Scotland at Easter

[whitestone]

Looking for suggestions for a three day loop at Easter. Suitable for fat bikes. Not too bothered about area. I'm not sure how much snow is left in Scotland, the traffic cameras make things look clear at main road level but there looks to be plenty higher up.

Hopefully not too many fords - we've had experience of burns swollen with snow melt

[ScotRoutes]

There's still quite a bit of snow in and around the Aviemore area - enough to make me consider where and what bike to ride. I had a particularly grim muddy, slushy, icy ride towards the end of last week that fair scunnered me.
Another cold spell on the cards for early next week but it's likely dry. Further west should be clearer - consider Argyll.



That's looking over Glenmore to Meall a Bhuachaille earlier today,

[ballibeg]

I can confirm Argyll is pretty dry after a spell without rain. It is Argyll though so who knows how long it will last!

[fatbikephil]

Eastern Cairngorms? plenty to choose from around Deeside and points east into the Mounth. You could even do the deeside trail, advertised elsewhere on this site - some great riding and you can miss out the corrour bothy loop if its still snowy.

Argyll is good but more track than trail so maybe better on yer normal bikes.

Or Knoydart?

[whitestone]

Knoydart? Are you trying to get me divorced!

Had thought of The Deeside Trail. Fat bikes were Cath's suggestion, all depends on the weather I suppose.

[whitestone]

What's the track like between the Kingshouse and Rannoch station?

One plan might be: Tyndrum - Bridge of Orchy - Glen Kinglass - Loch Etive - Kingshouse - Rannoch - Bridge of Gaur - Loch Lyon - Tyndrum. The last bit from Bridge of Gaur is the HT start in reverse.

Not sure which side of Loch Etive - there's a bothy, Cadderlie, on the west side but from conversations with Phil, the east side sounds an adventure Going via the east side it's about 170km.

[JoseMcTavish]

Pictures are 10 years old but it goes from this:



To this:



To this:



And a bit of this:



Eventually rejoining this:



Looking at more recent OS maps, I think the landrover track extends a lot further East nowadays, so probably much more rideable.

[whitestone]

Cheers Craig. Yes it looks like the death march bit is only about a kilometre or so.

[JoseMcTavish]

Probably a good thing with the amount of water in the ground at the moment!

[AlasdairMc]

I've ridden the East side, going downhill from Kingshouse which made the road a lot more enjoyable. It really wasn't anything bad, but it was a good summer's day when we did it which may have helped somewhat.

[whitestone]

I've ridden the East side, going downhill from Kingshouse which made the road a lot more enjoyable. It really wasn't anything bad, but it was a good summer's day when we did it which may have helped somewhat.

Hmm, wondering if the route might be better done in the opposite direction then the road in Glen Lyon is also downhill The only uphill road would then be the short bit between Bridge of Gaur and Rannoch Station. It would mean riding up Glen Kinglass though.

[ericrobo]

Bob, as part of a 2 or 3 day loop many years ago, after staying a night in the Rannoch Hotel, I headed west trying to get to Kingshouse... I had 5 miles of pushing through that forest (well, probably 4 miles, but even if it was 3 miles it totally pissed me off)

But that was a long time ago and things change...

Looking at it on Google Maps it looks as if it’s a regular track now, all the way past the end of Loch Laidon...
and from what I remember after that it’s just typical heathland/moorland riding...(hard work but just about rideable, as usual easier when dry)

[padonbike]

Don't laugh ... but: any new of the Corrieyairich pass (750m).
It may figure in my early April plans.
I can remember pictures from HT from 3 years back when there was still some snow on the pass at end of May!
Cheers

[padonbike]

Knoydart? Are you trying to get me divorced!

Really not recommended with a bike. A few years ago I came in from Loch Arkaig > Glen Disarray [sic] > Sourlies.
Then out over a memorable pass that only had a single width path through thick heather so there wasn't much room for me walking beside my bike and pushing it
After a night at the fantastic bunkhouse in Inverrey, I went out the Barrisdale Kinlochhourn way.
Though no great downhiller, I was thoroughly expecting the KOM on the descent to Barrisdale, but it seems I wasn't the only one to take a bike that way.
The 6 miles from Barrisdale to Kinlochhourn is actually a fairly tough hike with a rucksack. Suffice to say, it wasn't easy with a bike.
So, in conclusion, Bob. Keep your marriage and forget Knoydart on a bike.
(But maybe go there one day in your life "with" - not "on" - two wheels)

[ScotRoutes]

Don't laugh ... but: any new of the Corrieyairich pass (750m).
It may figure in my early April plans.
I can remember pictures from HT from 3 years back when there was still some snow on the pass at end of May!
Cheers

There's a Yellow snow warning (yes, I know) for this weekend so a possibility of some at that level.

Remember not to leave anything behind this year.

[fatbikephil]

Knoydart? Are you trying to get me divorced!.

I believe Mr Goldsmith has ridden it all, and I know a couple of folk who did an amazing bikepacking trip round there in 2010. That said I'd agree with padonbikes comments from what I heard. I did suggest to Alan he include it in the Highland Trail as a more interesting way from Fort A to Fort b, but he wasn't keen....

Good to see the pics of the Kingshouse to Rannoch ROW, been meaning to do that au fat bike for yonks. I'd be a bit wary of tackling it after a prolonged wet weather as its proper bottomless peat bogs round there.

At the mo everything above 500m will be proper snowy. Looks like some freeze thaw going on next week after the coming cold snap so may lead to some nice spring snow riding?

[padonbike]

Remember not to leave anything behind this year.

I force myself to walk a circle around the car before I set off these days.

[whitestone]

I've a fear of dropping the car keys down a drain so try not to park near any!

Anyway, I remembered that Huw Oliver did a piece on bikerafting in the Rough Bounds - https://topofests.com/2015/10/29/bikera ... gh-bounds/