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I'm looking for a possible outing in the wilder parts of the Highlands, a couple of days perhaps & not too technical. Some map-surfing threw up a track/path between Kinlochewe & Poolewe, through the Letterewe estate, mostly following the north shore of Loch Maree. Does anyone have any knowledge of the area? On the 1:25k OS map it looks continuous but that doesn't mean much in the Highlands.
The Postmans path. Used on the HT550. Google that and you'll read various accounts. It's rough going.
I can tell you about that start of it. Came down from lochan fada one time(mental). When we hit loch maree it's was all flooded but cyclable form there. Know that doesn't tell you much about the 7 or8k to letterewe beyond that. But it's all I got! 😆
As @scotroutes says Google "highland trail postman's path" and you'll get more info. The HT550 does it from Letterewe to Kinlochewe.
Some like it, some hate it. If your idea of a good trail is akin to something at a trail centre then walk away now. It's much, much better than that! It was my favourite bit of trail on the HT550 and that's having just come through Fisherfield which is stunning.
It's a mixture of technical singletrack - 3" wide sloping at 30deg across a 45 deg slope; rock strewn "path"; heather and "the gully". This shot (from Ian Barrington) is looking back along the singletrack.
The track leading from Poolewe via Kernsary into Fisherfield is steady, it's a classic old style stalking track (the estate still use ponies for stalking). There's the occasional water cut but apart from that there's nothing of any difficulty. Riding along there to the causeway at Carnmore and back would give a decent ride.
If you want a couple of days steady riding look at the southern loop of the HT550: Tyndrum, Loch Lyon; Loch Rannoch; Ben Alder; Laggan; Corrieyairick Pass; Fort Augustus; Fort William; WHW back to Tyndrum. There's three technical bits - the singletrack around Ben Alder; the descent into Kinlochleven; the Devil's Staircase descent.
Strava heatmap is a good tool for working out how much traffic a track gets.
Thanks to all. Knowing what it's called turned up this http://www.heritagepaths.co.uk/pathdetails.php?path=150.
I'm sold. Probably next Spring (I don't like midges...).
Whitestone: yes, looks like my idea of heaven. Even if the weather isn't exactly like the photo! The southern loop of the HT550 sounds good, but I've backpacked a good chunk of it & I'm looking for something not technical & a long way from anywhere else. On the subject of trail centres, yeah, they're ok for building skills but not you're gonna be recalling it as you die, are you?
Character building trail, that one. Everybody should do it once.
@oceandweller - the outer part of the Cairngorms loop is worth doing but rather than the road section between Feshie Bridge and Abernethy Forest cut through Rothiemurchus forest to Glenmore then out past Ryvoan bothy to rejoin the outer loop.
Further north there's the tracks from the Garve/Inchbae area through Strath Vaich and Attadale to Oykel Bridge and Ullapool but making a loop of it might be awkward. There's also the northern loop of the HT550 but this might have too much road for your liking. The Glen Golly - Bealach Horn section is very isolated, apart from the track you are following you can't see anything human related like habitation or fields.