Who is putting their name in the hat?

Not me, that’s for sure. Too pacey by far. Might consider a more leisurely ITT and leave spaces for the genuine racers.

(of course I’ll regret this decision in May)

Me neither – I’ve not done enough long distance stuff this year and didn’t have that good a year last year. I might head out on an ITT the week before depending on weather and fitness.

Edit: you know there’s a couple of changes to the route this year – takes the Loch an Daimh track to Ullapool from Oykel Bridge; doesn’t do the Coffin Road and Corrie Hallie to get into Fisherfield but goes via Loch a Bhroain and Loch an Nid; doesn’t do the Postman’s Path but goes out to Poolewe and does the Tollie Path as it did in older editions.

A friend completed it last year, for him, i believe its still a Type 3 memory, maybe a little more time & he’ll get it into Type 2 !!!

Can’t say I have an issue with any of those route changes. The Bridge cafe in Poolewe should be reopening early next year and will make visiting the relocated Whistle Stop less of a trek. (or am I focusing on the wrong things here?  😅)

Can’t say I have an issue with any of those route changes. The Bridge cafe in Poolewe should be reopening early next year and will make visiting the relocated Whistle Stop less of a trek. (or am I focusing on the wrong things here? 😅)

In 2017 I had six sit down meals and six café stops so I don’t think you are focussing on the wrong thing!!!

“last year” = 2019 – the wet version ✅

My name has been added to hat.

I’m not. Like whitestone, not enough long rides this year, so some serious training would be needed – and frankly I don’t really want to either. There are other rides to do, hopefully in warmer climes…

Thinking back to 2017, I managed 7 sit down meals (very interesting to consider that) plus numerous garage and shop stops.

Fort Augustus
Oykel Bridge
Lochinver
Oykel Bridge
Kinlochewe
Tomich
Fort Augustus

You out-stopped me there Alasdair – same feeding holes for me except I just had a quick snack and a couple of pints of orange juice at the hotel in Tomich.

Like many I’d set off assuming I wouldn’t get much so made the most of any opportunity. But a lot depends on the pace you are going as to whether you catch shops, cafés, etc. open. The mid-pack, 4d12hr to 6d sort of pace tends to arrive at watering holes at the right time.

I was going to until I read this thread. Sit down meals?! Pffffh sounds too easy to me 😋

Nor me; I did it last year and had trained well (was as fit as I had been for TD and ATR) and then the whole race and the winters training was wasted cos I couldn’t cope with the weather conditions. I will do it again this coming season, but will start with a good weather window presents itself and not get tied to a specified date again for a race like this.

I did it before HT550 was a thing 😉

…well, half of it, in 11days…

cos I couldn’t cope with the weather conditions

Yep southerners often underestimate the weather and the changability of it up here.

Sit-down hot meal counting seems interesting: My tally for 2015 was 6:

Fort Augustus dinner
Oykel Bridge breakfast
Kylesku dinner
Oykel Bridge breakfast
Kinlochewe breakfast
Dornie dinner

If you want some inspiration for this then have a read – https://bikepacking.com/plog/highland-insomnia/

Take it you all had a beer with your sit-down meals 🙂 I think I did except at the Pizza place where I had coke beer eased the pain on the rest of the route even doing a little detour at the Glencoe Ski Station :-).

Not in this year doing the Italy Divide for a change!