I've been looking at the forum from three years ago and the possibility of getting from Loch Dee to Loch Doon. The general consensus at the time was it wasn't possible, but having study the satellite images on Google Maps and Apples there is a distinct path running beside the Kirreoch Burn that bridges the gap. Has anyone been that direction lately? I fancy a bit of an adventure.
I think it's mainly doable theres a lot of roads for forestry but they don't link across this may be a bit of a hike a bike.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/NqtdXL1L7ijZADxq5?g_st=ac
study the satellite images on Google
hmm that's interesting, I am sure since I last looked at doing something similar a new forest road has appeared on the aerial imagery to the west, making a connection through the plantation from here
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JjorniLhzsUhSngd6
to here
https://maps.app.goo.gl/q4yuM2xVyhGWVDVcA
rather than the hike a bike route I had read about to the east?
There is still no linking forest road that I'm aware of. The best option is to go to the end of the road at Riders Rig, NX485888, cross the burn and then head north with the tree line on your left, there is a faint grassy track that is rideable in places (you can see it on the satellite image). Keep going until you reach the clear felled area, NX487897. From here it's a quest across the detritus of the clear felling for about 300m to get to the forestry road. I've done this a couple of times now and it's a much better option than the old way (published in a couple of guide books) which heads north through the forest firebreak which is around 2km of bog.
Bing maps has much clearer imagery.
https://www.bing.com/maps/search?style=h&st=Loch+Doon&sfa=Scotland&cp=55.168173%7E-4.392914&lvl=14.9
I have wandered all around the hills there many, many years ago and they can be a boggy stooshy of horridness.
However, looking at Bing with such as short distance between clear forest tracks, I would take the smidge and buckle down for a push or carry for half an hour through a cut in the forest.
Bing maps has much clearer imagery.
https://www.bing.com/maps/search?style=h&st=Loch+Doon&sfa=Scotland&cp=55.168173%7E-4.392914&lvl=14.9
I have wandered all around the hills there many, many years ago and they can be a boggy stooshy of horridness.
However, looking at Bing with such as short distance between clear forest tracks, I would take the smidge and buckle down for a push or carry for half an hour through a cut in the forest.
Bing imagery is interesting, seems higher res than the Google imagery, eg zooming right in to here, the track looks reasonable
55.174721, -4.406108
But I guess things may look different on the ground!
The track the you see (55.174721, -4.406108) is the traditional route as described in some old mountain bike guide books. I have been that way in the past and it is a real slog, thigh deep bog for large parts of it. The route I describe above still involves a bit of hike a bike but it is much easier going.