Some of the best mtb adventures follow old drovers roads, paths through the mountains, connecting remote glens by high wind swept bealachs, after a recent Cairngorm tour, i have been pining for the fjords, well the glens really, suggestions please.
Got the tshirt, really enjoyed this, a load of LR track for a few km of sublime singletrack, the scenery more than makes up for this anomaly, i’m becoming a real romantic these days.
PS. The north west is an area i have yet to really get to grips with.
Glen Affric and down via Bealach na Sgairne into Morvich. The descent is a good one and quite technical in places, there is a hard to locate path from the Glen Affric YHA and it get v boggy toward the lochan further west before the Bealach. bit is relatively simple to navigate. If you want a loop then start in Morvich and go South E along the trail around Beinn Fhada.
For Jock’s Road, park at Glen Doll, head up to the bridge at Badnagairn (sp?), then south past Glittering Skellies. You’ll pop out onto Jock’s Road just in time for the downhill stretch back to Glen Doll.
Author’s tip: Make sure all the bolts on your bike are tight for this one.
Will hopefully be getting up to Affric in the autumn, if the weather plays ball, been meaning to get there for months now, hopefully as good as it appears.
Wow the great wilderness has a nice ring to it, this route sounds like just what i am looking for, perhaps after this years perpetual monsoon it is not the best route to try. After a little research it certainly sounds like a great ride after a good dry spell, thanks for this nugget, as i don’t have the relevant OS sheet for this area, i need to figure out a route that gets me back to the start point, future adventures ace.
Jock’s Road loops are either an enormous 2 day affair taking in Lochnagar and some “off the map” stuff or a loop via Glittering Skellies, which is a really pleasant afternoon.
Jock’s Road is one of the only mountain routes I don’t have photos of as I’ve always, always been enjoying it too much to stop and shoot it.
Crossing the Great Wilderness has an “interesting” river crossing near to Shenaval bothy. Check out threads on the Highland Trail 550, it also features in one of Alastair Humphries’ videos – http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/mountain-bikes-bothy-nights/ about halfway through
Just found this excellent blog post and the penny has dropped, as i read it a while ago, still not sure which is the best way, as the HT550 goes the other way, best descents?
The HTR has some great passes on it – at no point did I think I was riding anything in the ‘wrong’ direction. That Glen Affric descent to Morvich was fine as a climb as it meant the gentle roll through the Glen was easy going and not an uphill slog to the bealach.
However, the Bealach Horn isn’t a ride I’d do again unless it was as a means to an end, which it is on the HTR…
About eight years or so ago my wife and I were in the NW of Scotland during a really good spell of weather. I’d seen the Bealach Horn loop on a site and thought it looked good and suited to the riding we like.
On the day my wife wasn’t particularly well – poorly enough that we actually headed home rather than do any riding.
Looking at the videos from the HT550 by Ian Barrington and others, I don’t think she would have liked it 🙄
It depends whether she likes walking with her bike through bog, walking down a steep hillside through tussocks and soft peat, all the while knowing you need to push back up the other side. If she’s a fan of that, she’d have loved it…
That said, the descent into Achfary is a lot of fun. Fast and loose, with some techy fun as you hit the forest at the end.
Just found this excellent blog post and the penny has dropped, as i read it a while ago, still not sure which is the best way, as the HT550 goes the other way, best descents?
Hi, glad you liked the blog. My pal has done the descents both ways and was firmly of the opinion that the route we took was the best option.
Sounds like you’re planning on doing this solo? If I were in that position I’d probably ride in from Dundonnell to Fionn Loch, then just turn round and come back.
Beyond there to Poolewe is pleasant but less special IMO.
Funny enough we did the Glen Affric/Bein Fhada loop on the same trip and I’m working on a similar write up for that. Such an epic descent back to Morvich, smiling just thinking about it.
Overnight in the Car More cowshed bothy and then reverse it. Not a great deal of bog and the river crossing isn’t that bad.
Awesome places. E to W means that the scenery gets wilder as you go on. A very memorable day and night. Must go back.
My default suggestion for another Cairngorm taster would be the Minigaig loop, 50+ miles and about 100 yards of Tarmac. Can be done as an overnight gentle spin (!) or a hard 12 hour roller-coaster. And you get to bag a Munro as well..
My default suggestion for another Cairngorm taster would be the Minigaig loop, 50+ miles and about 100 yards of Tarmac. Can be done as an overnight gentle spin (!) or a hard 12 hour roller-coaster. And you get to bag a Munro as well..
It is not overly taxing but I really like…………Bonar Bridge to Ullapool via Croik and Duag Bridge, then road it back on the main drag towards Inverness until the turn off into Strath Vaich, then take the track over back to Croik then Glen Calvie and Glen (or Strath?) Rusdale. The train connects up to Bonar Bridge or I think there is a cycle way.
I’ve done it a couple of times.
I just did Dalwhinnie through Culra, Bealach Dubh and Bealack Cumhann to Loch Rannoch and apart from a boring bog trotting session after Ben Alder Cottage it was good. I saw a sign at Bridge of Gaur for an old drove route to Loch Tulla. I was thinking that if that is viable then you could pick up the track beyond Loch Tulla near Victoria Bridge that goes past Loch Drochard and over into Glen Kinglass and along the shore of Loch Etive…all of that is mostly rideable. You could then do the far shore of Loch Etive (the last bit is supposed to be a bit of a chore)back on yourself into Glen Etive and back onto the WHW. Then WHW to Ft William. Get the train to Corrour Stn then do the tracks through the Ardveriekie!!! Estate to Dalwhinnie..or do the Great Glen Cycleway and over the Corrieyairack, then Laggan, then Dalwhinnie via Loch Pattack
If you don’t mind a bit of hike-a-bike the choices are almost infinite.
What I’ve found is that the weather can make even the most simple pass much more “interesting”, so don’t dismiss something because it is too easy, just wait for the right sort of wrong weather. 🙂
For example, the Corrieyairack, which is a fairly straightforward ride, can get very exciting.
If you fancy a nice short one, Achnasheen to Ardroy
and then you have the choice of using the tarmac road towards Dingwall, or heading further west on a longer ride towards Achnashellach.
The Monega Hill Track is good IMO. The section from Cairn of Claise down to the A93 has vanished. I recommend going N-S going up Glen Callater and taking the landy track up from the loch to C of C then via Glas Maol to the top of Monega Hill. Descend south into Glen Isla. Other descent options are to descend west off Glas Maol via the Leacann Dubh. You can also descend this:
down Monega’s north face (without the snow of course!) The path is rather I’ll defined in places and the hillside gradient of nearly 40deg does rather put one off one’s stride; I did ride most of it though and I’m a mincer!
Not as distinct on the ground as they appear highlighted by snow;I spotted it on google earth then found this web pic. Was built as a stalker’s path but it doesn’t look like anyone’s walked it in 100 years! A bungee cord attached to the bike might be an idea incase you bail off the bike too. I can’t endo so couldn’t manage most of the corners..
Re The Minigaig down into Glen Tromie…………..I could not find any track when I did it.
As the Minigaig Pass tops out, and descends at the watershed, past the 792 spot height, you have to head along the path N along the ridge. So, I suppose, not down into Glen Tromie, but NE into Glen Feshie.
Shouldn’t have read this thread. Remembered it’s been a while since I did the the Corrieyairack and seeing as the weather looked promising, thought there’s not going to be a better chance this year.
This morning nipped down to Kingussie and rode from there over the Corrieyairack and then down the south side of Loch Ness to Dores.
It’s been sanitised a bit since I last rode it. Too many waterbars/drains of the obstacle type. OK once you know where the line (if any) is, but a pita otherwise. They are on the Laggan side, and it must spoil a fast run down from the top.
The weather as usual had a hand in making it interesting. There was a bit of wind down at the lower levels, so it was howling up top. The wind going through the pylons and the wires sounded demented, and at times made it hard to stand.
Not a great problem on the way up, but it was tricky on the way down – every time my back wheel bounced, the wind caught it and tried to turn the bike at right angles.