Ben Alder and Ardvericke Circuit

A decent off road ride was definitely on the cards for this weekend. Various ideas had occurred to me including an overnighter. Annoyingly the weather on Saturday was somewhat wet and it lasted far beyond what was forecasted, so my usual weather wimp out made a day ride a more suitable prospect. I'd been through the Ben Alder Area back in May on a tailwind assisted blast from Aviemore to Tyndrum. I fancied another wander round the area as well as bagging a new trail from Loch Rannoch over to Loch Ossian which I've never managed to get round to. This would make for a route which seemed a bit long to do in one day but I figured I'd be fine.....

In view of this I had an early start which made for an easy run up to Dalwhinnie, my start point. From here it was down Loch Ericht and over into the Pattack. The cloud was right down so there were none of the usual views to Ben Alder. It was allegedly to clear up later however. The boggy bit to the bridge over the Pattack was very boggy, an indicator of yet another damp summer. I picked my way carefully through, not wanting to plaster either me or the bike in mud at this early stage of the day. Finally I reached the bridge (now looking very shonky after the storms at the beginning of this year) and headed down the river. 

Hmm, first check. There is a hydro scheme in progress here and technically the track was 'shut.' The signed diversion was via the old stalking path which is long since overgrown. Its typical of these projects, they never get the traffic management right, thinking that as its the middle of no-where, no-one will care. So of course I did what everyone else will do and ignored the closure sign. Being a Sunday no-one was working so this presented no issue. Beyond here I bore left over to and along Lochan Earba. The last time I was here it was horrendous weather and I'd just done a very snowy traverse of a path high above the loch. Today the cloud was starting to lift and I finally got some views. This is the old Highland Trail route and as I started the long climb up Strath Ossian, I reflected that the last time I'd been here was indeed on the 2015 HT group start, heading the other way obviously. The new route is better overall but this was a great part of the route. Its all of motorway standard so an easy pedal in the gentle breeze.

There are three more hydro schemes going off up here but the contractors seem happy for people to walk and cycle through the works. Why here and not the one on the Pattack! Anyway on with the views:

Looking back to Lochan Earba and Lagan

Cloud lifting above Strath Ossian

Ossian YH and the track over to Loch Treig, the Mamores in the distance. On the start of 'The Old Road to the Isles'

This route was the reason for this ride as I've been meaning to do this for yonks. The Old Road to the Isles is an ancient right of way pre-dating the A82 and the A9 routes. It would have been used primarily to drive livestock along as well as linking the ancient (and lost) communities on Loch Rannoch and Loch Ossian. Previously it was a typical rough quad / argo-cat track which was very boggy and hard going in all but the driest of weather. The Scottish Six Days Trial uses it most years so 200 trials bikes bombing through didn't help with its condition. But last year it was substantially upgraded to a nice smooth track as part of two hydro schemes. So what used to be a slog is now a breeze and do-able on anything with reasonably chunky tyres, in all weathers. With a bit of imagination, this, NCN 7 and the route over from Glen Lyon to Loch Rannoch could be used for a mostly off road touring route north, missing the grimness of the A82 and the dullness of the A9 cycle route. And it crosses an amazing part of the world. This is one of the UK's biggest wildernesses with vast areas of moor, no roads and only the West Highland rail line and a few estate houses in the middle.

The old road to the Isles, the hills above Tyndrum in the distance

Blackwater Reservoir and the hills above Glencoe in the distance. In between the vast bogland that is Rannoch Moor. A particular feature of this route are these massive views.

Closer by is the rail line. As I watched a four carriage sprinter trundled by, looking totally out of place in this vast wilderness. The line was built by Thomas Telford in the rich Victorian times and its a major feat of engineering as the land is just bottomless peat bog, requiring much ingenuity to float the lines across it whilst maintaining the easy grades suitable for a train. It avoided the Beeching closures and is now a popular tourist route as well as providing a car free link to the smoke from several remote Highland towns.

Just visible is the train.....

At the high point of the climb you pass by the ruins of an old lodge - Corrour. It was originally built as an estate house but unsurprisingly no-one wanted to live so far away from civilisation, even in the 1700's. It then became a hospice for Tuberculosis sufferers. In those days, before a vaccine was developed, the only thing that could be done for TB was to move people out of the horribly smoky towns into the countryside and away from everybody else. This place pretty much beats anywhere for those criteria. For me it provided a useful lunch stop before a fast cruise down to the road. Tick! Another one bagged.

Rannoch station in the the trees, Loch Laidon behind

After a brief bit of road along to Loch Rannoch you turn of through forestry at first and then out across another moor to Loch Ericht. This is the new Highland Trail route.

The boggy section was pretty wet, a far cry from the bone dry passage at the end of May. The good news was clearing skies and sunshine - finally! A late second lunch at Ben Alder cottage was clearly in order.


Thereafter over the Bealachs cumhann and dubh and a proper hoon down to Culra. At the top of the pass I noticed for the first time the wreckage of an aircraft which apparently is the remains of a Wellington bomber which crashed in the war. Finally out along the last bit of single track to rejoin my outward route and up past Loch Ericht to Dalwhinne, all in blazing sunshine. 

I had a minor discussion with a resident on the Highway code with regard to parking on road (she came out to object to me parking outside her house). I love it when people do this as thanks to my job, know chapter and verse on such things. It particularly amused me when she said (in hushed tones) "I'll call the Police!" Ho ho ho. After my assertion that the Police would, a) not be remotely interested; and b) on my side, she stormed off in a huff.

Anyway, all in all I'd done 78 miles of which only 4 were on road, a good days ride by any reckoning.