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Thinking of future riding and was wondering if anyone had ridden the loch ness 360 trail?
Seems like a reasonable day on the bike at 130km and 3000m elevation but I'm wondering if it's all just going to be gravel tracks etc? Or is there some decent riding to keep it fun too?
Cheers!
I've done the North bit as part of the Badger Divide.
There's a lot of steepish up, and quite a bit of down.
Yes. On a couple of occasions, I've done the 360 route. Once, about 10 years ago (before GPX routes) as part of Loch Ness 360 event - it was pretty hard going. Now there's a 'proper' route, did it last year. There are a couple of options on the SW side, basically high or low road, and some diversions for singletrack before that that I didn't find. On the Dores side there's a diversion more suitable for bikes, and options as you get closer to Inverness. I think I took 10 hours last year (about the same as 10 years ago) - it's brutal but really spectacular as well.
Define 'reasonable' 🙂
Edit - you asked about decent singletrack and proportion to double track / forest road. There are lovely bits of singletrack, both climbing and descending. Not huge granted, hardtail more than sufficient, even gravel bike possibly would be fine. There is some really nice singletrack just as you come down the Fair Haired Lads Pass towards Foyers.
Pretty much covered above.
Not much singletrack.
A few steep climbs.
Take the High section alongside Loch Ness. The views make it worthwhile.
Expect to be pushing up a couple of bits.
Remember to pop into the Eco Cafe at Abriachan.
There's a new path out of Fort Augustus, up the hill. It's a fair pech.
At Dores, avoid the SLNT. Swing past Camerons tearoom and go along Glen Liath to pick up the SLNT again before Inverfarigaig. This avoids a short section of scrambling.
Once you get to the outskirts on Inverness you can pick up the cycle track alongside the new road, take that to the Ness Islands and only have a few hundred metres or road to take you to the Castle.