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I'm planning on heading through Glen Kinglas on my gravel bike tour next weekend. A report on here from @13thfloormonk implies that it's 15 mins of hiking and more or less fine the rest of the way. A quick look at the ride reports on Komoot implies that it's impossible and I will surely perish.
I'm still fairly sure I'll attempt it either way, but it would really help with my planning to get a sense of what's there. I'll have luggage on the bike and tend ride fairly cautiously. I'm going from West -> East.
Any advice gladly taken.
I’m not local but have ridden it several times from E to W. It may be a bit harder W to E, but the hike a bike was pretty minimal and easy in the direction I did it. A bit alongside the river near Clashgour from what I remember and a few river crossings. You can go via the house at Clashgour but they don’t seem to want you to go that way and there may be a locked gate near where you deviate form the path next to the burn (if you are going W to E). I am usually on a rigid mountain bike/ATB thing.
i took my tandem and trailer down it east to west. i dont remember much walking
Most of the walking is West to East 😂
In general you're on good landrover tracks which eventually deteriorate into slightly loose and rocky quad track. Your biggest challenge might be occasionally spinning out if you clip a loose rock.
All the slabby bits are fun and rideable.
The 'Himalayan' wire bridge is actually rideable if you've been practicing on kerb stones and white lines at the edges of roads 😂
The Giant's causeway after the wire bridge is rideable but steep, I imagine with luggage it might be a bit spicy.
Eventually the quad track reaches the marshy watershed where you will be on and off a few times for soft bits or water-crossings and the one steep rubbly pitch which I recall being pretty much unrideable just because it briefly gets too steep or loose.
I remember the Clashgour riverbanks actually being rideable and relatively good fun.
Definitely do it, it's definitely up there amongst the classic through routes in Scotland, maybe even in my top three 😎
Thanks team! If I remember I’ll report back when I’m done. Quite excited about this trip!
@13thfloormonk - what are the others in the top 3?
I remember the Clashgour riverbanks actually being rideable and relatively good fun.
Most of it was, except where the river had eroded the bank into the path… but if you can ride the little cable bridge you are a better rider than me 😉
what are the others in the top 3?
Oh bugger, I just kind of plucked that figure out of thin air 😂
The top three (in no particular order)
- Glen Kinglas
- Alness to Strath Vaich via Glen Calvie and Glen Mor (Attadale Estate)
- Glen Almond from Sma' Glen to Loch Tay (less wild than the others but an excellent long gravel track).
and a sneaky fourth...
- Glen Lochy over to Glen Lyon then through to Bridge of Orchy
and since I feel bad not mentioning it...
The Gaick Pass (which can now be beautifully connected with Glen Feshie 🤩)
I was toying with a 'Great Glens' route which might have gone something like Oban - Glen Lonan - Glen Etive - Glen Kinglas - Glen Lyon - Glen Lochy - Glen Almond - Sma' Glen - Gleneagles. Links two train stations and would be a good big day out, especially with a westerly! 😂
Gaick Pass to Glen Feshie? Interesting.
- Alness to Strath Vaich via Glen Calvie and Glen Mor (Attadale Estate)
Love that a top 3 has to become a top 5. Those I've done have all been excellent. Is the above part of the 'Tour de Ben Wyvis' route? I can see the ben from my house and am just waiting for the right day to go and do it.
Gaick Pass to Glen Feshie? Interesting.
Pretty straightforward now there's a big track from Tromie to Feshie by the Allt Bhran. In fact, I was over that way on Saturday morning and most of the track has been relaid with lovely, fresh gravel too. Much of it could be done on a road bike!
Holy moly. Just gave myself serious burns doing a Vic Reeves style thigh rub looking at that gravel.
Wow. That is a change. Might head out for a bimble that way.
I rode the Gaik and Minigaig back in 2022. A smashing loop. We avoided the long slog up to the high point of the Minigaig by following the Land Rover tracks that would take us into Feshie but then headed up the Corbett to the north of the Minigaig Pass. A down and up carry got us onto the track to return back to Blair Atholl. A very enjoyable day out even though I lost one of the tyre levers on my Topeak Hexus and my front brake decided to seize meaning I had to take the caliper off the fork.
Quick question. Who has ridden Kinglass then headed north on Loch Etive to make a loop. Just how bad was the hike a bike and the bogginess? I have a high tolerance for pushing if the reward is worth the effort.
Cheers
Sanny
Me - many (maybe 25!)years ago. I recall it being pretty well all hike a bike. Tho push rather than carry. There was eventually a rideable section but then a mudbath once you encountered the erosion into Starav. My companion broke his mech and we had to SS him which added to the type 2 fun.
I looked at that Tromie track when we were staying in Kincraig last year. I didnt think my legs would get me up it, especially not on a gravel bike.
Minigaig Feshie Blair Athol was an STW ride sometime back in ancient history,
I looked at that Tromie track when we were staying in Kincraig last year. I didn't think my legs would get me up it, especially not on a gravel bike.
From the Tromie side it's all an ok gradient and you get the great view into Feshie. I've only gone once from Feshie, before the new track was complete. There was a lot of pushing.
There's another, shorter, gravel route round the top of Coire Fhearnasdail (not shown on OS) that has a steeper section. I reckon that's a bit tougher.
I've done Minigaig - Gaick a couple of times. The worst section was along the Allt Bhran before the new track was built. It's still MTB more than gravel though.
Looks like you can now join the Tromie-Feshie connector from the south as well (i.e. the Gaick Pass), rather than having to double back just before the River Tromie. I'm hoping to do this as part of a modified Tour of the Cairngorms at some point this year.
There was indeed. I organized a weekend of riding up that way. Dave Cashman led the ride up the Gaik and Minigaig while I led one through Glen Fincastle and over the gorgeous moorland down to Blair Atholl. We all met up in the Indian in the main street that became Escape Route Cafe eventually.
Any pics from that weekend? Early two thousands of I recall. Maybe 2003?
Cheers
Sanny
Sounds like a hard no for Loch Etive north then. More recent walk reports make it sound less than fun.
Made it to Tyndrum after my wee jaunt through kinglass.
As expected, W to E is quite a bit of pushing as all the roughest stuff is uphill. With luggage and a few days of riding in the legs I ended up pushing most of Glenkinglas Lodge up to Coire Beithe - probably 90 mins of slog. I rode a few of the slabs but was a bit weary of the wet moss in places. I was really glad of the advice about river crossings and the clashgour signage!
Its a wonderful place to ride/push a bike and the scenery just keeps on coming. It’s on my list to go back and ride it in the opposite direction, maybe on an MTB rather than gravel.
Thanks everyone!
Sounds like a hard no for Loch Etive north then. More recent walk reports make it sound less than fun.
I did it once decades ago on a scorchio day and won't ever again. Started at Tyndrum with the intention of doing a loop via Glen Kinglass, up the East Loch Etive 'path' to the Kingshouse and back down the WHW. Once past Ardmaddy Cottage, it quickly deteriorated into 4 hours of giant fern bashing, tick and bramble dodging and rockhopping on foot over the endless dry riverbeds along Starav's west flank above Loch Etive. Once at the top of the loch, we could see the enticing tarmac but couldn't join it for another 3 miles. I got sunstroke and stopped at the Kingshouse. My companion rode down the A82, collected my car at the Green Welly and came back for me at the Kingshouse. We got home well after midnight.
We did Glen Kinglass again later that year but used two cars. parked one at Taynuilt and the second at Bridge of Orchy. This time we turned left out of Glen Kinglass and down to the River Awe. Highly recommended.
Went through Glen Kinglass last week as part of my cross Scotland trip. Did not disappoint. Gorgeous views up Loch Etive and so remote in the glen itself. As expected, a fair bit of pushing from the lodge until reaching the high point, but was able to ride more than I thought, even on the gravel bike.
Went up to Clashgour with no issues either.
I guess it was all uphill going west to east but I'm not sure gravity would help so much going the other way on the toughest 5km. Bog is bog, and the rock was very slippy so tricky on any bike other than maybe a fat bike.
A pretty special place. Rewarded ourselves with chips and haggis bon bons at Bridge of Orchy hotel for our troubles. Muchly recommended.
Also, bonus of Glen Lonan on the road from Oban first was lovely. Remote, decent surface, super quiet.
Great photos 😎
Glen Lonan is justly popular, lovely wee glen. You can take a left turn on to nice gravel past Balindore farm which brings you out slightly west of Taynuilt, you can then follow tracks around the golf course and pick up the cool wee bridge to Inverawe Smokery via Bonawe Iron Furnace. Not strictly necessary but nice extra scenery 👍
