Posted last weekend, but got no answers – was it something I said? I know there are plenty of Torridon experts out there so advice please.

Up to Torridon next Saturday with Mrs M for a week so will be able to get out on the bike for a full day and one or two half days.

Fancy doing the Coulin Lodge round to Annat route but not dropping down to Achnashellach. Looks like I take the right fork to Drochaid Coire Laire then Bealach Ban and Bealach na Lice.
Is this the one to do?
How much hike a bike and how long will it take?

Did Coire Mhic Nobhuil last time and found the 1.5 push a bit much

Any other suggestions?

Not an area I know for cycling. I am not ignoring you just I cannot help

Wasn’t aimed at you specifically TJ 🙂

Didn’t see your post last week Captain, and I’m here 24 hours a day, every day 😉

Your description is correct. It’s pretty easy to follow and the right turn into Coire Lair is pretty obvious. There’s about 15 mins of hikey-bikey to get up to the bealach above Coire Granda, and unless you are a pretty gifted rider, you’ll need to carry for a short way down the other side – you’ll see what I mean!

After that it’s pretty much all rideable over Bealach Ban and on to Bealach na Lice (some short push/carry sections, depending on fitness level).

Once you reach BnL, it’s good going all the way, becoming fantastic as you get lower. Probably about 3-5 hours riding (?)

Enjoy it!

(You can find some photos here)

I saved a thread into PDF form from before the xmas meltdown with some Torridon info from stuartie_c and others (18/12/2008) as I’ve walked up there a fair bit and am desperate to do the Coulags route. Do you want me to email it (2MB) to your personal email address in the member tab?

Matt

Thanks Stuart. Sounds perfect, which is more than can be said for the weather forecast. Any other suggestions for the half days? And BTW, hope the Glen Clova ride is a great success – sorry I can’t join you

scuttler – yes please go ahead and mail, that would be great. If it does not accept a 2mb file, just ping me a mail and I will send you another mail address that I know will accept up to 4mb.

Any more top Torridon tips from the STW massive?

I don’t care if i have to do it on my own – I am going to ride that route!!!!

CM – set a date. See if you can organise a STW ride-out. Torridon is on my “to do” list too.

mbr,May09 had some notes to follow up Nov 08 article – see letters p150.

if you do it I’d really appreciate any routes info – it’s on my dream list.

CM and Druidh, I’m up for that too 🙂 Did a variation last year and it was FAB.

druidh, ride out any time next week is fine for me as I will be there 🙂 Would be very happy to hook up with anyone who fancies doing it. Anyone around?

Torridon is a pretty long slog for most people so would probably need to make a weekend of it including an overnight stop like Stuart’s Glen Clova gig.

gusamc, not a big fan of MBR, so I don’t see myself buying it just for that. Did they come up with anything good?

Any other suggestions on top of Coulin Lodge and Coire Mhic Nobhuil?

With plenty notice and a good idea of numbers, I can get the Ling Hut booked.

September suits best (is that too far away?)

September sounds good to me. Stuart, what are the Ling Hut facilities like? I do like a good shower, firm bed, fresh fruit in the breakfast buffet and wi-fi in the room.

A few of us have talked about doing it as well. Looks superb.

Hey this could actually work!! I am busy 1st weekend in Sept for a motorbike rally, and a group of us are doing the IOM end-to-end the weekend of the 11th September……….I think we should try for the 18th or 25th of Sept. Who is up for it?

“Build it and they will come”

I’m going to double check my dates tomorrow and get some thoughts together 🙂

sounds good to me!

I’ve done a good few variations on the main paths up there. I only live an hour from there, so it’s local. A descent of Coire Lair is far preferable to an ascent IMHO. A nice and fairly manageable(in Torridon terms) circuit is park at Achnashellach Station, ride down to Coulags, go up that glen over the 3 bealachs and down into Coire Lair.

The descent to Annat from the Bealach na Lice may top Coire Lair (I can’t decide), but unless you have the energy to climb back over you are faced with a few road miles and a landy track up and over the Coulin Pass, which is pretty dire.

The daddy is what I described first to Bealach na Lice then down to Annat for a pub lunch (2 pints of Bellhaven and a half pound burger with chips), then back up the trail to Bealach na Lice and over the other 2 bealachs into Coire Lair. Just about killed a couple of pals that one. Maybe it was something they ate.

Another classic is the Tollie Path that runs between Slattadale on Loch Maree up towards Dundonnel. This doesn’t do it justice http://www.mountainbikescotland.com/Tolliepathsample.pdf. Wee bit of road then forest and hillside broken doubletrack, pub lunch at the Old Bridge Inn, around the road to the start proper, then a technical doable climb and ace technical descent.

clareymorris – motorbike rally, IOM e2e? Not sure if I’m fit to ride in the same company 😕

Later in September would be better anyway as there is just a chance that the Torridon midge population will be marginally less active by then.

Apologies if these routes have already been mentioned, just skimmed the earlier posts.

One of our loops was the opposite of Stuartie_c’s suggestion: from Coulags to Bealach na Lice, through Bealach Ban up to Coire Granda giving us almost 8km of tasty descent to Achnashellach – well worth the grunt of a carry up to Granda for a top 5 descent.

The other one we enjoyed was a pure fluke as we knew nowt about it – a nice loop’s from/to Loch Torridon Hotel around Beinn Damh.

If you’ve got time to take them in, some stunning riding from Kinlochewe, Poolewe, and the Tollie path’s a peach too.

🙂

Heh heh don’t worry… uness I take my test by then I’m on the back!!

There’s some fun to be had on the track between Loch Bad na Sgalaig and the bothy at Poca Buidhe too. If you’re using Kenny B. Wilsons book, ignore the optional return via the river.

Just don’t ask.

Right then, I think we need to get this sorted.

Me Anne and Gav are up for it from Penrith, who else is up for a weekend riding late September? Fave date at the mo is Friday 25th September drive up and ride Sat/Sun, back home Mon maybe stopping on the way for another play?!?!

After the success of the GlenClova weekend i’d be available any weekend in September & probably a few mates as well 😆

That could work for me. I suggest starting a new thread with an obvious title.

Sign me up for very early in Sept as I’m off to the US for three weeks riding from the 10th. August anyone?

If thats too early, I’d be up for a pre ride camping recce, to save any faffing with routefinding with a bigger group.

tick

…

I’m interested let’s have a date set in stone

Dear God!!

Just looked through that photo set of yours, stuartie. One of the best sets of pics for a days mountain biking ever. THAT is what it is all about.

This route is now elevated to the top of my to do list.

Just thought I’d bump the thread up with a few photos of my ride yesterday. Managed to grab a wee window of opportunity between family and housebuilding duties and got myself to Achnashellach for 7.30am. Spin down to coulags to warm up and then start the climb up the glen to the bealach. Reached cloudbase by Bealach ban. Torridon photos on here seem to give the impression the north west is blessed with permenantly azure skies and no rain. Sadly it’s not the case!

Approachin Coire Grannda

the start of the descent into Coire Lair

what the picture doesn’t show is the howling headwind at this point.

This section of the trail is part way down, where there is a ‘crossroads’ of paths. It is so nice I stopped and rode back up to come down again, trying out different lines on the lovely big grippy whalebacks. The path itself has loads of drops and is fast and swoopy, just brilliant.

Got back down to the car for 11.30 and off to a birthday bbq in Lochcarron to overcompensate massively for the calories burnt.

The descent is a total hoot from top to bottom, unrelentingly techy, fast, steep in places and just very very rocky. Put on your fattest, toughest tyres if you have any sense and accept your rims, forks and frame are going to pick up some scratches.

For the first time ever, I remembered to line up my tyres and valves.

then I totally screwed everything up by putting on different coloured valve caps………

Can’t see the pictures

Nice Photoshop skills there Bedmaker. Is there a special “mist” button which you use to blot out the blue sky, or did you cut and paste it from a photo of Manchester?

Hi CAptainM I was up there with a group of freinds 2 weeks ago. We did the route you discussed before, only kept straight on for a very good decent down to Achnashellach station (and tea and cake in a very nice ladys porch) Then up the road to Coulags and over to Torridon. The turn off to the right looks big but I have read about coming down it. That would make a BIG long decent. Posted some pics here last week search my posts. There are some other routes of that area in a book Called Mountain BIke Scotland The Highlands. We had 3 routes ready 2 small and the big one. We just had to do the big one! Took us 7 hours in changable weather with a few food stops and a puncture. Best riding ever and I want to go back!

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/scottish-road-trip-pics

Captain, get a copy of the book by Kenny Wilson, its a good place to start… sorry I missed your post earlier.

try again. Fotopic seems to have changed the direct linking thingy

descent start

really nice section