Has anyone been upto Lewis mountainbiking?
I am off there with work for two weeks at Stornoway, and have the opportunity to take my bike. Does anyone know what the trails (if any) are like, or would i be better taking a road bike ( the Horror!) with me?
TVM
M
There's a couple of loops on Harris - the southern bit of the island. One loop is a XC loop around Clisham (highest hill on the island), mostly old stalking tracks then road to get back to your starting point. The other is the Rheinigeadal (sp?) loop from Tarbert, quite short but the section along the coastal path is stunning. We did it clockwise which means pushing up the [url= http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/218845 ]biggest climb[/url] to get away from the coast but I've seen it in a mag or book done anti-clockwise which would make that an interesting descent if you can cope with [url= http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2297312 ]exposure[/url].
^^^^ I was about to post similar. we found 2 decent rides, those described by whitestone. The Rhenigadal Loop is stunning, we also did it clockwise. Apart from those ones I think it's quite limited, a lot of peat bog that's unrideable...
ha, I think we've done the XC loop in west Harris as above, that skirted back but didn't take in the east exposed bits.. I liked the west Harris loop although not all of the party were convinced TBH.
I did Rheinigidale loop anticlockwise, with the descent into Rheinigidale superb. The Maraig descent was a bit windy. I'm hoping to do it both ways when I head back there in early April. Might also explore some of the tracks between Huisinis and Tarbert
In Stornoway itself, there are a couple of short tracks in the grounds between the the castle and the gold course, with some decent tabletops, small drops and berms.
Making loops of things is quite hard work - the tracks/paths have been built with shooting/fishing in mind so often stop at some point seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Find a couple that get to within a Km or so of each other and with a bit of hike-a-bike you'll get a loop. Also a lot of the remote communities/named places on the map were traditionally accessed by boat.
The routes at Lews castle are OK, but theyre not very well signed. I found a kind local to show me around them when i was up there
Whichever bike you take, try the Pentland Road from Stornoway over to Carloway.
If you do end up with the road bike then head to Tarbert and ride The Gold Road down the east coast of Harris to Leverburgh then the "main" road back to Tarbert via the stunning beaches, you'll need to make a detour to get to Luskentyre beach. There's a great cafe in Tarbert, First Fruits Tearooms, for post ride refreshment.
Sounds very much like a road bike play is called for. Thank you guys appreciate the advice. what is the traffic like on the main roads? are the locals mad or do they give you plenty of room (road biked on Barra once- exeryone epicly friendly. Shetland, nearly died!)
M
^^^^ very friendly, unless you are riding on a Sunday when some of them won't like it.....
Had the opposite experience on Shetland, apart from UK tourists.
The main road from Leverburgh to Tarbert then onto Stornoway is only really busy around ferry times. If you do the loop I mention above, get to Leverburgh about half an hour after the ferry's arrived and you'll have the road to yourself. The bit between Tarbert and Stornoway is busier as there's the Uig-Tarbert ferry traffic as well but it's a wide modern road so usually not a problem.
The Western Isles is popular with touring cyclists, we've done Barra to Tarbert a few years ago, so locals are used to it. Doesn't mean to say there aren't idiots though.
Edit: forgot about the wee frees 🙄