HT550 - 2017

[Bert]

Drumbeg: vaguely exciting.

So no worries then about the Bank Holiday. Cool.

[Ben98]

A couple of questions on money:
How prevalent is the use of cards along the route? Do I need to be taking enough cash for the whole route or do most places accept cards?
Does the OBH accept cards?
This is an area i've never really been (only really know the area around Fort Bill) so I have truly no idea.
Thanks in advance.
Ben

[Chew]

Cash is King Ben, so take plenty.

No need to carry it all at once as a minimum you'll be able to access a cash point in Ullapool

[ianfitz]

A couple of questions on money:
How prevalent is the use of cards along the route? Do I need to be taking enough cash for the whole route or do most places accept cards?
Does the OBH accept cards?
This is an area i've never really been (only really know the area around Fort Bill) so I have truly no idea.
Thanks in advance.
Ben

A lot of places do cards. The OBH do as does contin stores and (I think) drumbeg but cash is worth carrying for sure. I think I had £100 but can't remember how much of it I spent on the route.

[slarge]

I plan on taking £100 cash, and a couple of cards - in 2015 I had to order a new freewheel which came in 24 hours - without cards I would have been knackered.

[padonbike]

I can't promise they would fix something as drastic as a freewheel, but bike shops on route that I know are:
Laggan Wolftrax some spares and mechanic.
The hardware store in Ft Aug has grown and is now a decent bike shop with good spares. Slightly off route and will be shut on sat no matter how fast you ride. I think they're open Sunday because they hire bikes too.
The outdoor shop in Ullapool carries basic spares including tubes and cables.
Fort William there is a bike shop there and the route into town takes you past it - at least it did, not sure now with minor bridge diversion.

[AlasdairMc]

There was a bike shop in Ullapool near the Tesco - was that the one you meant?

[padonbike]

No Alasdair, never noticed that, just talking about the outdoor clothes shop.

[fatbikephil]

That ones still there but pretty crap. The hardware store is opposite the Seaforth pub. In Fort bill there's an Evans in the town centre as well as the bike shop next to the route on the way in. Not forgetting that there will be loads of DH bikes hanging around Fort Bill towards the end of the week so plenty spares to choose from! (joke....)

[GregMay]

Mark Armitage has scratched:

"crashed out yesterday around Ben Alder, physically broken a bit, will mend, mentally broken about not finishing (again)"

[Mariner]

Commiserations.
Not those effing drainage channels?

[GregMay]

Commiserations.
Not those effing drainage channels?

TBC, but wouldn't surprise be judging by the scratch at Laggan.

[slarge]

The bike shop in Ullapool - if it is the one I found it is a bloke in a lockup who rents out bikes. He has a good selection of tools, but very few spares (no 10 speed, 29er or anything from the last 8 years). Nice enough bloke and happy to let me get on with stuff using his kit.

[GregMay]

Marks crash was on the Ben Alder singletrack.

[boxelder]

Rich and Tom over N Loop hills and well on the way to Drumbeg store - must be optimistic of a finish now. Good work.

EDIT: Though they've stalled it seems at Achfary...

[AlasdairMc]

Rich and Tom over N Loop hills and well on the way to Drumbeg store - must be optimistic of a finish now. Good work.

EDIT: Though they've stalled it seems at Achfary...

Yeah, that hill is horrible there so they were probably just psyching themselves up for it. I bonked badly there in 2015 and it was horrific.

[fatbikephil]

Looks like they are in the pie shop. I think the weather is to pick up from here on in (and be proper scorching Thursday - Sunday am) so hopefully will give them a dryish run through to Ledmore and fisherfield tomorrow

[GregMay]

Looks like they are in the pie shop. I think the weather is to pick up from here on in (and be proper scorching Thursday - Sunday am) so hopefully will give them a dryish run through to Ledmore and fisherfield tomorrow

Scorching, and I'm racing Jura fell race on Saturday. I am going to cook.

[Richpips]

They called from the pie shop. It is chucking it down. No pies though. A controversial decision was taken and it was a pasta supper. Both sound chipper.

[whitestone]

Looks like they're stopping at Suileag bothy. Wise choice if it's currently on the damp side as the next bit's quite tiring and exposed.

[Karl]

Glad to hear they're doing well. Bet your one proud mum, Tom choosing pasta over pie who would of guessed it!!

[Richpips]

Just a wee bit proud. He can be fussy about pie. Pasta can be inedible by most people's standards before he won't eat it.

[Alpinum]

Absolutely stunning effort by Tom and Rich

[whitestone]

Absolutely stunning effort by Tom and Rich

Indeed. The tracker shows them just starting the track over to Dundonnell. Stop there in reasonable shelter or push on to Shenavall? The latter is something like 4hrs30 to 5hrs away.

[Mart]

Pushing on past Dundonnell, anothing amazing effort today