Thinking of an off-road route from say Inverness to the borders off-road…..any ideas? For next year

Anythings possible that Calum McNiesh character has mapped out a network of Paths but not sure if they are all entirely “off road”

Someone with more/less experience than me will be along shortly.

IME of an off road themed W-E Scottish coast to coast, you come up against practicalities of finding a pure off road route, or time constraints dictating that you ‘need’ to take a road (albeit quite back road) to get to the next off road section.

Our 5 day C2C was a balanced mix of off road / on road — think it was roughly 50/50 though couldn’t get that right exactly. Would that be sufficient? otherwise there’s a /lot/ of map squinting, and I’d hazard quite a lot of disappointment and pushing 🙂

Would cycle paths suffice?

Cameron McNeish? – this path? Scottish National Trail

Great Glen Way. West Highland Way to Strathblane. Strathblane to Kirkintilloch railtrail path connects to Forth and Clyde Canal at Kirkintilloch. So completely off road from Inverness to central Scotland bar a few miles road around Fort William.

Anyone know a mostly off road route from the Forth and Clyde or Union Canal southwards?

There is a fairly extensive network of “bridleways” (small b) heading south from the Pentlands – e.g. the drove road that crosses the Cauldstane Slap carries on to Peebles, Gypsy Glen and Yarrow. Some of this is, indeed, used in the Scottish National Trail. That’s all been mapped on walkhighland.com. From Peebles, one could East to Traquair, over the Minchmoor then pick up the St. Cuthberts way to the Cheviots.

Route 7 down to Aviemore – I reckon the Speyside Way for an off road option if you start at Fochabers then the East Highland Way, West Highland Way to Milngavie, follow the Allander River and the Kelvin into Kelvingrove Park, Clyde Walkway – after Cambuslang there is some lovely off road options to get you to New Lanark. After that, I’m not sure of the best options to get to Peebles but as Scotroutes points out, there are options from Edinburgh area so there must be some from New Lanark……..

Alternatively, you could take a fat bike and cycle the coast down via the Fife Coastal Path and keep going to North Berwick and beyond……. 😀

Alternatively, you could take a fat bike and cycle the coast down via the Fife Coastal Path and keep going to North Berwick and beyond……. 😀

Hmm….you could head to Tinto then a bit of road towards Symington and the Thiefs Road into Peebles then you have Cardrona / Gypsy Glen and the Southern Upland Way. Damn. That’s a good route I’m thinking! I now fancy giving that a go myself. Scotroutes – fancy it?

One of my planned rides for retirement is to spend a summer cycling the entire circumference of Scotland, wild camping or cadging beds from friendly folk in pubs.

A mate of mine walked from Thurso to Mallaig (well Inverie) last year (train stations) so just get a map out and join up the interesting or practical places.

I live next to the St Cuthbert and was chatting to a chap in the summer who’d started in Preston and was aiming for Inverness.

Once you’ve got south of Glasgow-Edinburgh there are loads of ways south.

Too far south for me. I might melt 🙂

Have you read the book about the chap who dragged/rode a bike around the coastline… It was pretty good..(of Scotland)

I reckon the Speyside Way for an off road option

The bit from Cragganmore to Granton is the least bike friendly bit of trail in Scotland.

jekkyl – Member

One of my planned rides for retirement is to spend a summer cycling the entire circumference of Scotland, wild camping or cadging beds from friendly folk in pubs.
Me too!

The bit from Cragganmore to Granton is the least bike friendly bit of trail in Scotland.

It’s not really recommended as a bike route to be fair, the Way documents recommend you hop onto the (quiet and lovely) B9102 road at the box bridge..

Ah yes. I remember it well.

GATES!!! by ScotRoutes, on Flickr
I was touring with panniers too and each of these gates meant either lifting the bike over or removing the panniers. By the time I reached this stage (4 gates in a few yards) I was just removing them and hurtling them as far up the path as I could manage 👿

I’m trying to do it in “manageable” chunks….

BC-2013-11 by ScotRoutes, on Flickr

Clyde Coast, Argyll and a few islands for 2014 I think.

oooooh
*favourites that map*

Nice one Scot routes.
I have been looking at doing the coasts of Scotland for the last 4 years since doing LeJog. Things keep getting in the way(mainly the West coast mileage )The East coast and along the top would be fine,but if you stay true to the West 😯 .
I have started thinking like you and just breaking it down and doing it when I can,rather than trying to do it all in one trip.
I would be interested in doing an end to end ( or end to border )off road if there wasn’t too much hikeabike 🙂

I have a road MoGJoG in mind at some point. 650km by a direct route – but that would involve some less pleasant roads.

Inverness is hardly the ‘end’, more like just more then half way up 🙂

Some great ideas on this thread . My aim for next year is to bike the coast from Tongue to Acharacle then home to Kinlochleven. I will probably take more than one trip to do it. So I can get a mix of road and mtb.

My trip round from Kyle, round Acharacle, Ardnamurchan and Mull was just excellent btw. Easily up there with the classic of the Outer Hebrides.

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2012/07/coasting-around-west-day-1.html

MoGJoG

Mary of Guise / John o Groats? you’ve lost me 🙂

Mull
of
Galloway
😆

ah, though it might be something like that but – ashamed to admit it – completely ignorant of the geography round that way, been to Mabie once, visited friends outside Dumfries once, that’s it..

You should go pay a visit. Some lovely beaches and quiet roads ideal for cycling on.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scottish-Hill-Tracks-Guidebook-Distance/dp/0954673506

The above book, Scottish Hill Tracks is full of good suggestions – old drove roads etc. The choice in the Southern Uplands is quite wide with a lot of paths over passes etc.

e.g off the top of my head – canal network to Broxburn. Paths through Livingston; Cauldstane Slap and post road to Peebles; Gypsy Glen; Southern Upland Way; forest tracks through to the border.

scotroutes – Member
Mull
of
Galloway

I grew up there – the Rotary have recently completed a coastal route from Stranraer to the Mull, unfortunately a fair bit of it is on stony/rocky beaches making riding impossible 🙁

Great thread.

Have you read the book about the chap who dragged/rode a bike around the coastline… It was pretty good..(of Scotland)

I’ve not heard of this but would very much like to read it. Anyone have a link?

The author is Nick Fairweather. The original book was called “Coasting around Scotland” but he did a follow-up called “Cycling around Scotland” – ISBN 978 1 906134 57 0. Argyll Publishing.

I don’t know if it’s still in print but I have a copy here (you guessed – right?) if you want to borrow it.

You should go pay a visit. Some lovely beaches and quiet roads ideal for cycling on.

I’m sure – and my mum’s school was evacuated to somewhere along there during the war – but to be honest have that here ::)

The author is Nick Fairweather. The original book was called “Coasting around Scotland” but he did a follow-up called “Cycling around Scotland” – ISBN 978 1 906134 57 0. Argyll Publishing.

I don’t know if it’s still in print but I have a copy here (you guessed – right?) if you want to borrow it.

Cheers. Just found it on Amazon.