Torridon – overhyped? (long & pic heavy!)

And as if that’s not enough, there’s a beer festival next weekend!
Torridon inn, 3rd – 5th Oct.

I’m planning to be there for the heady mix of bikes and beer 🙂

Part of the highlands I haven’t stayed yet. Your photos make me want to change that. Thanks for posting.

you bastard grum, that looks ace, broken hand means no enjoying this inidan summer for me 🙁

Like many have already said……Wow!!

Torridon is one of my favourite places in the entire world.

Excellent post grum. I’d like to see more of these ride report type posts.

When we got down to Achnashellach we were giddy with excitement about the trail we’d just ridden but also bloody knackered. The prospect of climbing back up and over the mountain wasn’t feeling very appealing, but after a bit of a rest we got on with it.

Yep, you get to that point and all of a sudden it’s a bigger ride than the map shows or your legs felt when you were doing that descent from Coire Lair. When I was last there in June I had half a mind to carry the bike up the bealach between Maol Chean Dearg and An Ruadh Stac (what a dramatic peak that is!) as the track round the west side of Maol Chean Dearg is fantastic… but I couldn’t face a 1000ft of carry.

I would definitely recommend mixing it up on a trip there with getting the boots on and going over Liathach or Beinn Alligin or Beinn Eighe.

Has anyone tried the path that shows on the map running from Coire Ghrannda down to Glen Torridon?

I scrolled down to ask and comment on the pictures.. I was going to ask if you took your ‘big’ camera, only to find that you took a GF1 (something I’ve just bought) but I can’t see me getting pics like those out of it. Amazing pics.
At last, pics of Torridon showing it probably better than it looks in real life! I’m twice as stoked as I’m amazed at the pics coming from a GF1. So.. how much is LR? :O)

Has anyone tried the path that shows on the map running from Coire Ghrannda down to Glen Torridon?

Aye, I’ve been up and down it a few times with the bike. Probably best climbed on a xc bike if I had the choice. Last time I was there I parked along from the Ling hut and rode in, bivi’d off the track up in the mountain side looking over the coire and out to upper loch torridon. Amazing night with a few meteors,views for miles and what seemed to be three satellites all at the same time, same brightness, until they vanished. I filmed one and it seemed to speed up and slow down (who knows what it was). Super clear skies up there with no street lighting so choose a nice night and enjoy.

Wow, quite a response! Cheers everyone. I can only reiterate – get yourselves up there, it’s lovely. All those who are already going, you will love it (although the weather probably won’t be as good 😛 ).

There were hardly any midges when we were there as well. 😀

Yup the GF1 is a great little camera, especially shooting in RAW then tweaking in LR. My first ‘proper’ camera and I still love it, especially with the 20mm pancake.

you bastard grum, that looks ace, broken hand means no enjoying this inidan summer for me

Sorry kimbers. 🙁

::perks up at midgeless torridon:: I thought it would still be a bit crap.

I’ve taken next week off so hopefully it’ll stay nice and I might take the GF1 over for another bivi!

I’ve bought it from someone on here with a 14-42 but recently bought an adaptor to fit my old Canon FD lenses to it having watched a few clips filmed with FD lenses. Took me a while to find out how to set it up to shoot without lens but looking forward to messing around with it this winter.

Pah!

You should try ‘the chase on a busy Sunday’………….. *rolling crying eyes icon here*

Beautiful, you have just inspired me to take my lads there and do similar next year.

THanks, + love the photo content…awesome.

Amazing pictures Grum.

Shared with my MTB mates. Great stuff!

What a sh**hole that place is.

Couldn’t agree more. Looks awful.

Why anyone would venture north of Glentress is beyond me.

Looks amazing Grum!

waaaah. 2015 things to do box tick.

Fabulous pictures.

I have been wanting to get up to Torridon for a few years now and this thread has made up my mind that next year is the year for it.

I shall start another thread with some questions rather than hijack this one.

Thanks Grum…. inspiring.

Great pictures, thanks for sharing! I was there that weekend too to run the duathlon – I think the lack of midges was probably due to most of them being attached to my legs…

‘kin ‘ell

I was going to saw Wow but that’s been done. Fantastic pictures, what a stunning advertisement for the place. Thanks for sharing it.

Can I ask what your approx ride times/stats where, time, climbing, distances ?

Definitely need to work out how to do such a trip, sadly from London it’s 12 hours which is as long (if not a bit longer) as it takes to get to the Alps

Well done mate… great post.

Next time try and take in the climb up and around Bealach a choire Ghairbh. Beast of a climb but the decent is ace.

Love the photos – you’ve done a great job there!

We were up there a couple of weeks ago – amazing place although I wish we had the same weather as you.

Already planning a return visit … maybe up onto the Islands?

Looks like there is going to be an influx of STWers descending on Torridon – god help them!

Glad you’ve all enjoyed the pics/writeup. Might do one on our Four Passes trip in the Lakes earlier in the summer seeing as this one went down so well.

Superb mate. Brilliant images. Any number of them would look brilliant in the printed magazine.

I only live down the road from STW towers too – whaddaya reckon STW? 😀

Can I ask what your approx ride times/stats where, time, climbing, distances ?

Applecross ride I think was about 40km/730m of climbing and I think took about 4-5 hours. We’re far from super fit and stopped for pics/mechanicals etc.

Torridon ride was probably about 40km/1250m of climbing and took about 7 hours in total somehow.

Next time try and take in the climb up and around Bealach a choire Ghairbh. Beast of a climb but the decent is ace.

Yeah we didn’t end up setting off early enough really with the trip back from the bothy first thing. Would stay in Torridon itself the night before next time.

Might do one on our Four Passes trip in the Lakes earlier in the summer seeing as this one went down so well.

Yes please.

Why anyone would venture north of Glentress is beyond me.

Trail centres are miles better than places like Torridon. Trails centres are where it’s at man! Plus weather’s more predictable at trail centres.

Great thread, and great pics as ever; though particularly as we’re off to Gairloch in October – with the GF1 and the bikes 🙂

Might just throw this in here:

http://www.grahamwynnephoto.com

😀

There’s a few more pics from the trip on my flickr too:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/grum_wynne/

I’ll be in Torridon 13-18 October, with bikes and on a family holiday, hoping to get a couple of proper rides in at least. Anyone want to hook up? I’m pretty familiar with the trails.

Hope you have better weather than we did a couple of years ago then! We were in Ardaneaskan round that time & the weather was absolutely shoite all week!

The advantage of an (extended) family holiday- we’ve got a decent house for the whole week, so I should be able to choose which days are worth going out! Trail and weather conditions can be excellent in October.

Is it just me that thinks that the effort involved in getting up to Coire Grannda (lollipop route) is not worth the reward of the first part of the descent of Coire Lair? It really seems like an effort in gaining height at all costs.
The Classic loop that takes in the lower half of the Coire Lair descent gains its height gradually and offers lovely views on the way.

Oh……amazing pics. I’ll be using these to show my biking mates in the south where I go riding *smug*

Is it just me that thinks that the effort involved in getting up to Coire Grannda (lollipop route) is not worth the reward of the first part of the descent of Coire Lair? It really seems like an effort in gaining height at all costs.
The Classic loop that takes in the lower half of the Coire Lair descent gains its height gradually and offers lovely views on the way.

I was wondering about this. I think next time I would probably do that but add on the climb/descent that lowey mentioned.

Nice one, looks you had a cracking week too.
We were up there 2 weeks ago in unbelievable ‘once in a lifetime weather’. hot all week, so perfect conditions.
You’ll recognize where these shots are, we did a morning riding up through Coulin estate than down the brilliant Acnashellach descent, then pushed back up to enjoy the great singletrack back to Coulin.
Will be back, but doubt I’ll ever enjoy conditions like that again!

Wow I thought we had good weather! I hope there was plenty of midges. 😛

My mum showed me pics of walking up there and they had great weather too so maybe it’s not as rare as we think.

So what is the consensus for the best route: Annat, coire lair, achnashellach station, around the west of Maol Chean dearg, back to Annat?

Why would you do the alternative along the A896 road/Glen Torridon, then through Coulin forest?

It’s a 13 km warm up road ride up Glen Torridon if you do that one STS, which is what we did last time. Gonna do the ‘Lollipop’ next time & suffer the slog up the Coire Grannda.

Thanks egf, thats what I wondered, just an easier/road option because the climb then descent of Coire Grannda isn’t particularly worth it.

It’s very rare. Only 5 sunny days per year 😆

Still, as a result of the No vote in the referendum at least the workers in the secret underground midge breeding factories are assured of continued employment.

I think it often looks even more dramatic when the weather isn’t as clear and sunny.
P1010266 by ScotRoutes[/url], on Flickr

I think it often looks even more dramatic when the weather isn’t as clear and sunny.

Yeah completely blue skies is actually pretty dull for photos.

So what is the consensus for the best route: Annat, coire lair, achnashellach station, around the west of Maol Chean dearg, back to Annat?

Think we will try the road up to Coulin forest next time and add on the climb to go around Maol chearn dearg.

Grum, when you reach that saddle just west of MCD, start your descent off low to your left as the trail down into the coire is not the one that you would be standing on as you arrived..! It’s odd, but the trail that becomes the main descent is lower on your left, not the obvious line that starts right in front of you. As this descent gathers itself together, the first few hundred metres are particularly bouldery yet it soon mellows out. This bit is just like being on the Bealach na Lice route to Annat, just longer… I think it’s worth the extra climbing but know that not everyone agrees.

[/url]IMAG4398 by Shinythings2[/url], on Flickr[/img]
[/url]IMAG4460 by Shinythings2[/url], on Flickr[/img]
The climb out of Coulin….
[/url]DSCN1206 by Shinythings2[/url], on Flickr[/img]
..and that corner on the descent… you know the one!
I would definitely recommend the Coulin to Achnashellach return route, it’s a must do half-day out.
Check out this entry at the Coulin bothy the wknd before…No word of a lie, we had to cool off in the river in 25deg +
[/url]DSCN1194 by Shinythings2[/url], on Flickr[/img]

So what is the consensus for the best route: Annat, coire lair, achnashellach station, around the west of Maol Chean dearg, back to Annat?

Personally I don’t think it’s worth going round to the west of Maol Chean Dearg. It’s a bigger carry than anything else on the route and the descent is not of the same quality as the others.

Gonna do the ‘Lollipop’ next time & suffer the slog up the Coire Grannda.

For my money this is the way to do it. Going up Coire Grannda is mostly rideable with just a little bit of carrying to the Bealach Ban and the last few hundred metres to the bealach at the head of the corrie. The scenery and descent from here are both excellent – about 650m of vert to the station.