A couple of short cuts would help, starting with training it to Gourock, then the boat to Dunoon -
This is Holy Loch, famously used by the yanks as a submarine base in the cold war. I passed through here by bike in 1991 and it was a very strange place. They pulled out not long after and left the place to it's own devices. I was pleased to see quite a bit of regeneration of the sea front has been done and it all looks much cheerier. First proper ride on the Stormchaser.
It had been rather damp and misty leaving the house. The cloud had progressively lifted as I headed west so the hints of sunshine on the Arrochar Alps were a welcome sight.
Rather than just cut west over to Tighnabruich I threw in a loop up Loch Eck and over the Cowal way. I asked a chap out for a walk for directions to the start of the Loch Eck track as I couldn't make out the line on the GPS. He noted that it might still be closed due to landslips. This rang a vague bell from Boxelders trip out here earlier in the year but I figured it would be fine.
I carefully ignored all the 'Road Closed' signs and bashed on. The trees had all been cleared but two landslip areas remained. A forwarder had been over them however (and there were lots of tyre tracks) so I carried on regardless. Thereafter progress was good up the loch and onto the Cowal.
Only to meet this! The (large) culvert had been totally washed out leaving a 20 foot drop into a rocky gorge. No way was I crossing this but just then an older couple appeared on the far bank. they had done a long loop up the neighbouring glen to that point and were having to back track. Instead I nosed down a path downstream to a crossing point, noted a bloke walking his dog on the far side. Pushing up through the woods was a bit of a struggle thanks to fallen trees and boggy bits (sound familiar?) then disaster struck. The bike struck a tree route and stopped dead, I stumbled and bounced off the aero bar arm rest. Ouch, one very sore rib. Undeterred I got back on track and ground up a huge climb, on near perfect gravel.
More followed after a bit of ducking and weaving on back roads.
I became aware that this was taking some time and I needed to get the 6.30 boat from Portavadie so I could get across to Kintyre, or crucially Tarbert and its Co-op.
Phew, made it, with 5 minutes to spare (note weather, I believe the south has been deluged over the weekend!)
A leisurely ferry trip followed as the sun sank. Tarbert was busy and the chippy shut. There seemed to be some kind of do going on, on the far pier which included a bar and a burger caravan but instead I opted for the Co-op, as per. Food on the (chilly) sea front then off away from the madding crowd and into the peace and tranquility of the woods. I'd thought to do a coastal bivvy but it was actually pretty breezy so in the woods it was, but a great spot - level, dry and with enough breeze to keep the bugs at bay. A fine evening followed....
I was up fairly sharp and pedaling before 8.
Rather than do the coast road I disappeared back into the woods on a fine route which cuts a large corner off and offers more perfect gravel riding. The 'Wild about Argyll' route takes you over the windfarm which is a huge climb on a rough track. This is far nicer.
Jura in the distance - sunny but hazy, I'm not complaining though!
Rather than do the knapdale route I'd done before I stuck to the road and then turned off to Ardrishaig on the Sustrans route. This was a mix of nice gravel single track and forest roads, but with some horrible climbs for no gain thrown in....
Finally it dropped me into Ardrishaig and the blessedly flat Crinan Canal towpath. Three work colleagues have been poached to Scottish Canals over the last couple of years and they have all reported the same - no money for maintenance and some big bills outstanding on this canal, which is why it's currently shut for boats....
I chilled in Lochgilphead seafront eyeing up another couple of bikepackers with horribly overloaded bikes - hopefully they weren't doing the WAA route.... Then the Co-op for onward food and off we go. I was aiming for Killin (Co-op), some 85miles off, so I cracked on. First up was loch Awe after more forest roads - a long but easy pedal by the shore. Annoyingly, the rib had got progressively sorer as the day progressed. It was fine, as long as I didn't breathe too hard!
Ben Cruachan, Pump storage scheme dam just visible centre pic. I reached the main road eventually but there was quite a bit of traffic on it, so took a punt on a section of Wades road which according to the map would lop a corner off and dump me into Dalmally direct. Which it did, after a k of vague and over-grown boggy trail. Not gravel-tastic!
Dalmally provided a final coffee and a snack and then off again, up Glen Orchy. I could have used the main road of course - 20 odd miles to Killin but it was mobbed with Sunday evening traffic. No thanks. Instead I was on the scenic route, with many trials and tribulations to come!
Yonks ago, there used to be a path up the west side of Glen Orchy promoted as a bike route. The only time I did it, it was already disappearing into the undergrowth, then it was forgotten about. Now there is a super smooth forest road that is far nicer to ride on than the actual road and takes you right to the Bridge of Orchy Hotel. Except it was shut for forestry work. For flips sake this was doing my nut in. Bugger it, it's Sunday evening, no-one will be working. Almost right, they were knocking off and ignored me as they abandoned all the machinery and drove off in various pick up trucks. This is annoying - once upon a time there would just have been signs up warning of forestry work. Now they seem to shut tracks as a matter of course, irrespective of if the works actually impinge upon it, which these didn't, they were just using the track as a timber haul road. The A82 wasn't shut to allow the timber wagons to pass...
Anyway, enough of all this, onward. In the photo above you may spot cloud spilling over the hills. I knew that as I headed back east, I would at some point leave the sun behind. Seeing this I figured the perma-cloud wasn't far away but in the event, the blue sky continued....
It's always a bit weird doing this route (WHW from BoO to Auch Farm, then up the Glen to Loch Lyon) when not doing the Highland Trail and I was on a similar mission so riding as quick as the trail (and my rib) allowed. There are famously a few burn crossings on this route, some of which can be a bit deep and pretty rough. The Stormy aced the lot but enough water got splashed up to give me damp shoes. My feet chilled instantly.... Ignoring this I bashed on, to get over the Pubil climb before it got dark. Which I did after a bit of a heave and much wincing
Cloud incoming, Ben Lui just rising above it.
I was a might careful descending the wrecked road to Glen Lochay but once in the glen the bike fairly flew along in the last of the light. Overhead was now solid cloud and it was cold but the Killin Co-op was nearly in sight! Better yet there was a chip van!! So I grabbed sausage and chips, a hot chocolate and snacks and beers for later from the Co-op and sat out under the shop awning feeding my face and reflecting on what I'd just done. To crown it all, I knew of a fab bivvy spot just up the cycleway. This is just off the end of the forest track where the tarmac path starts to take you up the last of the climb to Glen Ogle. I pitched up and relaxed after 118 miles of top class bike riding, stunning weather and scenery.
As usual I woke to the dawn chorus but nodded off again. I woke a few more times as trucks went by on the nearby A84 and when I eventually decided to get up was 9am!
Just up the climb you come across this - 30 years after it happened. Me and a mate did a bike ride round here a few days after the crash - the RAF were there collecting all the wreckage - a lot of very small and mangled bits.... When we built the cycleway, the contractor pointed out the actual impact site, all quite sad.
Much greyness in Glen Ogle. I had an expensive breakfast in the Strathyre 'Broch' cafe then tootled home by my oft used route. Total distance 233 miles! My rib is now very sore....
PS - the Stormy was a hoot. 47mm tyres provided just enough bunge to enable easy riding over the rougher bits but flew on the hard stuff (terravail rutlands...) It also handles as sweet as, just a pity I managed to smack a rib on the bloody aero bars!
