Cycle touring seems to have gotten a lot of bad press in recent years. The rise of bikepacking and 'Adventure Cycling' has relegated (in the popular press) cycle touring to the pass time of a decreasing few old fuddy-duddies who are part of a happily declining part of cycling. Given my history of cycle touring and the knowledge of what its really all about, I'm not of this view. Cycle Touring is where it all started. Mountainbiking (thanks to the RSF - google it), Bikepacking (ditto), Adventure Cycling.... its touring, get over it.
Why? Because I've done it for many years. And I love it. I love throwing some stuff on your bike, getting on it and pedaling off into the scenery, no care in the world and no travel stress that seems to be an accepted part of most peoples holidays. You might bivvy or camp, bothy, bunkhouse or hotel, its all travelling on your bike and seeing the world away from the mainstream of life and tourism.
July 2016. I had a week off work and a desire to head for the hills. It had been a funny old year. In March I'd properly done my back in which had scuppered my Highland Trail attempt for this year and dominated my life ever after. I'd managed the YD300, but only due to a previously unknown tolerance to pain. The weather was looking rubbish but I just needed to get away from work so road touring seemed to be the solution.
Fair to say the start wasn't good. I woke to low cloud and rain. I'd booked digs in Ballater so felt compelled to get on with it. As usual my plans had been fluid until the day before but east, as usual, seemed best so I aimed for Ballater on this basis, north east from home with a forecast south westerly wind. Except it was clearly an easterly. WTF? the weather forecasts had been particularly bad this year but getting the wind direction 180 degrees out was a first. Nothing for it but to get the waterproofs on and get going.
To Ballater from home is a good 95 miles but I had all day so made steady progress to Perth in the drizzle. The wind got lighter as I headed north so didn't hinder me much. From Perth its the A93. I missed a section by using a bit of back road before Blairgowrie and there is a section of the old road just after here which is still just about passable. But mostly I was on the A93 although it was pretty quiet thanks to the weather. Its quite a climb. Perth is at sea level and you climb steadily to Blairgowrie. After that its a series of shortish ups and the odd down but all the while you are gaining height over the 30k to the Spittal of Glenshee. From here its a steady pull up the glen finishing with the infamous Cairnwell road. I've been up this a few times over the years and felt that today, given my current fitness, it should be straightforward. Its not. The final climb is a steady grade which isn't super steep but goes on for a lot longer than it looks. Finally staggering into the cafe at the ski centre was a relief and I was happy to sit and drink tea and eat cake knowing it was downhill all the way to Ballater.
It was sort of dry but the dreich kept coming in. The wind had swung west finally so at least it was all behind me. There is a fine wee road into Braemar then it was a last few k of the A93 before turning off road at last through QE2's land at Balmoral. This is a smooth and easy track and very pleasant after all that road bashing. It joins the back road down Deeside at Balmoral itself but this road was empty. I finally got to Ballater at 6 some 8 hrs after starting. The bunkhouse was quiet but the useless warden had put us all in one room (presumably to save on cleaning) leading me to further mutterings about dorms. Still; I had a large feed, a few nice ales in the Alexandra hotel and a good nights sleep.
Day 2 started somewhat murky. It was just about dry as I headed east on the Deeside way but it was clear the rain was coming. My route, worked out the night before, took me north east out of Deeside at Muir of Dinet and along a network of back roads through Tarland and over into Donside. This was all new to me. The terrain is hugely different from Deeside and the Cairngorms - all pleasant rolling farmland, forestry and just the occasional higher bump to remind you that Britain's biggest mountain range is just behind you. Next up was a steady climb over to Cabrach, another new place, then a long descent on yet another empty A road. I picked up a fab singletracker at Bridgend which went on for many descending miles finally dumping me in Keith. If you are reading this and wish too follow - check out the OS. Its all fairly obvious and there are many other alternatives.
By this time the on and off again drizzle had settled to a steady rain leading to and extended cafe stop in Keith to warm up and dry off. Pre ride research indicated a bunkhouse in Cullen that got good reviews so I figured this was my best bet. More dormitories.... I got my head down and pedaled through the rain, arriving at about 5. After a bit of wandering around I found the bunkhouse and after a bit of fiddling found the owner and booked in. There was a group in cycling NCN 1 west to east to Aberdeen who were chatty and somewhat appalled by the distances I was doing compared to their more leisurely approach with lots of cafe stops and easy days. Still, its all touring.
Cullen Harbour
Tea was fish and chips but none of the pubs seemed to be that welcoming looking so I settled a for a few bottles from the co-op in the bunkhouse. This was indeed a good one with each bed in the open plan room curtained off for privacy - genius!
The weather had cleared up the previous evening but day 3 dawned grey and cool. I was heading west on NCN 1 which would be off road for a fair bit before following more back roads. I managed to avoid putting on waterproofs but it was quite damp at times and cold for a July day. I could feel my motivation ebbing by the minute and even after it finally dried up a bit my mood didn't lift as I now had a stiff headwind to cope with.
Fine old railway bridge over the Spey on NCN 1
I'd actually thought of trying to head up to the far north (again!) but this was likely to take a few big days up and back in what was looking like crap weather. It didn't help when I turned off NCN 1 to miss out Elgin only to find myself on quite a busy road. I got back onto NCN 1 eventually but a new plan was needed.
Forres provided a much needed cafe - one of those old fashioned ones where none of the clientele are under 70 but its cheap. I sat drinking tea and eating cake whilst thinking and looking at the map. North was definitely not happening, I wanted an easy time. In the end I settled on Tomintoul as a destination via my route of the previous year.
Turning south meant a tailwind, clearing weather and much lifted spirits. Suddenly I was back into that state of total relaxation that cycle touring brings on. Easy pedaling, benign weather and no need for thinking, just look at the ever changing scenery with brain in neutral..... Given the rain that had fallen I missed the Speyside way out and was soon on the steady climb up to Tomintoul. The hostel was nearly empty so I settled in for a pleasantly quiet evening with a few beers at the pub to help me sleep. The best plans are those that can be changed on a whim.
Next morning was actually quite pleasant so after breakfast in the Firestation cafe I traced the usual Glen Brown / Dorback route to the road, then missed the Egg path to go to Nethy Bridge the easy way, being on the Fargo. That said I figured that Ryvoan pass was in scope so headed over to Glen more, the fargo easily tackling this great through route. Glen More cafe provided beers as usual, then for a change added a few more miles doing the Sluggan pass to Boat of Garten and the NCN south into Aviemore. More socialising in Aviemore with R&I followed. Tomorrow would be south in earnest.
Fargo's turn to get photographed in Glen Brown. Drying socks due to an incorrect river crossing...
The top of Ryvoan. Now quite smooth mostly so ideal for the fargo.
I had a leisurely cruise down the NCN, done today in the face of yet another weather deterioration. This time I turned west on the wee road to Lagan, a quick buzz down the A86 then off road past Ardverickie and the Loch Lagan track, the sun out again. I'd contemplated the East Highland Way but given how wet its been felt this would be a bit of a mission on the fargo so hit the road at Fersit and bombed down the hill to Roybridge.
Loch Lagan in some rare sunshine
Despite being an old hand at Scottish Weather, the speed at which rain clouds can jump on you still catches me out. One minute blue sky, next minute black sky, next minute deluge. I jumped into my waterproofs sharpish but even in the brief run to Spean Bridge and the cafe, my gloves and over trousers failed.... Still I was in no rush so languished in the cafe until the rain passed and I'd dried off. The A82 is gruesome to Fort Bill so I hoofed it up the footway to the Commando memorial, down the back road to Gairlochy and onto the Canal towpath instead.
At the Commando memorial looking South to the hills above Loch Eil.
Annoyingly I'd just missed the wee ferry to Camusnagaul so had to do the A82 after all, and on my least favourite bit, regardless of mode of transport. It was also as much a rush hour as you get in the Highlands so busier than expected with the usual twits who entirely fail to pass a cyclist either safely, or in the case of one person, at all. Thankfully at the Corran Ferry there is now a cycleway of sorts to Ballachullish. Its basically the footway with some widened bits but still infinitely better than the road. At Ballachlish I did think about continuing down NCN 78 but I was running out of time and without a couple of big days I'd be tight to get home for a weekend commitment.
So I continued east to Glencoe, grabbed supplies in the shop and headed for the red squirrel campsite.
Anyone who knows this rather scuzzy site will know its death by midges. In the vain hope of avoiding them I pitched right by the river just out of the trees where there did seem to be a bit of a breeze. Others were wandering around in head nets so I knew this was optimism in its most extreme form.
Finally pitched the tent!
And (wait for it) no midges. The neighbours were getting eaten alive, just under the trees. I had a gentle but constant breeze which did indeed keep them away allowing a pleasant evening eating food, drinking beers (no Clachaig this trip!) and relaxing after a 94 mile day.
So the plan was to ride all the way home. There are various trails you can follow up Glencoe but they are a bit rough for the fargo so the plan was to get up sharp and get over Rannoch Moor to Loch tulla before the traffic kicked off. 7.30am saw me leave the campsite sharpish as the breeze was gone and the biting menaces were there. Sure enough the road was quiet until I was heading down past the ski centre. In hindsight I should have done the West Highland Way but instead at Loch tulla I turned off on a track which follows the north shore of the loch. I then followed the WHW from Bridge of Orchy to Tyndrum excepting one wee bit to miss out the hike a bike under the railway line. After the usual cake stop in Tyndrum I bashed on along the main road for 10 miles. This was a bit crap to be honest but the WHW is horrible over this section.
I finally ditched the A82 a few miles before Lix Toll to pick up a back road to Killin. Thereafter it was the usual route home - NCN 7 to Callander and then more back roads and the odd bit of cycleway. Home for 4.30, 107 miles done. In total I'd done just shy of 500 miles in 6 days of pedaling. Not bad all in all but a bit of a thrash given I was meant to be relaxing. Iffy weather tends to make me push on a lot more than if it was sunny. One day I'll do a dry cycle tour!
I'd first heard of this route after reading a couple of blogs on the 2015 group start, its first year of running. Having done much riding in the area over the years, my interest was piqued and 300k's of Yorkshire Dales trails (with a few roads) seemed like a fine way of spending the midsummer weekend. I'd just pulled out of the Highland Trail group start thanks to a persistent back injury and was feeling a bit miserable as a result. So I figured I should be fit by the end of June and the YD300 seemed to be just the thing to do by way of compensation. I put an entry in and downloaded the route.
Despite my back injury I've still managed a fair bit of riding since then, including a fab bike packing trip around the eastern Cairngorms and plenty of local rides. But my back was still an unknown quantity and a couple of relapses meant that come the end of June I wasn't hugely confident of my ability to do 300k around the YD with its monster climbs. I'm an old hand at riding here thanks to countless family holidays and I knew what to expect, i.e. it would be hard. I'd ridden pretty much everything there was to ride within about a 30 mile radius of Hawes where we used to stay. That was the clincher for turning up though. My folks have a static caravan in Hawes and the route passed close by twice in the first 175k so it would be easy to bail out if my back played up. It would also serve as a base to start and recover from the ride which started in Skipton, not too far down the road.
So Friday evening saw me take a leisurely run down the road, the Krampus in the boot. I'd used this on my ill fated attempt on the Highland Trail in 2014. The Ice Cream Truck had taken the honours at the 2015 HT and I'd meant to use the Kramp for this years group start. Therefore it was due a good long ride out and hopefully a successful completion. It was also the perfect tool for the Dales trails. I was up early the following morning and bombed down the empty roads to Skipton. The start was at Ryders Cycle Centre in a small industrial estate near the station. Stuart Ryder is the man behind this route and its 200k sibling. You actually have to pay up to enter the group ride but you get breakfast and meal on return so its pretty good value all in all. A fair few folk were there including three other Scots in the form of Jenny Graham, Lee Craigie and their mate David Jones; all from Inverness. I knew Jenny and Lee from various Highland Trail exploits and I'd met David the previous year at the Capital Trail ride out so we chatted as we ate breakfast. The Highlanders seemed oblivious of what was to come but didn't seem to be underestimating it given the advertised climbing total of 7500m. This is a common mistake made by several Scots friends who assume that as its England, its easy.....
There was a fair bit of bike and load eyeing up. I'd decided to throw bivvy kit in - bag, mat and sleeping bag - as I was definitely not going to do the route in a oner. Many obviously were and a few were looking at doing it over three days so there was a wide variety of gear on display..... Finally at 8am sharp we were off.
The first bit of the route was actually all new to me as my previous perambulations from Hawes had never taken me this far south. Road at first through Embsay and over into Wharfedale, all of the typical Yorkshire narrow, twisty and lumpy type. The first dirt was an easy (apart from the first of many monster climbs) gravel road over Pockstones moor. I hoofed it up the climb, as usual going too fast at the start of a large bike route but I figured I would settle into my normal steady pace soon enough. Pateley Bridge was bypassed as I had plenty of food for the morning at least. Nidderdale was also new and very pleasant up a tiny road and then another substantial climb on a track which took us high above the valley floor, contouring round to Scar House Reservoir. I'd always meant to do some riding round here but never quite got round to it so this was all good stuff. A brief sprinkle of rain actually came through here (and the forecast was for more) but it made little difference to the trails which were iron hard and dusty thanks to a spell unseasonable dry weather...
On the climb over Dead Mans Hill I caught up with a group who it turned out were at the front. Lee Craigie was there as well as Ian Barrington who I'd chatted to after that years HT group start and bought some bike bags off (he is one half of Wildcat Gear). I was a bit dubious about making this kind of progress as I had little indication of my form. However my back was behaving so I lead off on the last steep of the climb and got up it to a cheer from the others. But this was dangerous ground for me after my Highland Trail blow up in 2014. I stopped to take in the views and eat food whilst this group of elites disappeared down the descent. Thereafter I made a conscious effort to keep the pace down. There didn't seem to be anyone behind in view so I had the place to myself - perfect!
More road climbing took me onto familiar territory. The Starbotton cam road was a nice grassy bridleway on which I passed a very hacked off looking Lee Craigie. She seemed to have ground to a halt and totally ignored my greeting and inquiry as to how she was doing. So I left her too it and hared off down a fine descent to Starbotton itself. It turned out that Lee bailed at that point and rode back to the start.....
For me it was a leisurely pedal up the road to Buckden where I hoped to score food at the cafe. A few of the others were there and seemed to be struggling to get the proprietor to produce any food. There were only four of them (and no-one else) but four rounds of sandwiches and some filled water bottles seemed beyond him or his assistant without much huffing and puffing. His last straw came when the assistant dropped a water bottle and spilled water everywhere. He tried to sort it but the guy totally lost the place and refused to serve anyone else, which unfortunately was me. He assumed I was part of the same group (I wasn't really) and ignored my polite but firm statement otherwise. So instead I went into the next door shop and the same guy appeared. He begrudgingly served me and I begrudgingly paid up. This sort of attitude isn't a common occurrence hereabouts however many years ago I did once witness this same bloke have a total melt down with a neighbour over parking. Yeah, one of those types.....
Anyway, I sat in the sun and ate about half of my stash before the steep climb out of the valley. This is a good trail and I generally get up it dab free. Today was no exception giving further hints that my form was actually pretty good, despite my earlier concerns. Slightly less good was a few twinges out of my back. Still, I also got up the climb on the byway above Kidstones, cruised across Stake moss and clattered down another fast and loose descent to Carperly Green. Into Wensleydale now and onto one of my favourite trails that traces a high level route along the valley, east to Castle Bolton. Less nice was an advancing rain cloud. I didn't muck around, just got into my gear and carried on.
It lasted over into Apedale and waterproofs came off above Grinton with the sun shining as I rolled into Reeth. I noted a bike shop cum cafe at the roadside so dived in. I've a fixed strategy for these kind of rides - if you see a food stop, you use it. Ian B, David, a guy on a Trek Stache (Tom Hill) and a guy on a Surly ECR (Michael Collins) were there feeding their faces. It was only 4pm (and 110k in) but after a quick think I figured this could be the last food source open on route that day so ordered soup, sandwich and salad as my main meal, as well as some cakes to go and lots of coffee. The place was called the Dales Bike Centre and I subsequently learned they had technically stopped serving food at 4 so cheers guys! They also sorted Michaels brake out and sold me some chain lube which I needed but had forgotten to bring with me.
Next up came a famous climb hereabouts - Fremington edge. This used to be the first climb on the Swaledale Marathon route which I did several times in my youth. It was hard going then so was pretty brutal after 110k. That said I got up most of it, only walking to avoid unnecessary back strain and stomach upset. The rain came and went a bit and it was quite murky over the top. I passed David fixing a puncture at Hurst but pressed on to get off the moor before the rain got worse. In the event it cleared on this ace descent and there didn't seem to be any other clouds around thereafter. Over another climb to the aptly named surrender bridge, but I was feeling good so didn't! Then an nice easy pull up Hard Level Gill and over the lead mine desolation of Merry Field.
Hmm. The descent seemed to be away from any marked line on the map. After a lot of too-ing and fro-ing, I eventually headed off on the line but on not much in the way of a path. It coalesced after a bit and headed down a steep rocky defile that was actually man made, sort of. They are called 'hushes' and were used for lead mining. Basically you dammed a stream and then let it run down the hillside so that it washed everything away, in order to expose the precious lead. These hushes are all over the place around here and somewhat at odds with the generally benign terrain. Anyway I picked my way down it carefully and even walked (!) one bit, not wishing to bash myself up at this stage. Another grassy descent took me out of Gunnerside Gill and what would be the hardest section of the route. Back on road (more climbing of course) seemed to signify a major stage of this route achieved. I'd dealt with some monster climbs and minor back niggles aside was in reasonable shape. I was also coming up to the halfway point, but that was at the top of another famous climb.
Before then I passed the Farmers Arms in Muker. I'd had many a shandy (then half pint, then pint) here with Mum, Dad and brother over the years, usually after a lengthy walk nearby. A couple of bikes were parked up outside so I thought "See food, eat food". Actually I only figured on getting a drink and crisps as it was now 8.30 but on entering the barmaid said "If you want food, you'll have to order now!"
"Sausage and mash please"
"Coming right up"
10 minutes later it did, and I wolfed the lot without a second thought. Ian B, Michael and Tom were there so we chatted for a while, non of us in a particular rush. Eventually they left and I was happy to see them go, once again figuring that the best company was my own on this route, to avoid going too quick.
The Buttertubs pass loomed and once again I was on a major climb with a full stomach. I was last here the day after the 2014 Tour de France grand depart which had also used this well known bump. On that day I waltzed over the climb on fresh legs, passing many roadies on the way, despite being on a loaded Fargo. This evening I took it mightily slow. It was now after 9pm and I was giving thought to accommodation, or rather a bivvy spot. In a way I was glad that the Farmers Arms had stopped me as if I'd bypassed it I would likely have diverted into Hawes and then the temptation to bail to the caravan would have been high. In the event after finally grinding up the climb I bombed down the other side and missed Hawes altogether. I passed an incredibly scrawny rat, gnawing away on some roadkill and totally ignoring me. It made me laugh out loud (I love rats and relate to their scavenging skills when bikepacking) so felt well happy cruising along the back road to Bainbridge. I would stop at the next available spot to sleep and tomorrow I'd have less than halfway to ride and a lot less than half the climbing.
The others were caught at Bainbridge and David, who'd missed the Farmers Arms, was just emerging from the Rose and Crown. Another great feature of the Dales is the large number of great pubs! So a group of us started the long, long climb up the Roman road above Wensleydale. Tom was actually singlespeeding which is good going given the hills. My only single speed exploits hereabouts resulted in much pain and suffering and I'd vowed never to try it again... Another guy had joined us (Alistair) who'd actually been up the front for most of the day and was now easing off a bit. Turns out this was his first bikepacking ITT, and his first ride over 100 miles off road! Less welcome was the beginnings of another shower, typical when you are looking for a bivvy spot.
Over the top eventually and I was now tailing Ian B, the others strung out behind. Of course it was now full dark but I knew the route well and even shouted Ian onto the turn off for the Pennine Bridleway, which is easy to miss. Ian lead off down it and I hung onto his back wheel, a light beam back from him. It's a cracker and I'd not done it in the dark before. The first bit is grassy then it follows a smooth gravel path that descends in a series of wide sweeping bends. Ian pulled ahead but for me a stop was very much on the cards. Having a bag only made me think of bivvying under the viaduct at Dent Head but one of the others, who was local, mentioned that the midges were particularly bad that year so this option didn't look good. I did vaguely think of just keeping going but my back had started to give out some serious pain on the long climb and such a move would likely spoil my so far nigh on perfect first day. Then, as if by magic, I spotted a low, squat building by the side of the path. Amazingly it was a breeze block hut with a tin roof and a floor covered in old feed sacks. Perfect! Alistair appeared at this point with a puncture. We both eyed this place up and made an instant, easy decision - this was our digs. David turned up but Tom and Michael cracked on. There was plenty of space so I quickly unpacked the bivvy and got in. The others shuffled around quite a bit so sleep didn't come instantly, despite me having clocked 185k in around sixteen and a half hours. Soon after we all settled down another light appeared and a further chap stuck his head in.
"Room for one more?"
It was raining so the answer was always going to be yes. In the event, he manged to fit in width ways at the top end of the hut so whilst it was definitely cosy, we all had (just) enough room. Hopefully no-one else turns up! Much crackling of bags and shuffling followed but eventually the distance and hour caught me up and off I went into a deep sleep.
Not long after I woke bleary eyed to the sound of people shuffling around. It was just 4am but I figured I'd had around 4 hours of sleep and the sooner I started, the sooner I'd finish so got moving. I'd not brought a stove with me, which is a change for me on an overnighter. My cold breakfast of a piece of brownie and a caffeine gel did little to endear me to this particular piece of TLS wisdom. Still, I was up and packed in jig time shortly after 4.30. The others were still sorting their kit so I gave them a cheery wave and left into the misty morning.
My possible bivvy under the Denthead viaduct looked decidedly damp so that was definitely a good miss. Along the road a bit I caught up with an older guy sporting a natty yellow jersey with a large Welsh Dragon emblazoned upon it. By his accent he was indeed from Wales so we chatted a bit about the route and terrain. He'd actually bivvied in the Dent station waiting shelter, not realising that whilst (on paper) just off route, it was about 200m higher! On the first climb I soon outpaced him, despite my own general feeling of wabbit-ness. I knew I 'only' had 115k to do and I'd also done most of the climbing so I was feeling fairly confident. Better still, my firm bed had done wonders for my back so the pains of yesterday had receded.
Its been years since I did the climb out of Dentdale over the great Wold and its a monster. The mist was clearing a bit hinting at sunshine to come. All was quiet on the usually busy descent to Ribble Head (this is part of the three peaks route) and even the car park was empty. The climb out of Gearstones used to be rough as when it was open to vehicles. It was done up after it became a restricted byway but now seems to have been done up again as a forest haul road and was super smooth. Then down an oft used trail to Birkwith and a trail I'd only discovered a couple of years previous on the Pennine Bridleway to Selside. This is a great route and goes passed the fabulous Morton scars limestone paving.
Bridge over the Ribble on the Pennine Bridleway (from a previous trip)
Moughton Scar (also from a previous trip, I had no camera with me for this)
This and the next few bridleways ended up being my favourite of the route. Likely due to the lack of hills, lack of people and general easy riding along little narrow walled lanes. Austwick was still sleeping but on passing the cafe at Feizor I noted that the door was open, despite it being only 7.30 am. I stuck my head round the door and asked the lady baking bread if they were open.
"Yes I can do you breakfast if you'd like"
I nearly burst into tears.
This substantially improved my mood and wellbeing. Tea, tea cakes, fried things, and a toilet! I eyed up the rest of the route on the GPS. I'd not done a huge amount of homework for this ride as I knew much of it already. The rest of it would be mainly on new trails and looked to be generally easy going so I was fairly relaxed.
Wee road to Stainforth and then up onto another substantial moor. The route zig zagged back and forth across this and often you were within metres of where you'd be several miles later. On paper it looks daft but in reality its a way of bagging several good trails. As a whole the route is very convoluted but that's the result of the myriad of trails in the Dales. In the Highlands there is typically one route so there is not much scope for route planning imagination. Here you could put a route all over the place and it obviously had been carefully planned by Stuart Ryder to make the best of the descents and general riding. It does make it easy to scratch as you are often at points where a bail out back to base would be easy, particularly if you were feeling rubbish and knackered. That said its part of the appeal as you are never too far away from home making the route a lot less intimidating than say the Highland Trail.
Anyway I criss-crossed this moor then bombed down to Malhamdale and up to Malham itself. It was now mid morning so inevitably I was drawn to a further cafe. Other people were now present, the first since the previous afternoon, and I caught a few sidelong looks at me shoveling food down and staring into space. Many people I've spoken too on these routes tell me they often have difficulties eating enough food to fuel them. I don't. So another huge climb with a full stomach past the Cove and up onto Mastiles moor. A guy walking up to the Cove made a comment about this being a big climb for me. I just smiled.....
I've ridden Mastiles lane countless times and its another trail that has seriously benefited from being closed to vehicles as its now super smooth. The sun was largely shining as I flew down the descent into Kilnsey leaving only some pleasant road riding to the last trails of the route. The first two were easy but Stuart had put a huge sting in the tail - a humongous climb over Embsay moor. As I ground up the last zig-zags, I noted a rider behind. Despite my cafe stops I'd not seen any of the others and hadn't been aware of anyone passing but it turned out to be a guy on a day ride. He made a comment about me taking some catching so I felt quite chuffed with myself and he looked a bit shocked when I told him I was doing a 300k route! I let him lead off on the descent and he soon outpaced me.
Heading along the road back to Skipton it occurred to me that I might get in under 30 hours so upped the pace. I was on course until I reached Skipton itself. I'd seen a few signs out the previous day about it being 'armed forces day' today but these gave no hint that in fact the whole town centre was shut so that the local squaddies could show off their kit. So much for traffic management as the first hint of a road closure was.... the road closure. As for a diversion - what diversion? Loads of people were present (and a tank) so blasting through the lot of them seemed inappropriate. I spotted a marshal and asked if there was anyway past. She seemed unknowing of any way round so on the spot I made up a tale of having to catch a train as trying to explain the intricacies of a bikepacking ITT would take too long. If I promised to dismount I could get round so off I went, trying not to crash into errant pedestrians all wandering around the hardware. BANG went a large gun and everyone turned to look allowing me to nip across the square and away from this nonsense. Back on the bike and pedal like hell, arriving back at Stuarts shop at 2:07 pm precisely. Given that at the start I figured my dodgy back would put the stoppers on this long before the finish, I was well chuffed to have finished in thirty hours and seven minutes.
Stuart appeared to congratulate me and I got stuck into the food he'd laid on. Lee was there so I chatted to her for a while. Turns out she had been fighting a cold which had finally got her the previous day, hence her scratch rather than a suffer fest to no real benefit. I was actually the seventh person back and the first to have had a sleep! Interestingly Ian B had only beaten me by an hour and a half despite not stopping. Sometimes a tactical sleep gains you more than you lose. First back did it in 21 hours 30, so I wasn't that much off the pace. Eventually I packed up and headed back to Hawes. Unfortunately it had started to rain and by the time I'd got going it was chucking it down which wouldn't be welcomed by the others still out on the trail. I got back soon enough and crashed out. I had the next day off for recovery so a few beers that evening were definitely in order!
I'd supposed to be doing the Highland Trail again this year but back problems threw a spanner in my training and made doing 550 miles with lots of hike a bike a no no. As compensation I decided to do an easy tour from Stonehaven west picking up a few of the Mounth roads that zig zag north / south through the eastern Grampian hills towards the Cairngorms. If you've done the coast to coast you'll have done a fair bit of this route but for some reason the 'official' coast to coast takes you on road from Glen Mark to Montrose instead of heading further east on more great tails to Stonehaven. I did a fair few of them on a trip in 2011 but the crap weather put the kybosh on my route so this week I hoped to bag the ones I missed. So I trained it to Stonehaven and after only a couple of miles of road I hit the dirt.
The start of the Elsick Mounth. For this trip I was in touring mode so had a fairly big load with everything on the bike to give my back an easy time.
At the top of the pass looking west - a nice trail all in all with single track through the woods bone dry after all the sun. Note weather...
Next up was the Cryne Course Road - this bit was a bit crap but being dry and downhill passed fairly quickly...
The Stock mounth was a no go as the first section was covered in wind blown trees and I couldn't be arsed with a death march on such a nice day. So I short cutted to the Builg Mounth via a new windfarm track
The summit of the Builg - Tussock central but short lived as you pick up a fast doubletrack descent to the Cairn o' Mounth road. From here its a short hop to Char Bothy where I'd planned to stop but as it was only 5pm I cracked on up the glen and Mount Battock (778m!)
The trail over the summit and down the first part of the ridge is a nice mix of turf and rock before you hit a network of smooth stalking tracks. I was feeling a bit bushed by this time so when I spied a nice grassy side glen after dropping off the ridge it was an easy choice to make camp.
The next morning the forecasted cloud and dreich turned out to be clear blue sky and not a breath of wind (or midges). Finally I was doing a trip at the end of May which didn't involve gale force winds, rain and snow. Plans were changed to hit as many trails as I could.
From my campsite this morning to my destination at Ballater was about 20k as the crow flies. My route was nearer 100....
The junction of the Fungle road and Firmounth - I'd be back here in a few hours. In 2011 this section was well rocky but its all been done up and is pretty smooth. The Fungle road is a gem with a mix of made and natural double and single track. There are plenty of options to do this as a circuit and its well worth it.
After a late brekky in Aboyne I headed up the Firmounth which I'd failed to do in 2011. I passed my camp spot of that year but this day, instead of lashing rain, I was struggling in the hot sun! Its a monster climb and you cross a big moor with two peaks to bag en-route. The descent to Glen Mark was a smooth blast. A bit of road bashing up Glen Mark and then I hit the gravel again, all easy going until the Queens well which was visited by Queen Vickky on her many perambulations hereabouts. Then it was onto another beast of a climb over the Mount Keen Mounth road. I got up pretty much all of this but decided to miss out the summit as I'd heard that the descent was a bit rubbish. Instead there is another trail which traverses the summit cone.
This is divine - nadgery rocks and narrow gravel followed by a wide boulder field...
This kind of stuff needs a deal of care on a rigid bike with bags on. I made reasonable progress down it with only one dab on a particularly large rock....
There followed a leisurely pedal down through the Forest of Glen Tannar with the mandatory stop at the Halfway hut for a snack:-
A fine wee hut which would be a squeeze to sleep in! I sat in the sun at Dinnet drinking coffee and eating ice cream reflecting on a perfect day on the bike - Sun, scenery and dry trails. Later whilst sat in the pub in Ballater it lashed down for about 30 mins but the sun was back out as I weaved my way back to the tent at last light.
Day 3 was a steady one heading up Glen Gairn on road and track to Loch Builg and then down to Tomintoul. It was pretty overcast but still dry. The Firestation Cafe provided food and drink as I contemplated my onward route. I'd had a few plans to head north from here and even have a razz round the Glenlivet trails but murky cloud in that direction persuaded me to head west to Aviemore by the usual Glen Brown / Dorback / Eigh Mhor / Ryvoan Cairngorms Loop route.
The top of Glen Brown before the climb to Dorback Lodge.
At Tomintoul I texted my pals to say I was inbound and Iona suggested a meet up in the cafe at Boat of Garten. In the event I was going to be early so as per I stopped for a pint in the Glenmore cafe and then followed a recently discovered route over the Sluggan pass to Boat, followed by coffee in the sun with Iona and then a leisurely pedal back along the speyside way to Aviemore.
Monday and Tuesday night were spent in Aviemore with an afternoon spent riding the woods around Boat of Garten, Carrbridge and Burnside.
The plan was to spend a couple of days heading down to Tyndrum to catch up with a few of the Highland Trail finishers and then an easy pedal home from there. Wednesday morning dawned rather murky but by the time I'd left Aviemore it was already clearing. My route was as per what I'd done the previous year and took me due south west with a monster tailwind. From Ruthven Barracks the old military road provides and easy pedal and a much nicer route than NCN 7
From Phones lodge there is good route over to Dalwhinnie, again better than NCN 7 albeit with a bit of a bump...
In the cafe at Dalwhinnie (sat in the sun!) I checked out the progress of the HTR and noted everyone seemed to be going like the clappers with many finishing this day and the next. The plan was revised. My route took me down past Loch Ericht and over the Bealach Dhu to Ben Alder Cottage, thereafter over to Glen Lyon via another large climb, then out passed the res and over to the West Highland Way - i.e. the reverse of the new Highland Trail route. Instead of bivvying or bothying, I'd do it in a oner.
Going down by Loch Ericht was absolutely stunning
On the first section of singletrack - Ben Alder from the north
On the Bealach Dubh looking towards Ossian. You'd never have guessed 40 odd riders had passed this way a few days previously...
I hit Loch Rannoch at about 6.15pm and just kept going, the weather was so good...
Above Loch Rannoch looking back to Ben Alder from the South.
Over the Lairig Gallabhaich the distance started to tell but the mega tailwind made Glen Lyon a breeze. I hit the WHW at 8pm and made Tyndrum at 8.30, 11 hours and 100 miles after leaving Aviemore. There followed a pleasant evening of drinking and chatting with folk who had finished the HTR and seeing a few more folk in. Next morning was more of the same followed by a gentle pedal home on roads and cycleways. 6 days of great trails, great weather and tailwinds...
On NCN 7 near Lochearnhead - for me always known as the bridge that didn't fit...
Every October the Clachaig inn, Glencoe holds its annual beer and music festival, the 'Octoberfest'. Me and various friends have been going to this pub off and on for many years; usually on motorbikes, either on the way elsewhere up north or just to sample the many ales it has on offer. In fact its the place where I first got drunk at the tender age of 16. We've been to Octoberfest a few times, generally staying in the bunkhouse just down from the pub. For various reasons we'd missed a couple of years and I'd not actually been to the Clachaig at all since 2012. So this year me and four friends decided to re-start our tradition of attendance, this time staying in a luxury caravan at the bunkhouse.
I'd included some kind of cycling in the proceedings in previous years in order to get an appetite for the many ales we always manage to drink. This year I had a notion to drive part way up and ride the rest of the way by some suitable route. I figured starting at Lagan just west of the A9 would allow me to do a large-ish route over the Corrieairyack, down the Great Glen Way, then the West Highland Way. I've done a lot of bike riding this year and this seemed a good way to round off the year before the winter kicked in and I'd be limited to day rides.
A further justification for this route was to check out the newly opened Great Glen Cycleway between Fort Augustus and Fort William. During this years Highland Trail campaign I'd noted signs of the old railway line being worked on and research afterward indicated that there was a project underway to create a cycleway the whole way from Inverness to Fort Bill; due for completion that summer. Part of this would be on the same line as the Great Glen Way and some of it would be new. I'd mentioned this to Alan Goldsmith in an email exchange over the day one route and he'd asked if I could recce it and get a gpx that he could include in the HT route.
So I booked the Friday off work on the strength of a good weather forecast and left the house early doors to get an easy run up the A9 to Dalwhinnie and thence Lagan. The weather was cool and cloudy but with hints of the nice day to come. Better yet was a stiff North-Easterly breeze which would provide a tailwind for the whole route. After Lagan village the tarmac runs out at Melgarve Bothy which I had a brief nosy at before hitting the dirt.
On the first part of the climb I eyed up a large machine busy restoring the access track used to install the Beauly-Denny power line further up the hill. When this track was being put in they used Wades road as the initial access for plant and as a result did the whole route up to a good standard which finally seems to be standing the test of time. Previous excursions over the Corrieairyack had been a struggle due to the large boulder field and huge washouts masquerading as the track surface. Now its pretty smooth with only some monster water-bars interrupting the flow.
Hmm, the last time I was on this was during the Highland Trail. I seemed to be repeating lots of the route on my various bike trips this year. Not intentionally as such, I guess its just a function of it covering so much ground across Scotland. Any reasonable length of route in the Highlands is therefore bound to meet it. In fact the last time I was up here on the Krampus was on my ill-fated Highland Trail attempt in 2014. That day, despite my legs being totally wrecked, I'd got up the whole climb thanks mainly due to a 20/34 granny gear. Today I was on my 1x10 which was only a 30/42 granny but in the event I still got up - all thanks to my excellent form and fresh legs.
The top, still a bit grey but breaks in the cloud all around.
Looking west towards Strath Cannich, Kintail and Torridon
Being a Friday in October I had the place to myself. I hammered the descent and made sure I rode the bottom of the hydro scheme track instead of the 'official' wades road. The local landowner seems to get very annoyed at people doing this which is why I do it. Access rights of course as well as the fact that I buy my electricity from Scottish Hydro and they put the track in so in fact I'm riding on my track! The sun finally appeared right on cue as I rolled into Fort Augustus so I grabbed lots of pies and cakes from the shop and sat in the sun having a leisurely brunch. A passing tourist expressed gasps of amazement at the Kramps 3" wide tyres. Funny really these seem narrow to me nowadays....
So with a nice following breeze (for a very nice change along here), off I went down the Great Glen Cycleway. This actually has quite a checkered history. A previous incarnation pre-dates the Great Glen Way (which is touted primarily as a walking route although you can bike it) and followed some pretty steep trails thrown at the ground with little thought for durability or rideability. It also finished at Drumnadrochit and thereafter you either had to turn back or continue on the not too pleasant A82. After a few years it was showing signs of serious neglect, got little use and was therefore abandoned.... Some years later much funding was gained through Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland and Highland Council to develop the Great Glen Way as an easy long distance walking route. This used most of what had been the old cycling route - the Caledonian Canal tow path , various forest tracks and sections of either the old General Wade Road or disused railway line which goes through here but also built several new sections, in particular along the length of Loch Ness above the A82. Then this year the Council started to re-develop the cycle route. This uses the quiet roads on the south side of Loch Ness, the easier bits of the Great Glen Way and a long length of disused railway alongside loch Oich. Confused?
Whatever it was an easy pedal in warm sunshine with great views down the glen. Right enough the section alongside Loch Oich was all on the old railway line. This has been closed since the 50's and mostly impassable. I'd ridden along here in 2014 as part of a tour and one section was a mass of tree routes which made for incredibly hard going. Wades road and the HT route parallels the railway line for much of this so on my 2015 ride we'd been duty bound to follow the proper route along wades road which, as per the rest of the HT route was very wet. Then the cycleway was incomplete but the roots were no more! Now its a great route with a smooth dust surface. You pass through a couple of rock cuttings and a tunnel and its pan flat the whole way. I guess the only problem is that Wades road will likely not get used any more and therefore become totally overgrown. After Loch Oich your on a nice single track section which had only been re-surfaced, not widened. Then it was up into the forestry beside Loch Lochy, views of Annoch Mor and Ben Nevis building to the south.
The last time I'd been on the final section of towpath (now also re-surfaced and billiard table smooth) it had been 9.30pm, I'd been going for 16 hours and it was pishing down. Today it was warm, sunny and I was cruising effortlessly. At Fort William I sat in the afternoon sun eating more pie and cake contemplating my onward route. The easy way would be to just horse it down the A82 to Corran and thence the cycleway to Glencoe village. The A82 is not particularly nice on this section so definitely worth a miss. That left the West Highland Way, last done in more torrential rain and an ungodly 6 am on my last day of the HT. Today it was warm, dry and I was feeling super strong so left without a thought. I couldn't be bothered with the WHW out of Glen Nevis however so short-cutted up Wades road (tarmac) before picking the WHW and HT route near the road end.
The climb up the Lairig Mor seemed to take no time and soon enough I was clattering down the rough descent into Kinlochleven as dusk fell. Then it was case of following the bumpy twisty B863 out to Glencoe village and up to the caravan, some 80 miles and eight and a half hours after leaving the car. My pals were already ensconced and champing at the bit to go to the pub!
This we did and had a fine night drinking many ales and eating food whilst listening to the usual folk band. Walking back from the pub it was raining. This was forecast for most of the night but was due to be off by the next morning.
We woke to a steady drizzle, somewhat late thanks to the previous nights festivities. After a leisurely breakfast we all headed out. They (Dawn, Ron, Jim and Kim) were out to bag some waterfalls above Kinlochleven. I was also heading there but I had bigger fish to fry - the Chiarain Path. As I passed through the woods above Glencoe village the sky brightened and the sun came out on the road to KLL. Thence it was 'that' climb up past the water pipes (again!) but at the penstock, instead of turning off up the WHW, I kept on a ways before dropping onto the lid of the aqueduct. This is a 3m square concrete box through which water flows from the Blackwater reservoir to feed the power station at Kinlochleven, formerly the Aluminium smelter. Its nigh on level (well it climbs at about 1:100) and fast. The only dodgy bits are where it crosses gorges on viaducts of various lengths. There are no handrails of course so these can be a little unnerving if you don't have a head for heights.
Finally reaching the dam I picked my way across the vast area of rock that used to be a raging river before it was dammed. Now its barely a trickle and with a bit of nose following its easy to pick a route across. In fact this area gets used for the Scottish Six Days Trial for a number of sections so there are wee trails everywhere. At the far side of the dam you follow another pipeline (a round one this time) which links the Blackwater Res to Loch an Eilde Mor. All part of the same hydro scheme. After only a couple of hundred meters you turn away from this and start one of the UK's gnarliest descents - the Chiarain Path.
Its typical of the breed and quite eroded due to being used by the SSDT so rough as in places with some steep sections and plenty of drops. I'd last rode this on my Orange 5 in 2011, also on an October Fest weekend. I'd blasted down it in about 30 minutes and was left feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the experience. This marked the end of my full suspension biking career in the event. So here I was on a rigid steel bike eagerly anticipating the battering I was about to receive. Now as it happens I had an action cam (a Garmin virb) attached to my bars and I hoped to get some good footage of the descent. Off I went clattering across everything in my path. I rode pretty much all that I remembered having ridden previously excepting one particularly precipitous drop. I felt I was making good progress and the 29+ was going through everything. The clock told a different story as it took nearly twice as long.
That said this included a rather epic burn crossing. As I'd ridden along the aqueduct, I'd noted a few of the side burns on the opposite side of the glen looking somewhat tumultuous due to the previous nights rain. One in particular looked to be a raging torrent. Sure enough when I arrived it was fierce. My riding this year has been characterised by several epic river crossings, mainly on the Highland Trail but with a few others also adding to the drama. This one looked like it could be the worst of the lot. I'd been following fresh tyre tracks however so someone else must have got across and I figured it would go. First attempt nearly had me over as I sank up to my thigh into a strong current which also caught the bike wheel. Oops best try elsewhere....
A bit further downstream the flow widened somewhat and so was much shallower. I stepped carefully across feeling my footing with a deal of care as there was a waterfall right behind me.... Phew made it. I stopped to drain my boots and then carried on knowing another river was coming. I passed an elderly couple soon after who advised it was fine. I told them not to attempt the crossing I'd just done!
Sure enough the next river, despite being in a huge gorge containing a wreck of a bridge, was barely a trickle. Odd. The remainder of the route passed without incident and I rolled back to Glencoe along the road with a big grin on my face. Afterward I reviewed the camera footage and it was truly painful. What had seemed to me to be a progressive descent down the trail was revealed as continual series of fits and starts that made for turgid viewing. Worse, as the camera was bolted to the bike it was bouncing and shaking all over the place and actually made me feel physically sick watching it. I'll not be doing that again.....
That night involved more beer, food, beer, folk music and beer. The pub was rammed so we'd ended up in the back bar. This did make for easy conversation and you could still hear the music. Thankfully the clocks would be changing that night so we'd get an extra hour in bed.
Sunday dawned sunny but we had to be up and out of the van by 10. We had a large breakfast in the Glencoe cafe and then once again I was cycling along in pleasant sunshine with a tailwind thanks to the wind shifting back to the south west. My route back would involve picking up some forestry trails from Onich in the hope that I would miss out a large chunk of the A82. From Glencoe to Onich is now off road as they have widened the footway into a cycleway of sorts.
The track out of Onich was good and the bridge over the Abhainn Righ was in fact there! I then picked my way above Inshree following a mix of fire roads and walking trails. Hmm. the forest road shown on the map seemed to have disappeared under a load of clear fell. I had that familiar sinking feeling and back tracked to try another track lower down. What was on the ground didn't seem to bear much resemblance to what was on the map but after a bit of nose following, one struggle down a track covered in brash and a careful crossing of a river over which there wasn't a bridge that was marked on the map, I joined the A82 for the final few miles into Fort Bill.
I rode straight through and sought out the cycleway which goes from the edge of the town to the ski centre. This is a roadside path for a while but you turn off at Torlundy past the North Face (of Ben Nevis) car park and head into the woods, part of the waymarked trails in Leanachan forest. Sections were taped off and showed evidence of much use. Arriving at the ski centre it was crowded with very muddy (and wasted looking) people attaching very muddy bikes to cars. Turns out it was the 'Sleepless in the Saddle' 24 hour race which had finished at 10 am that morning. I parked up outside the cafe and queued for a while to grab a large lunch which I ate sat out in the sun, contemplating my onward route.
The plan was to ride through the forest towards Spean Bridge, then pick up the East Highland Way which I'd ridden with my pal Iona a couple of years previously and on which I'd broken my collar bone. By this time the weather was glorious so I pedaled steadily through the woods taking in the views all around. From Killieconate you join the EHW on a back road at the end of which a group of squadies were congregated around a truck immovably stuck in the roadside ditch. You often see the Army around here, the vast area of mountains to the east an obvious draw for training purposes. I gave them a cheery wave and carried on to Insh farm. After this it gets progressively rougher to Monessie farm - a strange place in that it has no good track access and a large river between it and the main road. There is a ford across this but impassable when the river is in spate. The EHW follows a vaguer line (well marked) through fields by the river, down a bank and across a side burn into felled woodland.
Its a good route and was created by a guy off his own back as a way to link the West Highland Way to the Speyside Way. As I headed through the forest to Fersit and beyond I contemplated the land to my right. This is one of the biggest wilderness areas in the country (in fact the whole of Europe) only beaten by the Caringorms as this area has a few isolated lodges and the West Highland Railway line passing through it. Various routes through it can be followed by bike although its quite an undertaking. The Highland Trail route came through here but its first day route is changing and will head through further to the east. This is a bit of a shame as the old route has a section of nigh on 50 miles between public roads. There are a couple of rubbish bits however and the new route uses much nicer trails....
Dusk was now falling as I progressed north east. I took collarbone corner at a suitably low speed and then climbed up to Loch an Earba rather than the easier route along loch Lagan, keen to re-visit as much of the HT route as possible.
Darkness eventually fell as I passed Ardvericke, thanks to the clocks going back, but soon enough I was back at Lagan, some 67 miles and six and a half hours since starting. That's it for trips for me this year. I'll do plenty of day rides of course and look forward to (hopefully) another snowy winter!
