I switched tactics to making notes as I went, usually at every stop for food, so as to have the rough detail and then I'll flesh these out for the write up.
We had a plan for the ride but were not wedded to it and would could bits out or deviate completely if required as there was a fixed connection to meet at one point.
Day 1 Milngavie to Killin
We'd left Mike's (from Bromsgrove) at half 5 in the morning and drove up to the start. An earlier start than we'd originally thought of having but the day before we'd decided we'd sacrifice sleep to get on the trails earlier. No traffic issues and a clear run meant we were riding by 12:00. Stopped at Gregg's at the start of the West Highland Way for a scotch pie to fuel up, well it's right next to the start.
We were following the Badger Divide route but in reverse, but we also rode some extra bits of the West Highland Way when the route deviated onto the main roads, slower but much nicer.
Despite the forecast in the weeks before we had sunshine and dry trails.
Made it to Aberfoyle for an amazing chickpea curry pie at The Station Café, recommended. Climbed up through the forest on full stomachs then dropped down and skirted Callander before climbing up through Glen Ample and dropped down to Lochearnhead. On the climb up the Glen Ample, which is very very steep, I went to select the lowest gear and then all sorts of horrible mechanical noises started and I was stopped dead. The gear cable had pulled out of the mech, karma for fitting gears to the bike. Soon fixed but the Sram cable routing is fiddly at the side of the trail.
We skipped the last section of the Badger and used the sustrans to drop into Killing. Got to the pub after they'd finished serving but the chef is the landlady's family so she told them they're cooking for us anyway.
Ended up talking to a local woman who works for SEPA who was drinking with two other locals. One of these said it's his number on the No Camping sign and we could call him for permission. Mike had also spoken to a local who suggested the head of Loch Tay. This is the area with the sign so I just asked the chap whilst we were still in the pub, besides, he was pretty hammered so probably wouldn't have been able to work his phone anyway. Found a lovely spot with a wall to lean the bikes against and just enough breeze to keep the midges away.
59 miles, 4810 feet of climbing.
Day 2 Killin to just past Corrour Station
Awake early, it gets light at 3am, snoozed on and off but didn't get up, well sit up, untill 7. Temperature dropped to 7 overnight which was ok but marginal with the 150 quilt. Coffee and porridge from the tent. Unfortunately it had been raining on and off during the night and it was now raining again.
Packed up in the rain, few chores at the public toilets which were all of half a mile away and then another few hundred yards to the co-op. More coffee and a sausage and bean pastry for second breakfast, eaten stood outside under the roof whist rain poured off like a waterfall. Spoke to a guy from Italy who was backpacking, he had a tarp as his shelter, no groundsheet and just his mat and sleeping bag, brave!
Left town in the rain but soon we were climbing so at least we were warm. Long back lane along the Glen and at the end of the road we turned to climb up to the top of the pass to then drop down to Loch Lyon. The climb up is very steep on broken tarmac and very hard going. The descent is on a much better surface and not as steep, probably why the badger goes the other way, as does the Lomond Trossachs Loop.
We were now on the HT550 route, so knew it wasn't far to the café at Bridge of Balgie. Stopped, obviously, and asked if we could air our wet tents out as the sun was now out. Once permission was obtained we preceded to take over a large chuck of the outdoor area with damp kit. We did buy 2 courses of food each and two rounds of hot drinks. My bike was blocking a display of plants for sale from the local nursery school, they sell them to raise funds, so I made a donation as an apology, not that they'd missed much trade.
The birds are obviously used to people here and free food as they're on the table looking for crumbs before you've even finished.
After a good long stop it was time to head out for what we knew would be a tough section. It's the HT550 route up to Ranoch Forest and we then descended to the campsite at Carie on some great newly built trails.
Back up into the forest before arriving at the closed bridge. Fencing soon negotiated, luckily I didn't look underneath at the damage before crossing as it's quite badly damaged. Then it was a long slog across the moor. I've no recollection of this from the HT550, I must have wanted to forget it, or it was easier going in the sun of 2018. Today it was wet, cold and windy.
Out at the road we turned left and into an increasingly strong headwind. Turning off at the track up to Corrour Station the weather ramped up the misery to 11 and we crawled along into the wind and rain.
After what seemed like hours we reached the turning for the out and back to the station. There's a hostel here and we stopped and chatted to a bloke walking up the track. We inquired about staying but it was booked for a private group. I could tell he wanted to let us stay given the conditions but the group that had booked was a naturalist walking group! Who goes walking up here in the buff, we were only just surviving in waterproofs!
We fell through the station door at about half 7, 30 minutes too late for food, they took one look at us and said we could have hot food. The venison stew brought back some sense of normality but we must have been suffering as we chose hot chocolate over a beer. Another couple arrived who had ridden the badger from Inverses that day. The lad had bibs, an MTB casual jersey and a cheap no-name insulated gillet. That was it, no waterproofs. His girlfriend at least had a waterproof jacket.
The station offered the lawn for camping but the wind was far too strong.
We followed the route down to the loch and checked out an area on a peninsula that people obviously camp at but the wind was howling in from the loch. Further down then track and with trees between us and the loch we found just enough space for the tents.
62 miles, 6300 feet of climbing
tbc
It was then more reasonable gradients along the tops. I wasn't worried about the lack of climbing as I knew what was ahead 
I do remember the Great Glen Way being up and down. There's been logging here recently as well so the track was muddy in places. At Invermoriston the route uses the current HT550 route up the zig-zag tarmac rode. Too steep for us to want to try and ride and the push helped stretch the legs out before bed. Bivi spots were looking tricky but we found a camp spot just off the track that people had obviously been using by the presence of a fire pit.
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He was amused by our earlier supposition as to who might own such a vast estate. He was Scottish, had worked all over the world and upon his return bought the first part of the estate, it had been split up over the years. Gradually he had acquired remaining parts until it was back how it was in Victorian times. All the buildings were restored in the original estate colours.
She was now sort of following the Pictish back to Edinburgh and then on to Glasgow where her sister lived.
It was now a long climb up into the woods but we were on gravel again. By now we were getting hungry again so stopped for some lunch. We also took the opportunity to hang the tents out to air.
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