Have optimistically booked a week staying in kinlochleven in the summer.

Going up with the wife and dog, mainly for walking but with a bit of biking thrown in

Anyone got any suggestions for routes that are as tech free as possible?

I’ll prob try and get a few more techy rides in on my own, but when go cycling with wife just looking for as non tech as possible. She’s happy to ride all day, but doesn’t do technical. Also has to be relatively dog friendly, so not too many sections on the road !

Lots of non technical out and backs to do but loops are a bit more limited around Kinlochleven.

There are more non-technical options further south and west into Appin.

As an aside, do you know that when someone tells you to ‘stick it where the sun don’t shine’ it’s actually Kinlochleven they mean.

Forest roads up at Ballachulish might be OK.

Glencoe Lochan.

NCN78 down to Duror etc

The West Highland Way passes through Kinlochleven – from what I can remember heading north along that to Fort William is mostly all mellow footpaths and fire roads (tech wise, still some steep climbs!)
And heading south, the WHW section between Glencoe/Kingshouse and Kinlochleven would be pretty good for something techier I think. I’ve only ever cycled south to north but the descent from top of Devils Staircase in to Kinlochleven was my favourite section of the full route. I’ve thought a couple times of parking in Kinlochleven, climbing up the WHW path and descending the Devils staircase and then turning around and doing it in reverse back to Kinlochleven – think it’s about 19 miles and around 2500ft of climbing.

The old military road out the back of Kinlochleven is pretty non tech. @Spin Last year when me and OH came out of the shop in Kinlochleven I remarked in surprise “Ooh the sun’s out”. A local guy stood nearby overheard and said “Ah, don’t worry. It’ll soon be gone again”!

west highland way south of the kingshouse to bridge of orchy ( telfords parliamentary road) is a nice ride. Might have to do it as out and back

Some nice roads – think about heading over the Corran ferry (free on bike/foot) – out to Strontian, around Ardgour and Kilmalieu etc.

Also some nice out and backs up – from Ardgour – Strontian Glen, Glen Cona spring to mind, back on ‘mainland’ Glen Etive and the ones mentioned above.

Slightly further away, Eriskay and Lisomore offer a lovely day out, and of course there is a full cycle route to Oban from Benderloch.

Your setup sounds very like mine apart from the dog bit. My wife doesn’t like roads with cars on them, off road fine as long as it’s smooth and flat. One thing that works is doing munros together where I take my bike up as far as it’s worth it, then get to ride the descent on the way down. Kinloch way you’d have Binnein Mor,Beag and Sgurr Eilde Mor. Corbett Glas Bheinn. From Glen Nevis the ones accessible from Achriabhach and there is the mental descent from An Gearanach to Steall though not really viable as part of the Ring of Steall circuit.
Landy tracks the obvious one is up the tarmac to Mamore Lodge then out and back past Loch Eilde Mor as far as desired. WHW towards Fort Bill is pretty erroded these days.

A slightly novel one is up WHW landy track South to path junction then along the pipetrack to the Blackwater Dam (as long as dog is well controlled) then back along the uppy downy landy track to the descent.

I haven’t been up to nevis since they started adding all the new trails but they look to have a good range of blues now? Something a bit different from the fire roads etc

The cow hill loop out of fort william could be pretty good- out along the whw, back along the military road, round the cow hill dual use path. There is some tech, but it’s all of the “can just walk that bit” type without really being too disruptive I reckon. WHW will probably be crazy busy this year though

Riding & scenery aside, Kinlochleven is a grim place to spend a holiday. The town has absolutely nothing in it bar the ice climbing place

@chickenman

I’ve not ridden that descent but have looked at it on the map. Just how mental / do-able is it would you say? Which route do you take up to access it?

Cheers

Sanny

Sanny, well it was really a bagging day with a bike along incase anything was ridable. Push up from Achriabhach to the path just skirting the Sgurr an Iubhair summit then Ring of Steall in reverse. Just pushing the bike down from Am Bodach was tricky, An Garbhanach not too bad. The descent down to Steall initially not too hard then it gets really challenging. If I’d walked each section first I’d have been fine but I was so destroyed by five hours of hike a bike and the heat that I pushed down a lot of it (you’re a much more competent rider than me mind!). Lower down where it looks easier it is a bit eroded. Fording the river upstream of the cable bridge is best but I took my bike over the bridge just to piss of some folk on foot who were trying to psyche themselves up to do it.

The cycle path from Glencoe to Oban goes through some lovely scenery. A couple of miles next to a main road at the start but otherwise pretty dog safe as well, assuming your dog is a good one.

I’ve not ridden that descent but have looked at it on the map. Just how mental / do-able is it would you say?

Not convinced it would be worthwhile. Some of it would be great but the top is probably too steep and the bottom is very eroded.

<[/url]” alt=”Try again, what a fud!” />