 of the way up the coire from Glen Brittle YH. It gets too rocky after that, you certainly wouldnt want to take a bike up on the ridge. If you wanted to do the two munros leave the bike at the base of an Dorus and walk up. If you were to add Sgurr na Banachdich like i did you will either have to return over the arete (very thin) or dump your bike at the junction further down the coire on the way up to an Dorus.
The most recent munros i have done by bike were the two at Loch Lochy, Meall na Teanga and Sron a Choir Gairbh. Meall na Teanga isn't worth doing and Sron a Choir Gairbh is only just worth doing, however, the Cam Bealach is one of the best descents i have done. Very bouldery and rocky all the way from the top of the bealach to the forest with only a few smoothish bits. I cant recall any waterbars on the way down. Not too sure about riding up the Bealach as i prefer to walk up the munros and ride down, so it was a push up for me (no granny ring). Im sure it would be no bother to the fit and willing.

Sanny, from the top of Scafell Pike head NW on the paths towards Great End, then down to Esk Hause then back on yourself to Sty Head and on to Borrowdale. Flipping brill descent, allthough pretty tech and a tad scary in places. Probably one for a weekday aswell. I have been fancieing COnsiton for a long while now. Was thinking up Walna Scar then along the crags, down then up onto the Old Man, before heading down the mine track. One for a dawn raid this summer

Is that a Munro?

😉