There’s a definite crossover on here from the bearbones forum so I thought I’d try expose this to a wider audience:

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/joining-the-dots-the-highland-trail-550-journal?tk=82fa3cbdcc9ffd92364eb11691c7449f6650d685

By Lee Craigie and Adventure Syndicate pulling together the experiences of several people and illustrated with some decent looking photography. Looks to be in keeping with SW ethos.

No involvement (other than I’ve pledged so want to get my book )

Hoping to ‘tour’ the route next year so this is all grist to the mill.

Really looking forwards to seeing this too. Partly as my words are in it too but mainly as I think it’ll be great. James Robertson is the photographer. He shot the Transcontinental Race too and has a good eye, particularly for suffering.

He’s on Instagram as @jprobertson if you want to see more of his work.

I’m in too.

I’m surprised the Adventure Show has offered Lee a job yet. She’s a natural and would complement Cameron McNeish early well.

Agree Colin. Those Personal Best programmes on Radio Scotland were great, really accomplished and very natural bit of presenting. That’s not easy to do!

Does look great. The HT550 is on my to do list.

Looks good, it’s got my pledge 🙂

Cheers, Rich

I’m surprised the Adventure Show has offered Lee a job yet. She’s a natural and would complement Cameron McNeish early well.

She’s the main presenter (properly live!) on an upcoming episode of ‘Out For The Weekend’ on radio Scotland. Couple of weeks time I think.

Well, its up to 48% funded as of 5 minutes ago.

And talking of the HT550, is there an ‘official’ touring route thing (seen one for the CL)?

Didn’t know that Mr Shand, that’ll be a good listen I reckon.

MH – how do you mean an official touring thing? The 2016 route is here – http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=vqwkzqridmcqtzzf download it to the gps device of your choice, hop on your bike and enjoy it 😀

Lars wrote this – http://www.bikepacking.com/routes/highland-trail-550/ which may be of interest.

Duh Ian, that’s what I saw…

Not currently got a gps device of choice as of yet, looking for something to thumb through to while away the winter nights…. 🙂

Is there a suitable website that lets you load GPX files to see the route?

Yup, I really am this clueless/dumb

aul age, disnae come itsel.

Hadn’t seen the Kickstarter but had, very vaguely, toyed with the idea of trying to film the 2017 HT550 as a documentary. This plan got no further than checking out new cameras etc online but as an alternative to the seemingly endless “kidz doing skidz” videos it seemed interesting.

(Interesting to a the small population who like both offroad time trials and low quality video footage!)

MH – no worries at all 🙂 I’m not even that old yet so need to figure out a better excuse for when that sort of things happens to me (which is quite often 😳 )

I think that gpsies site will let you look at the route but I don’t like the mapping. But if you download the route from there (may need to register but t’is free) and upload it to bikehike.co.uk that will let you toggle between google maps, OS maps and satellite mapping. I much prefer that as a way to view routes.

Online anyway, in a perfect world I’d have a huge map room and a load of marker pens

Check Bearbones site for GPS and maps etc

Just chipped in for this too.

@MH I’m the same username on Bearbones. There’s a few recent threads about GPS devices, the consensus is usually:

Low cost: Garmin Etrex
Middle price: Garmin Dakota or Oregon
Money no object: Garmin Montana

These aren’t the (road) bike specific Edge models but aimed at general, usually trekking or geocaching, usage. They use AA batteries and with the Oregon at least you can change batteries without losing your current recording. There are free OSM maps available for them so you don’t have to use/pay for OS maps.

@whitestone: yeah, I know… Likewise I’m the same over there too (in fact I think it was you that sent me that way in the first place on my B+/bikepacking thread).

Re GPS: I already asked the question on here, I’ve seen both the eTrex & Oregan, pretty much made up my mind just waiting to accumulate some funds (I’ve been a bit spendy of late… 😳 )http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/talk-to-me-about-gps-for-bikepacking

I can confirm the Etrex (or at least the 30x model that I use) will tolerate battery changes while keeping all it’s data.

Mine did suffer a terminal systems crash when I was heading to bearstock (was replaced under warranty. And I could tell you about the time when Lee’s garmin crashed in similar fashion, but given the thread title that may be spoiling the story!

MH – how do you mean an official touring thing? The 2016 route is here – http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=vqwkzqridmcqtzzf download it to the gps device of your choice, hop on your bike and enjoy it

that looks different to what is on the HT550 website, has it changed again?

That’s the 2016 route. Alan suggested here would be no significant changes for 2017.

There is a comment on the HT550 home page saying “gpx file for 2017 route not yet availble“. Make of that what you will.

The map on the HT550 home page is an image of the original route not a map application with the current route drawn on it.

If you click through the basic image it takes you to a google map of with the route. It goes through Kinlochleven on the way out instead of Loch Lyon, take it that’s the old route?

It is.

Thanks, ive pledged. No chance ill ever do it but should be a good read.

Side tracking the topic a little, im up there for a few days soon and was planning a bit of riding. Was thinking a loop from Fort William to Kinlockleven then to Laggan on either old route or the new one (possibly diverting to A9 from Loch Rannoch if its cold to avoid Ben Alder).

It being hunting season and raining (snowing?) a lot, any suggestions which would be better?

No snow as yet (well, a wee dusting later week). Temps are back up across the Highlands. I believe it’s been wet in places, though mostly dry round the Northern Cairngorms. The old route throws in the obvious barrier of the Abhainn Rath so would be at risk (Tour de Ben Nevis was affected a few weeks ago).

Stalking wouldn’t worry me. You’re mainly on rights-of-way or well established tracks.

Amazing stuff. It’s 70% funded in the first day!

Done. I think this is going to smash the target well before the date

only another 10% to go now. I obviously a bit sad ‘cos I’m finding watching the numbers creep up almost as exciting as dot watching!

@ ianfitz

No! Because it means we get a new book to read! 🙂 I’m doing the same.

Just spotted the comments above about the map on http://www.highlandtrail.net I don’t think Alan (or steve) has got round to updating it – that looks (on my phone anyway!) like the 2015 route. This year only used the WHW on the way out for a few km then took on a big eastward sweep up Glen Lyon past Ben Alder on some great singletrack.

I obviously a bit sad ‘cos I’m finding watching the numbers creep up almost as exciting as dot watching!

Hmm, I’ve checked the total 4 times so far today… (92% btw).

I’m putting it down to me being a sad bastard (with nothing better to do….) 😆

Ian, It’s the 2015 route – if you zoom in you can see that the southernmost section is the same between Tyndrum and Kinlochleven, i.e. along the WHW rather than having an eastern track over to Glen Lyon.

What a great idea. Pledged.

Pledged. Aiming for a 2018 stab at it.

Just taken it to 96% 🙂

Now, to start drafting my 22 word pledge…

I saw Lee Craigie speak, I thought she was pretty dull, is she writing it?

Looks like it’s going to happen tonight! And as a small thank you there’s a print in it for the individual that takes us over the total!

16×20″, Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, the works.

16×20″? Pah, that’s tiny compared to mine! 😉

Cynical- say, why don’t you RTFL? Oh I’ve seen some of your threads, I have to say, you certainly know your dull! 😉

James: no fair, I pledged way back before it was even popular, now that all the Shoreditch Hipster gloryhunters have showed up…. 😈

That’s it done

Cool, that’ll be something to help,wile away the dark nights… Come January time.