Planning on doing a long distance ride.
What can you recommend/tell me about?
West Highland Way
Great Glen Cycleway
C2C - is there a 'usual/recommended' route
Southern upland way
Thanks.
Lots of folk have done the WHW, some in a day. Be prepared for pain along Lomondside, the rest is good cycling.
The Great Glen Cycleway is currently closed in bits. Uncertain how/when it will re-appear.
SUW - I fancy this too, although I think there are one or two sections which might prove problematic with a bike (like the beach bit at Portpatrick). Might need a couple of road-based detours.
Lots of C2C routes - try google - none of them signposted.
None of these would represent the "best" of Scottish wild riding, but would certainly be a good introduction. I recommend you get a copy of the book "Scottish Hill Tracks" by Scotways. And if you can find "Exploring Scottish Hill Tracks" by Ralph Storer, you'll be well placed.
As druidh said - get a map / books and make your own route.
Depends on the sort of riding you like but we took the tandem on a loaded up camping tour last summer - 200miles ish mainly offroad but almost all easy double track ( don't like laden bikes and highland singletrack)
route was Callender / Crianlarach / Bridge of Orchy / Kingshouse / Kinlochleven / corrour/ laggan / dalwhinnie / Kinlochrannoch / pitlochry. took five days and went right into some of the most amazing scenery going.
Options for doing devils staircase / blackwater dam and Laggan wolftrax along the way
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/sets/72157605318858779/
Tim Woodcock Scottish C2C ride is excellent - 7 days in the book (it came free with MTB Pro years ago!), but do-able in 4. Train access to start and at finish.
Corrieyairack, Rothiemurchus, Braemar, Mt Keen all included 🙂
thanks. technical stuff wanted, but will probably be dragging my stuff along with me, so definately something to consider.
what guide for the WHW
might check out Tim's C2C too
cheers
Good thing about the C2C route I did was there were YHs conveniently placed along the way, so I got by with a seatpost rack (drybag lashed on) and a small rucsac. Mileage was 60/60/50/70 the way I did it.