Loch Etive and Glen Kinglass.

[Ray Young]

The train arrived at The Bridge of Orchy at 8.40 pm and i freewheeled the few hundred metres down to the spot where West Highland Way walkers often camp wild and there met Gari. We put our tarp/tent respectivley then went to the pub for a couple of beers and chat to get to know one another a bit. After that it was time for bed, I had to sleep with a midge headnet on due to being under a tarp. Despite the midges and heavy rain we both had a good nights sleep.
The route map.

Loch Etive Glen Ginglass Route Map 001 by youngray50, on Flickr

The camp at 7am.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 001 by youngray50, on Flickr

After a few snacks we were on our way by 8am with breakfast in mind at Glen Coe ski lift cafe, Rannoch moor pictured below was the only thing between us and it.You can just make out Gari on the track.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 006 by youngray50, on Flickr

After a nice descent off Rannoch Moor and a filling if greasy breakfast it was onto downhill tarmac through Glen Etive to Loch Etive where we passed this bike.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 013 by youngray50, on Flickr

The start of Loch Etive and offroad again, the first part being a push due to a heavily eroded path.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 020 by youngray50, on Flickr

The path now rideable, looking back from where we came.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 026 by youngray50, on Flickr

Mixed woodland riding on Loch Etive shoreline.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 028 by youngray50, on Flickr

We will be riding below that ridgeline tomorrow.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 033 by youngray50, on Flickr

Alt Easach.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 039 by youngray50, on Flickr

Gari cools his feet in Alt Easach.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 036 by youngray50, on Flickr

Looking back up Loch Etive and close to being back on the road.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 042 by youngray50, on Flickr

We bivi'd a few miles later on above a farm and after some food and chat we hit the sack. We were up at 7.30 and after a light bite were on our way on day two. This is Connel bridge, built for trains originally but now for cars.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 046 by youngray50, on Flickr

This was followed by 7 mile on the A85 to Taynuilt for a cream tea breakfast and Gari suprisingly bumped into someone he knew. After a quick chat we headed over this bridge onto ladrover track along the south shore of Loch Etive.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 047 by youngray50, on Flickr

The track was an up and down affair until we turned up into Glen Kinglass.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 048 by youngray50, on Flickr


Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 049 by youngray50, on Flickr


Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 052 by youngray50, on Flickr


Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 053 by youngray50, on Flickr

Looking back down Glen Kinglass from the top of the pass, you can see Gari on the path which is a push up the last parts.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 057 by youngray50, on Flickr

View from the top.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 060 by youngray50, on Flickr

The track down the other side.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 063 by youngray50, on Flickr

Loch Dochard "arty" pic.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 064 by youngray50, on Flickr

Back onto tarmac and a final look back at were we had been.

Loch Etive Glen Kinglass 065 by youngray50, on Flickr

I thoroughly enjoyed this two day ride, actually the best two dayer i have ever done. We were really very lucky with the weather and not too many midges. The scenery up here is just stunning, i'd do this ride again tomorrow. :D

[Bearbonesnorm]

Fantastic Ray, gutted I couldn't come.

[d45yth]

Looks like a quality trip! :)

[didnothingfatal]

Looks a different country to the one I visited last week :(

[Dan_K]

Looks amazing Ray. Very jealous!

[gairym]

great looking ride/trip!

another set of high-quality photos too.

nice work.

[Ian]

Looks like a really nice trip. Need to get up to Scotland and get some of the bigger wilder stuff done

We were really very lucky with the weather and not too many midges.

Perhaps that was because all the rain fell on DNF, and by the time he'd left the midges were no longer hungry

[barney]

wow !

I've only been into bikepacking a couple of months and am yet to reach double figures for bivi trips, threads like this though give me so much motivation to get out, thank you everyone. :D

[Cheeky Monkey]

Looks like a good ride and a nice write up. However if

filling if greasy breakfast

makes it sound like a bad thing

[vorlich]

Hi Ray, this looks pretty intriguing. I'm planning a trip for next week. By my calculations it is around 120k. The Elev. profile in Memory Map suggests doing the reverse of your route might be more favourable. Any thoughts on the practicalities of doing that?

As you rode it:

[Ray Young]

Hi Vorlich, I think you could be right. Doing the route clockwise would give you a good long and enjoyable descent into Glen Kinglass with a technical climb from the road to the high point on Rannoch Moor. The descent off Rannoch Moor would then be easy landrover track. If you do it then enjoy and post a write up.

[vorlich]

Thanks Ray. I guess I'll decide next weekend. Once there is clearer picture of what the weather will be doing [rain, no doubt]. I'm off up to Torridon camping for the rest of this week, if something catches my eye up there, my plans may well change.

I will post up a report whatever I do. I have a blog if you're into that sort of thing, but I'll post something up here too.

This is a write up of my last [short] excursion in the Cairngorm NP.
http://mcalisterium.wordpress.com/2012/ ... s-circuit/

[Ray Young]

Love the photo's on your blog, good stuff. I've been thinking, if you have a choice of start point then Taynuilt would be good, gets most of the road out of the way first, wild camp along the north shore of Loch Etive which is nicely remote (we camped near Connell bridge but didn't really have a choice), this leaves most of the off road/best bits for the second day. In case your interested Cadderlie at 046370 is a large and well maintained bothy with a fire place which I didn't know was there when I planned the route.

[vorlich]

Thanks Ray. That's not a bad idea. I'll be driving up and leaving the car, so start point is flexible. I have a new inner arriving for my shelter so will be keen to try that on the trip, unless it's utterly miserable, when a bothy would be a welcome retreat.

[sillybigfella]

Currently emotionally torturing the missus with your photos....

[vorlich]

I've put plans on hold ATM as the weather is so sodding rubbish. I've also just ordered an Alpkit framebag, so may hold off on a trip until it arrives. :)

[zigrat]

Clockwise is a really good way to do this route, the ride and views past Loch Dochart and down Glen Kinglass are amazing (will try and find my photos and post them up). I did it with a mate a few years ago as a day ride in preparation for Trans-Scotland. From memory it took about 8 hours including a serious fuel stop at the Kingshouse. The bothy at the bottom of Glen Kinglass would be a good place to stop and spend the night as the midges in Glen Etive have a reputation for being particularly vicious ! Oh and be prepared for some serious hike a bike and stream/river/torrent crossings on your way up Glen Etive as well..... :D

[vorlich]

Thanks Zigrat. I've still not been on the trip yet and the weather is picking up a bit now, but I have other plans this weekend which will stop me doing an overnighter. I'll get around to it eventually!

[zigrat]

Have to modify my previous post now that my browsers showing the pictures !
The actual route we did was clockwise and then turned right at the bottom of Glen kinglass so we didn't go out by Taynuilt (which looks a lot nicer) but this is of course a shorter loop.

[campbellrae1]

Thanks for the report/pics. Looks like a great trip! Hoping to do the same route but clockwise in a couple of weeks, I hope the weather is as good as you seem to have had!

[sillybigfella]

I'd be interested in coming up next Spring if you'd be interested in doing the same route again. But probably over a weekend.

[Taylor]

When you thinking of Paul?

[sillybigfella]

After the snow but before the midges....

[Taylor]

Let me know if you pick a weekend.

[Taylor]

Pink ticket booked for the weekend at the end of April OR the Bank Holiday at the start of May and I have to tie it in with seeing my son in Carlisle on the way through.