May Bank holiday was fast approaching and I needed to get away on the bike for a few days and away from my local trails. This would be my last chance to do a long trip before the Highland Trail, sort my kit, decide whether I really was going to do it on single speed and see if my fitness was up to scratch.
The plan had been to head north, bag the Ben Alder single track, maybe do the Corrieairyack and scope out bivvy spots north of Fort Augustus. But after weeks of sunshine the weather was changing day to day. In the end it was looking cold, rainy and snowy, not what I was looking for at the beginning of May. I recalled my trip of May 2015, also a pre HT prep ride, camped in the snow at the top of Glen Tilt, freezing in my three season sleeping bag and chipping ice of the bike the next morning - no thanks...
West or southwest looked drier and warmer so I ruminated on options before remembering the route around the Loch Lomond and Trossachs national park that Chris S on the Bearbones forum had developed last summer. It had looked really good and Sean Belson, also of the forum, had ridden it in three days just after doing the Cairngorms loop. The start at Aberfoyle is just a three quarters of an hour drive away and the terrain looked to be a reasonable approximation of the Highland trail sections that would give me the most grief on SS - i.e. long climbs and some hard riding on rocky single track. At 300k and with 6000 odd metres of climbing, the full monty was a bit much this close to the HT group start but there are plenty of options to cut it short so I'd set off on Friday and see how far I got.
Departure was at the leisurely, and inauspicious time of
10.55am. The sun was shining but clouds to the north hinted that it would still be cool, breezy and with a few showers. So
Freshies on Ben Lomond as well as the remains of the snow from February.
Looking north - Ben Lui the snow speckled hill in the background. The pipes on the hill opposite are one of many hydro electric power schemes across the Trossachs. These were built just after the war and provide much electricity. In fact there are pipes all over the place, often going straight through the hills, all linking up various lochs, man made and natural, for both water and power.
So down I went carefully to the shores of the Loch and my first encounter with the West Highland Way. The track finishes at a house which means their shopping trips must take a while. I suspect they use boat access mainly. This bit of the WHW is about the easiest of the Loch Lomond section and I made my way through it without too much issue. But south of Rowardenen it gets much harder, seemingly bagging every single hill along the loch shore. Its good fun in the main although hard work and there are a few stepped sections up and down which are a pain. Good pushing practice but typical of the whole route away from existing tracks and good old General Wades Roads. The people who originally conceived the route must have decided to make it as hard as they possibly can which is at odds with the people who mainly use it. A contouring trail without steps would be far nicer. The hills are all wooded so the climbs give little in the way of a view. OK enough moaning about the WHW!
I departed it just past Balmaha on an old right of way crossing the level farmland south of the Loch. There are two rivers to cross which were very low and what would normally be fairly mucky cow poached fields were bone dry, thanks to the dry weather we've been having. These could be tricky after normal wet weather. My weariness was manifest on the quiet lanes to Balloch so a stop was in order. It was in full flow despite being a Friday so I avoided the tourist filled cafes in favour of a small shop for food. I then sat in the sun, my first proper breather since the start.
I suffered horribly on the mega climb out of Balloch. My belly complained loudly at this abuse and my legs felt like lumps of lead. I've been here before and you kind of know it will pass eventually but its not a nice feeling. The distraction was the trail and views. This was all new to me and great going, despite the hill. Its part of the Three Lochs Way but also the John Muir Way so its an easy made trail and great fun. There was another push up a steep wooded section to the top, more tracks and then a fab descent.
A fast descent is always a good way to recover as the adrenaline provides a nice kick. And the descent into Helensburgh is fab. Not techy at all, just a narrow snaking trail down the hillside. It was empty this evening which is always nice on such a descent as there is nothing worse than having to slow up for pedestrians, after spending all that effort getting to the top! I did indeed recover somewhat but leapt into the garage to buy more calories, mainly liquid. This was all consumed sat on the sea front contemplating the view. It occurred to me that much of my food load was not needed as this route has plenty of re-supply options. But I'd been a bit unsure of where I'd end up and when, and with doubt over what would be open, complicated by the ever present covid restrictions, erring on the safe side was probably wise.
The Hill House - once home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, he of art decor fame. I'd heard of this but hadn't twigged where it was or that it was on this route. It's now somewhat bizarrely covered by a tin shed to preserve it. The story goes that when the National Trust for Scotland took it on it was dropping to bits and needed big cash to preserve it that the NTS didn't have. A typical situation for this organisation. By the time they got the dosh together it was in an even worse state so the protective shed was seen as the best way of preserving what was left. A shame really as treasures like this should be preserved in their former glory and on view for all. All down to cash of course and at least the NTS prevented it from falling down.
From here there was a really nice section of riding on made paths with no nasty climbs - more John Muir Way and Three Lochs Trail. Better still the weather was cheering up, the further west I went. To this point the weather had been generally OK with just a few sprinkles of rain and hail and now it looked like a fine evening was on the cards.
The trail takes you into Glen Fruin and a steady road climb on a great little road. Above it is the 'Military Road.' Not Mister Wades this time but a large carriageway built as part of the expansion of Faslane when Trident was introduced. For years it wasn't marked on any maps or even classified, despite being visible from space. Now it carries a fair bit of traffic but leaves the road I was on largely car free.
One final pull at the glen head, across the main road and then along on the Three Lochs Way past Faslane that I'd ridden a few years ago. I was also approaching Sean Belson's Bivvy Spot which I figured would also be mine. Annoyingly my GPS was playing up, putting my arrow 50m off trail and sometimes snapping onto a road. This had started alongside Loch Lomond with the 'me' arrow being on the road, despite 'me' actually being on a trail a hundred yards away from it. Oh dear, is this the end of my beloved Dakota? The result was a wrong turn and I didn't twig until crossing under the rail line which I knew was wrong. Grind back up the hill, grinding my teeth. Turning it off and on again got me and it back on track.
Whoops, you'd never have guessed. The crossing upstream was easy. Just after this was Sean's spot and its a cracker. Unfortunately it was only just after 6, despite me being convinced it was after 7 at least. What to do. I could stop but I had no drink and so would have to kill four hours before bed time dry. My legs were now fully recovered so really I had no choice but to carry on. I grumbled to myself a bit as I should have started later or gone slower. My gear dictated my pace. Worse a large rain cloud was approaching and there were portaloos beside the track just after this spot which would have made it 5 star bivvy!
The next section is quite tough with a big climb high above Loch Long. I was watching a large rain cloud sat on top of the Cobbler slowly approaching. Just drizzle at first but when it got heavier I reached for waterproofs as I was entering the wet at 3 degrees death zone. A joke but I've found that this is the worst temperature to be rained on. Colder and its dry snow, warmer and you can get away with being damp without too much issue. As usual by the time I'd wrestled on jacket and trousers it had died away again. I wasn't complaining as generally such a disperse cloud seems to rain on you far heavier and for longer than you'd think. The route heads round almost to Tarbet. This may seem a bit odd as the Three Lochs way descends straight to Arrochar via another narrow gravel path but it allows you to make use of the shop in Tarbert, operating out of a container and looking like it sold all sorts of stuff.
I kept on in the event as I had a notion to grab chips in Arrochar. Unfortunately the chippy was packed as usual but I made a fine discovery - the village shop is well stocked and open until 10pm. I bought lots of food and sat out on the sea front watching the ace view. The cloud had gone and I even got a bit of sun.
I knew where I was headed - the track end on the Ardgarten peninsular where there should be a fine bivvy spot by a wee lochan. Between me an it was a fair bit of climbing. First up the bottom section of the Cobbler path, some ups and downs and then more nav faffing around Ardgarten. The GPS arrow was stuck on the A93 and I couldn't read the screen without my specs, so I ended up missing the bridge and riding round seemingly endless paths into the chalet park, back, over another bridge, along the shore, back again and finally back onto the route. There then followed a long, long climb. It was steady but SS limitations revealed themselves. It was a grind after a long day and I was feeling tired. What I really wanted to do was twiddle up in a nice low gear but this wasn't an option. A few cars abandoned by the trackside hinted at other campers but they were maybe in Mark Bothy as my chosen spot was empty, and perfect. Phew, thank goodness as I was done - 9hrs 45 and 130k.
I made a freeze dried meal, ate half and reviewed my day. It had been good with a real mix of great trails that were nigh on bone dry, done in pretty good weather. All was peace and quiet apart from faint machine noises, coming and going in the gentle breeze, that emanated from one of the tanker installations in Loch Long. Best of all, thanks to the low temps of late there were no midges! Eventually my eyelids drooped and I crashed out. After an hour I woke up overheating. So much for bringing all those extra layers which I now removed. I nodded off once more, to be woken by a marvelous dawn chorus. The usual tweety birds but also something that sounded like an air raid siren (worrying this close to Faslane) which revealed it self as two duck / goose like things. I've since tried to identify them but failed....
I had a very leisurely breakfast contemplating my onward moves. After a dry evening it had rained (lightly) most of the night and was still at it when I awoke. The previous day I had thought of doing the whole route but I figured it would be a shame in rubbish weather. So I reckoned on making the top of the Rest and Be Thankful, bomb down the track back to Ardgarten and return to Aberfolye via the Lomond cycleway and NCN7. But by the time I was moving (7.50 am) the rain was off and on the fab single track to Lochgoilhead the weather cleared and a nice day looked possible. This is one of the routes highlights. Back in the day this trail was famously swampy which we did a couple of times before FC closed it. Fortunately it now avoids the worst of the boggy sections and has been built into a fine piece of singletrack, in fact just what the WHW should be. It climbs up a fair way but I was content to push being in no hurry. The descent used to be via a precipitous track to the loch shore but it now follows an easier line, slowly descending to above Lochgoilhead.
No wind on Loch Goil. I'd managed to catch a glimpse of the woodland I've put many hours of work into with Fife Conservation Volunteers on our annual visits to the outdoor centre at Ardroy (opposite on this pic) and it was nice to think we may be back there soon. The shop was shut so I had no need for further pause.
Another grinder followed, up the forest track out of Glen Goil but I was doing OK. At the top of the Rest and Be Thankful I rested and was thankful there was a burger van for breakfast number two.
Looking down the glen at Transport Scotland's Folly, the A83. They have thrown a lot of dosh at this road but every time you get a massive storm another bit washes down the hill and closes it. They even use the old military road (pre-dating the A83 by about 200 years) as a 'bypass' when its shut but have had to spend a bomb on this too. Its become a political football as usual with dumb politicos trying to make engineering decisions and generally ignoring or selectively mis-using expert advice, sound familiar? On average its closed less than once a year but the 'diversion' is always touted as being 60 miles and therefore a major disaster for the people who live at either end of it. In reality most people either re route via Killin or use the Clyde ferries so its not as bad as the press like to make out. Unfortunately the 'opposition' has become fixated with the idea of putting avalanche sheds over the whole road up here. This would cost a vast fortune, would require lengthy closures to build and still wouldn't solve the problem as it would end up being buried every time a washout occurred. There is talk of foresting the whole slope which would help stabilise things but its currently in private ownership. I'd rather see cash spent buying the land and planting it than on more concrete....
Enough eulogising, what now? Keep going. The next section was new and looked interesting. I knew this would commit me to a big chunk of WHW to at least Crianlarich but what the hell. This is indeed a good bit - the track is easy but it's just nice to be cutting such a huge corner off what would be a long road section. You also pass Abyssinia bothy, a relatively new one. It looked ace but was off route so I couldn't be bothered investigating.
A fine view of the north end of Loch Lomond. Only available to itinerant bike packers! I actually got some sun here but north the weather looked somewhat threatening.
Another steep and loose descent followed and then the dreaded West Highland Way. This time north (in line with traffic) and potentially one of the hardest bits of the whole route. Breakfast number three (cold chilli from the night before) helped but in fact it wasn't as bad as I'd thought. A lot of it is double track and the single track bit is actually pretty good. A bit rough and eroded but I was getting up it fine.
Past the A82 was a shiny new bit so someone is still chucking money at the route. In fact just past this a whole section of old military road, to the Crianlarich turn off, had been done up. This is what the whole route should be. I'll happily be stoned to death for saying this but this would make it much more pleasurable for the average WHW walker than the ankle breaking rocky path it is. I'd passed quite a few (including a guy I'd met the previous day) and most of them looked to be of the non-diehard but keen hillwalking types carrying day packs. Many people do the walk using a transport company to ferry bags from point to point. This may seem sacrilegious to us fully self supported types but it makes the route that much more accessible - exactly what it should be and not the suffer fest the original route creators conceived.
On a bike the rock fest is fun and just the thing to get me back into the swing of nadgery riding. In fact the next section from Crianlarich to Tyndrum was also a hoot. I'd last ridden this in 2012 as a pre Iceland trip test in scorching sunshine (also a May Bank Holiday...) and cursed it for its large amount of climbing, instead of a nice contouring trail round the hill above the main road. I guess I'm just so much fitter now plus my bike and load were way lighter than what I'd carried back then. There was a lot of climbing but a lot of felling work is in progress so at least you get a view.
More navigational faffing took place where the route leaves the WHW to pick up a bit of new cycleway. Despite being funded by Sustrans it goes from nowhere to nowhere (not between Crianlarich and Tyndrum as advertised) but made for a nice easy pedal up to that most well know of bikepacking towns.
Food came courtesy of the new 'diner' as the real food cafe is terminally slow at the best of times so goodness knows what it would be like today. Oddly people were sitting inside but I still sat out as I was now looking somewhat disheveled. Pancakes, bacon, tea and coke went down the hatch and more juice and food for the onward slog was bought from the garage. I was now committed to the section by Glen Lyon to Killin which is the longest distance off road on the route and also the start of the Highland Trail route. It did feel a bit weird pedaling up that hill, down that rocky chute and along the fast descent to Auch Farm, three weeks before the real thing. I now seemed to have a stiff tailwind. In fact so far I'd had a tailwind all route, the north easterly now a north westerly. This was all good news making the easterly track a lazy cruise. Less good was the express rain cloud which followed me up the glen and caught me halfway along the loch.
Another ex bridge. The ford was easy given how low the water levels are but there are a few on this side and they could be tricky if the levels were up. Hopefully not and issue for the HT group start....
At the dam I left the Highland Trail route and made my way up the pubil climb out of the glen. I took it steady but its not that bad as you start much higher than you finish. More fast road descending to glen Lochay followed then a steady cruise to Killin. I'd left the clouds behind once more and all seemed bright south and west so hopefully this would continue for the rest of the evening.
Co-op provided a large amount of food that was eaten on the bench opposite whilst I contemplated my next move. I was feeling good but the sensible thing would be to ride back to Aberfoyle on NCN 7. The weather was still looking a bit iffy and I was losing my appetite for another night out. I also didn't want to wreck myself three weeks before the Highland Trail. On route it was still 70k to go but; I'd come this far, the trails had been nigh on perfect and I'd regret not completing the whole route. I knew what was coming - one monster climb and a few lesser ones but....sod it lets just keep going and see what happens.
So off and up again, on a tarmac road as it happened up to the dam of Loch Breachlaich, also part of the vast network of hydro electric power schemes. I think yesterdays upset must have been down to poor food choice as the stuff I'd had in Killin seemed to rest on my belly much easier. I was already figuring on just pushing through to the end and this meal would provide the fuel. Looking behind gave me pause however as another raincloud was pouring out of Glen Lochay and looked to be heading my way. Most of it missed me but then the dreich came in, then sleet, then wet snow. So much for a dry evening so on with the gear and onward. I did feel a little trepidation at this point, given what was coming but reassurance came from all the gear (and food, and stove) I had with me. In the event it didn't last and looking around suggested I'd finally left the rain behind for good.
Looking down the Rob Roy Way to Loch Tay. At first I couldn't figure out what this large body of water was as the twists and turns of the climb left me thinking this was looking south.
Heavy steel pipework. Next to a heavy steel pipe. This is a feeder pipe for the res lifting water out of a burn further up the hill
At the track end I just kept straight on. Chris described this next section as three quarters of an hour of heather bashing but it wasn't too bad. I followed an argocat track for the first bit, a bit of heather hopping then animal tracks to the top. It was a bit soggy in places but generally good going. I'd say after a prolonged wet spell it may be worth keeping left of this track where its drier - actually where Chris's line takes you.
Not really a death march in these conditions but add in rain, low cloud and bog, and it would be. Its not for long though and makes the route work. Chris noted in his own tale of his recce ride that this section would keep the gravel bikes away. In fact I'd been following a gravel bike tyre print up the hill and noted it in a few places on the quad track so sorry Chris, your plan failed. That said a 7kg gravel bike would be just the thing to carry over this section. And overall you really would not want to take such a thing on the rest of the route as it would be horrible on the WHW.
Downhill was much easier and more faint trods got me to the track end. This dropped me down a long way to Glen Lednock res then it was tarmac again, another moor crossing survived and the sun shining. To the south the skies were black but this should hopefully be going away from me. One gut wrenching climb then a super fast descent, a missed turn regained to a fine little path got me to Comrie. Hmm, home is only just over a couple of hills, but the car is in Aberfoyle.
It was 8pm and I was not going to stop. Next trail was up Glen Artney. I'd last been up here in about 1990-something and I was looking forward to it, particularly on a fine evening with no other person in evidence, on dry trails with a tailwind. The first bit was a trail up through the woods which was actually new to me as previously we had descended the road on the other side of the glen. The route joined this further up to its end, then a long climb over the last big moor crossing.
Last look back to Perthshire on the climb out of Glen Artney
Last photo of the day looking north to the Breadalbane Hills
I'd been scoping this route out a while ago as a potential gravel bike route. Geograph was banging on about a missing bridge but it wasn't (or had recently been replaced) so I rode straight on through to yet another fast road descent in the gloaming. Black clouds abounded and I caught the tail end of one but to my right, ahead and behind was clear.
The route takes you right past Callander's Co-op so I had to stop for more liquid energy. Then lights on and off on the last bit. The Menteith hills trail is another blast from the past and I'd done this a few times in my youth. I vaguely remembered a big climb and a very muddy / rocky / boggy trail across the top. In the event the climb was OK, the trail to the forest edge all new and the bit through the cow field iron hard. I had a few slithers in the next wooded bit thanks to the earlier rain but soon enough I was on the last track and a fast run down to Aberfoyle, the car and a finish. It was 10.05pm, 36 hours and 10 minutes from my start. Total distance 305k, 6850m of climbing.
45 minutes later I was home (empty roads) and having more food and a beer to celebrate what had been a fab, if hectic, two days. A bit much this side of the HT but I'd gotten away with it and had huge fun to boot. I'm still swithering about SS for the Highland Trail but I'll see what the weather looks like and decide then.
The route is a cracker so fair play to Chris for scoping it
out. If you were to glance casually at a map and try to plot a similar route
out it wouldn't be immediately obvious without a lot of Trunk road bashing so
top marks for that. Its harder than the Cairngorms loop in
terms of climbing but more rideable terrain wise. Its not quite the suffer fest
that is the YD300 but the trails are more varied. The scenery is ace and best
of all, there are lots of re-supply opportunities. My food load out had been totally OTT. I should have done more route research to figure out re-supply points but that's what comes of last minute (no) planning. I could have quite easily done without the stove as there are plenty of opportunities for a cuppa en-route. In fact, whether you are doing it super fast or touring over three or four days, you really are spoilt for choice. This Link has all the details - go and do it!
