Ciaran path – who's ridden it and what did you think?

Was on the Ciaran Path today, and just found it too hard, and as a result not too much fun.

As I was swearing and pushing my bike it struck me that the route seemed like it would be a bit disappointing even if you could ride your bike properly as there seemed to be lots of totally unrideable bits (river crossings and fallen trees).

Is the path actually a great ride or really just a route for perverts with ninja bike skills?

I think it’s brilliant, but you do need to be pretty decent to be able to ride a lot of it. When I did it we had to stop and work out lines for quite a few sections, but managed to ninja all but a couple of short sections. Would have really enjoyed a dropper post for that one I think.

One of my favourite trails I think.

Probably miles more fun on one of these….

But It’s a long long time since I rode it.

Hi I rode it last summer and loved it. We had a mini road trip taking a day at Laggan wolftracks then fort William D/H track and red run. I thought it was a perfect technical trail to ride after some good man made stuff. As i remember we all had at least one good slide off the bike at one point on that ride but it was all rideable. We took a route from Glencoe over the Devils staircase then up to and across the Blackwater dam, the down the ciaran path folowed by back up n over the Devils staircase. It was a great sunny day and a fantastic ride.

I rode it in August 2009 and loved it. I did the big loop past Mamore Lodge and the Eilde lochs, and then up the glen to the dam and dropped down from there. Rubbish weather and a knackered rear hub, but a great day in the hills that I’d definitely do again.

never done it but tempted by those pictures

I’ve no bike skills and a stubborn head. I took my bike down it about 6 years ago. Rode only a small portion of it but loved it. Figured I just needed to get better to ride more of it.

Deliverence on a bicycle, really enjoyed the section with the netting, does feel quite physicaly hard because of all the short sharp ups, combined with Devils staircase up and back great outing, good enjoyed it he says.

I did the Devil’s Staircase yesterday too and thoroughly enjoyed that. I guess I just expected the Ciaran Path to feel less like an uphil after that slog up to the Dam!

Oh and there were about 3 or 4 places we had to stop completely and battle through fallen trees. Is this recent?

Don’t remember any fallen trees when we did it a couple of months ago.

stevious – Did it about 2 years ago and thought exactly the same as you. The downhill bits were horribly rubbly and eroded so not that much fun, although IIRC there were only a couple of bits I walked round. Completely agree that there is too much uphill on/off stuff so you can never get a rhythm or flow going. Totally overrated and will not be doing it again.

It’s used once a year for an uphill motocross or whatever challenge, so possibly it’s worse in the few weeks after that event?

Captain six day trial held every may.

you know the Ciaran is the antithesis of the mancured, sanatized trail you see every where in the hills these days, a rough diamond.

Fantastic – brutal but fantastic!!!
Would love to do it again………scratch that will be doing it again 😀

I’ve not ridden it, but from the video and pictures, it looks hard but doable – like proper, backcountry technical mtbing. If it doesn’t have flow, I can accept that those of a certain mindset won’t like it, but TBH it looks right up my street.

How technical is it compared to say, the snowdon ranger path?

Ridden it 3 times, thought i would give it a few goes as folk rave about it. It’s rubbish. Massively eroded, too many uphill bits.

It’s technically difficult, which is fine – that’s not the problem. The issue, at least when I did it, was that the descents were very rubbly and eroded so not as much fun as they could have been. Also there are lots of uphill sections, also very eroded, that have you getting off the bike as lots of them are not quite rideable. By the time I got to the bottom I was more knackered than the climb up the Devil’s Staircase then up to the dam.

Lots of much better, and just as tough, descents around IMO

Aye, thats why i hate it too!

Its a XC trail which can be very rewarding if your ‘on it’ although if your tired and having a bad day then it’s can take you too some pretty low places. Been there in the winter months with lots of ice and not enjoyed it. But Spring, Summer and Autumn its always good fun.

Captain, you need to work on your legs and your technique, it’s those that are rubbish, not the trail!

I rode all but three of the climbs no problem, the three I didn’t make I would have cleared if I didn’t have my seatpost dropped I think, hence my comment earlier about using a dropper post. I’m not even particularly good.

It’s a great trail, but it’s not fair to call it rubbish if you’re not up to it!

Captain, you need to work on your legs and your technique, it’s those that are rubbish, not the trail!

I rode all but three of the climbs no problem, the three I didn’t make I would have cleared if I didn’t have my seatpost dropped I think, hence my comment earlier about using a dropper post. I’m not even particularly good.

It’s a great trail, but it’s not fair to call it rubbish if you’re not up to it!

It would be worth reading before commenting on posts:
a) I didn’t say I wasn’t up to it.
b) I did say I rode pretty much all of it
c) I didn’t say it was rubbish
d) You had to get off and push in places as well
e) You may be younger and/or fitter than me – so what

I know plenty of people who have done it who also don’t rate it that highly. You are obviously a riding god and can give people great advice on their riding without having met them

Looking forward to doing it in August. Will be a hard shift, but it is in a superb bit of the country and a nice weekend in Kinlochleven is always very welcome, even if the midges are not! Scenery is stunning, and the hills beautiful.

Why are people finding the ride up to the dam from the bottom of the Staircase a slog? Did you ride the track or the pipe? I rode up the pipe last summer with full camping gear on my way to Corrour and barely noticed the climb – it’s almost flat and completely smooth.

DickBarton – Member
I’ve no bike skills and a stubborn head. I took my bike down it about 6 years ago. Rode only a small portion of it but loved it. Figured I just needed to get better to ride more of it.

I reckon that is my view as well. I can’t quite remember how much I rode as I was in the middle of a bonk in awful weather, but my lasting memory was that it was ace.

All hail ‘paulrockliffe!’

We are not worthy!

Like I said, I’m no even particularly good.

It’s not a trail that only the best can enjoy, but if you can’t ride it, it’s not the trail’s fault and it’s unfair to put others off a great trail because you couldn’t ride it. Which bit are yo disagreeing with exactly?

A descent with uphills and unrideable bit eh? How very dare they!

Don’t remember any fallen trees when we did it a couple of months ago.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13517316 HTH.

“Like I said, I’m no even particularly good”.

The trail is quite tough, so you didn’t ride it then, did you mince along then hike the gnarly sections!!?? hehe

paulrockliffe – Member
Like I said, I’m no even particularly good.

Only the true messiah denies his divinity!

The fallen trees could have been there for a while as stormy weather isn’t exactly rare up here. At least one of the sections looked like the tree had been fallen for a long time, but that just may be rapid erosion from the recent heavy rainfalls.

Oh and those planning on doing it – the pipeline is mostly rideable, but is also completely blocked by fallen trees in a couple of places.

Might be worth waiting until after the next MX trial up there, as I suspect they’d get up there with a chainsaw to clear the path.

stevious, joe has just told me how great the path was and that I have to ride it. I don’t know who to believe, although I’ve not been hospitalised following you yet so will err on your side.

Jim, the Devil’s Staircase is a definite must-ride, but I genuinely wouldn’t bother with the Ciaran Path if I were you. I mean it’s not *that* bad, just not something I’d drive up from Edinburgh then ride for 2 hours to get to the start of unless I loved riding loose rubble and lifting my bike over trees.

OT – I have an interview on Friday at your old school!

I don’t like loose rubble and rocks too much these days!

Good luck with the interview – I could give you some of the old teacher nicknames if you like, might help break the ice a bit!

Might be worth waiting until after the next MX trial up there, as I suspect they’d get up there with a chainsaw to clear the path.

What on earth is a ‘MX trial’?
I know what you mean actually, & the answer is no. No-one will clear the path for the Scottish Six Days Trial. If it’s there, the riders deal with it. (or not in some cases!)

Good trail though hard work in places.

An alternative to the tough bits is to follow the aqueduct beyond the dam “past the Aztec ruins and the ghosts of our people” to NN210613 and take the (steep!) trail which joins on with the fast, flowy lower section of the Ciaran Path.

A loop which starts and finishes at Altnafeadh and takes in the dam, aqueduct, CP lower section, Kinlochleven, Devil’s Staircase climb(99% rideable on the return…) and Devil’s Staircase descent back to Altnafeadh is a quality day out.

Done this 4 times now and I do really enjoy it. Don’t quite ride everything but I am perfectly happy with that, I reckon a proper dry day after a dry spell would make a big difference. A lot of the rock, particularly on the climbs, is really slick and can cause much frustration. A bit more manliness/skills/momentum/luck is required to get through the steep boulder garden. As for the trees they weren’t there until the storm linked above but hey that’s nature, just get off and climb over them!
The whole topic got me to thinking about what we like about a trail/run. I come from a history of riding Scotland on a fully rigid (I did have a flexstem laterally) inc WHW, Ben Lomond, Glen Kinglas etc. I guess this makes me more tolerant of a bit of walking/pushing/carrying as I can now do a lot less of this than I used to. Is it that a lot of riders these days have got used to the luxury of trail centres and are constantly seeking out flow and lack of interuptions?
To quote a good friend of mine – “A day out is not an adventure unless you meet a challenge and overcome it”.

Well boo hoo hoo. Nasty wild trail has loose boulders and uphill bits <sob>. May I suggest Thetford Forest? Or Wrexham, that’s good.

Stuartie – just looked at your option on a map and it looks to be worth a gander.

To the erudite and mature fellow posting above I can only offer a slow hand clap and a pat on the head.

Don’t you dare touch my head, that’s assault that is. Besides, you probably hurt yourself on it and then go and post on the internerd about how horrible it was. HTH HAND