Rode the Corrieyariack Pass on Saturday and am undecided about the very extensive work that has been done to it. I would be the first to agree it needed some work in parts but now it is like a bloody motorway! I first rode it back in 1996 and have done it many times since.
Some interesting reading if you are into old military roads in the highlands.....
Thoughts on a postcard!
I rode it earlier this year for the first time. TBH my thought then were that something needed to be done or the "road" would be lost to the elements. I have not been back since so not sure to what level it has been restored. One would imagine that they will not be going back every couple of years to make good. so it will weather back in I guess over time.
One has to accept that it could well be donkeys years before there is funding to carry out such work again (both on the byway in question and many others that MTBers feel have been "vandalised" by the authorities) so a degree of overkill is to be expected. In addition one should also remember that not every use of the byeway is looking for rad lines/drops/singletrack etc. As said above in time it will weather in but you have to see these sorts of works as being for the good of all users.
Rode it and loved it as a big rocky jumble, but personally would almost appreciate it more as part of a smooth and fast through-route, means you could link Dalwhinnie to the Great Glen and Fort William via forest roads etc. Could be a nice winter route on the CX bike.
I think accusations of vandalism might be more appropriately directed to the scores of 4X4 Tossers largely responsible for shredding it to bits in the first place.
According to your attachment it was indeed a motorway of the day and as a scheduled monument any remedial work would need to be in keeping with the original design.
Got any pics?
Are the "upgrades" anything to do with the Beauly-Denny power line work?
I was there on Saturday, think it was when you guys were just getting back to your car. I was heading for a wee road spin down the valley to Laggan and back as a pootle after being not well. Thought I recognised you both from MTB events.
On the Sunday I went a bit of a walk up towards the pass and was amazed at how much repair work they'd done to it. Ruined in MTB terms. Totally smooth, barely a cobble in sight. Easily doable on a cross bike now. Quite a fine sandy finish, finer even than a forest road. Amazed they used that grade to finish as I would imagine it would easily wash away. Also if they're in the business of restoring an 'historic monument' I would have thought they would have had to leave some of the original material at least visible, not just cover it up with sand.
I don't think it's to do with the pylons as they appear to be chopping away huge parts of the hillside further down the glen to put those in... :S
Disappointed.
I was up there a couple of weeks back and was actually speaking to one of the guys doing the repairs. It has nothing to do with the pylons. Balfour-Beattie are putting in a completely new track for that (although it does cross over one of the disputed Wade alignments near Culachy House.)
Wade never intended the bare cobbles to be exposed the way they had become and so it has been necessary to cover them up and prevent further damage to what is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
That might be disappointing from a mountain bikers perspective, but it's the right thing to do from a conservation/preservation one. If you want to see some "bare" Wade road which hasn't been so affected by traffic (including 4x4s) there is another section running East from just below Spey Dam towards the A86.
I wrote about this here... http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2011/09/c2c-part-2-sound-from-open-hostel.html
Nope nowt to do with beauly Denny, they are not allowed to use the corriearrick or cross general wades road (not without special measures being taken to preserve it) and will build parts around there w helicopter, the works hasnt started in that area yet
I'm only really looking at it from an MTB perspective. Selfish and narrow minded I'm sure, but hey, that's how I roll... 😉
Must take another look. It's amazing how well it has lasted.
Hope you guys had a good ride jojoA1. Weather got a bit damp when we were heading down the road! I wreckon in 10 years most of the fine grade top will have washed away. Just seems that the restoration could have been better done. But hey what do I know!
It was so mild, the rain just made it more fun. 🙂
You have to think long term. How long ago was it built? the works done on it now should mean it will be ridable for another hundred plus years.
I was looking for a combo trip to try out some tyres (Surly Floyds).
This looks like just the job. Train to Newtonmore, road ride to the pass, over the pass, Great Glen Way to Drumnadrochit, road to Erchless then along via Orrin Dam to Dingwall.