I am driving to Torridon as part of a family holiday.
I’m looking for someone to guide me for a couple of day in the second week of August.
I have found a guiding company but they can only do one day.
Anyone here who lives there fancy helping me out?
Email info@kitchentech.co.uk

follow the dotted lines, there’s some fairly obvious routes around torridon that you just need an OS map for.

I don’t think you need a guide, but I would recommend the OS map

The two routes worth doing that I’m aware of are the lollipop (Annat-Coire Laire-Achnashellach-Coulags-Annat) and the loop via the lake over the Ben Damph estate.

Very easy to follow despite it being in completely epic surroundings. There’s a very clear path for 99% of the lollipop route I did, but I did check the map a lot, just to be sure. A wrong turn could have dire consequences but with a bit of prep and good map sense you’ll be fine.

I found this link pretty handy:

http://www.mtbtrails.info/Trail_Venue.aspx?VenueNumber=27

Take a head net.

Most of the dashed lines on the map in the Torridon area are old stalkers’ paths and are pretty obvious on the ground.

Good option if on a family trip- send them round by car to Applecross for the day and ride across there yourself, to meet for lunch at the Walled Garden or at the obvious Applecross Inn.
They can spend time on the beaches north or south of the village where there should be less midges.

Your ride starts at Kenmore on outer Loch Torridon and takes the obvious route south across the moors to come out at the back of the village. It’s 9-10 miles each way on a good singletrack surface most of the way.
Don’t be tempted to try the other leg of trail just east of this one, just do a simple out and back on the same route.

+1 for lollipop route and an OS map.

Once you have found the track at the road head, there’s pretty much only a couple of track junctions. Amazing place.

Take good care to make sure you’re on the right track when you get up to the lochan, if doing the lollipop route.

Two of the best descents I’ve ridden in one ride.

🙂

Have you asked Andy at Go_where if he is about and you can tag along?

If you’re not confident navigating (or even if you are) I’d recommend pushing up Ben Damph. After the steep bit in the woods and the river crossing it’s a delightful and easy push to the bealach – then just turn round and enjoy the awesome descent.

I was up there a few weeks back. We did the Beinn Damh loop on the friday just using viewranger and to be honest you probably couldn’t have gone wrong just using a map.

We had a guide hired for days two and three and his local knowledge was priceless to be honest. The weather was horrendous on the saturday so he recommended another ride in the Fionn Loch/Fisherfieield area that we probably wouldn’t have found without him. The next day we just did the classic loop. This was the company we used:

http://nineonesix.co.uk/

The out and back from Kenmore to Applecross is a good shout. I did it last year and don’t remember any path junctions at all, so very little chance of getting lost. It’s a good clear path too.

With confident map reading ability there are other accessible options, but company is wise in case things go wrong IMHO.

Some photos for inspiration on my Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/HEgAbG]Applecross singletrack[/url] by stilltortoise, on Flickr

The out and back from Kenmore to Applecross is a good shout

+1

Did it for a “rest day” ride this year and was really impressed, nice singletrack end-to-end and great fun on my HT.

Only a few hours out and back unless you’re dawdling though.

My mate Mike’s parents’ place is called Torridon. In Surrey. Nothing amazing on the doorstep (short drive, grassy garden), but Pitch Hill, Leith etc, etc not too far away.

Hope this helps.

+1 for that kenmore-applecross route. We came back on the road round the coast for a change of view. Not exactly gnar if that’s what you are looking for though.

+1 for the “just buy a map option”

Be 100% sure you do the “Alternative Torridon Loop” not the “Torridon Loop” on the mtb Trails site.

Otherwise you miss Coire Lair – Achnashellach which is beyond awesome.

In a pointless effort to trump Chakaping, I did the ATL as a rest day following the Cuillin Ridge 😈

Cuillin Ridge

Not on your bike I assume 😯 😆

Not exactly gnar

I remember one steep section with some big wheel grabbing rocks that everyone in my party (except me) walked.

In a pointless effort to trump Chakaping, I did the ATL as a rest day following the Cuillin Ridge

No idea what the ATL is, but I’ll assume it’s quite impressive.

I wasn’t humblebragging BTW, we were doing six or seven days of big rides and I fancied an easier, less gnarly one – Kenmore-Applecross was perfect.

Well worth riding both ways BTW, the descent back to Kenmore is much more fun than it looked on the way out.

Question – Is there a better descent than Coire Lair-Achnashellach in the UK?

No idea what the ATL is, but I’ll assume it’s quite impressive

Nope, I was just being lazy and couldn’t be bothered to type “lternative orridon oop” twice in the same post. AFAIK it’s just the standard Torridon ride.

Question – Is there a better descent than Coire Lair-Achnashellach in the UK?”

Nope 😛 It’s awesome. Or at least the bottom bit is. Have you done it right from the top of the Coire? I haven’t. But will. Maybe once the wean recovers from his WHW jaunt at the weekend. 😈

To the OP

Couple of pics of Torridon here to whet your appetite.

And also a couple of pics of a path that perhaps answers oldejeans’ question.

Dunno what’s alternative or normal, but I wouldn’t do the Torridon Lollipop without the hike-a-bike up Coire Granda and full descent to Achnashellac.

The top section is faster and just as much fun as the bottom bit, best part of the ride for me…

Awesome^^^^^^

Thanks for sharing Generalist – It’s certainly the best I’ve ridden!!

Yeah I did Annat-Coire Lair-Achnashellach-Coulags then a murderous carry up to Bealach a’ Choire Ghairbh for the extra swooping descent to the lochy (taking in stupendous views over to Skye along the way) before rejoining the Annat path.

amazing picture Chakaping.

wow

Thanks 🙂

Not sure if there’s a better descent in the UK. There are a few that I’d put on the same level, and others I still need to ride (including Ben MacDui)

If we’re posting pics 🙂

Was up there at the beginning of the month,awesome place. Like others have said the tracks are fairly easy to follow, i took photocopies of the map with me but never really used them much ( more for peace of mind as i was just by myself)
APPLECROSS COFFIN ROAD: nice easy jaunt with good scenery
LOCH DAMPH: looked really nice round the loch, went left at the end but then the rain/mist/murk came in so could only see about 100ft, loved the descent through the woods at the end
LOLLIPOP: absolute killer hike a bike at times, best scenery up there i thought (loch an eion), annihilated two inner tubes (yeah, i know) amazing descents, well worth the effort taken

Route round Liathach is pants. Had a go in Feb when up there for climbing. Conditions were pants for that as well. Nice week wandering round in T-shirt and sunglasses though.

Shots from the Applecross ride, with a bit of info included…

[img]https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17952524_10155054986591501_3913305049574513390_n.jpg?oh=51a183eb27c05c7c0bdfe895851e8f07&oe=5A00423E[/img]

Bloody English coming up here and shortening our miles!

Route round Liathach is pants.

I could think of a better description but I’d be banned.

Dougie Lampkin would struggle on lots of it.

the middle bit around the back of liatach isn’t great but the start and end are fantastic

The liathach route first appeared for me in Kenny wilsons ” Walks with my mountain bike” book…
Always a good read and a lottery between a great bike ride and biblical hike a bike….

True bigjim. Last outing for my inbred in the mountains. Now fully rigid with slicks for the shops. Still it’s a beautiful place. Pigeon salad at the pub in Applecross. Hmmmm lovely.

.

I loved the Liathach loop, my mate not so much. Luckily we had a third friend of the ever smiling type so it all balanced out. Like Jim says the start and finish are great, just the bit in the middle that’s a bit tough going. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to ride as much as I could and the descent was worth the effort. The key for the hike a bike was to stop every so often and soak up the views. A day up there is always a good day. I preferred the classic loop to the lollipop but there were so many other factors its hard to compare, needless to say both are great rides.

Hats off to you if you can ride most of it.

I never said that. But the descent was all rideable and I’ve had longer hike a bikes. To be fair to Kenny Wilson he does say something about the amount of hike a bike.

Edited