Hi, looking for a recommendation for a two day route on easy off-road (riding a Surly Long Haul Trucker on Schwalbe Marathons) in Scotland. Happy to join sections of track with roads. Good scenery and a remote mid-way wild camping spot would be ideal. Around 100 miles or so over the two days. Can go more, though.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Cheers,
Matt
2 day gravel road/landy track route scotland
Re: 2 day gravel road/landy track route scotland
Two long-ish routes I've done on a Singular Peregrine with 35 mm tyres (Marathon Racer or Paselas) and camping gear (minimal).
1. Alness to Tongue/Bettyhill
Alness - Strath Rusdale - Lochan a'Chairn - Glencalvie Lodge - Croick - Strath Cuilleannach - Oykel Bridge - Invercassley - Glen Cassley - round the north end of Loch Shin onto the A838 - West Merkland - Gobernuisgach Lodge - Loch Hope - Hope - Tongue
There's a pile of rocks across the defunct road at the top of Strath Rusdale that you'll have to lift the bike over, and the old road is very overgrown for maybe 500m.
I started at Inverness, and finished Gobernuisgach - Altnaharra - Strathnaver - Bettyhill - Tongue
I camped by the side of Loch Merkland, but if you want remote, I'd suggest looking for somewhere at the top end of Glen Cassley, before going over the top to Loch Shin.
There is the Moine Path from Loch Hope (here) over to Kinloch (13 km), but I'd expect it to take 3 hours or more with a Trucker.
An alternative/extension, that I did on the way back, is from Croick to Alladale Lodge, up Gleann Mor to Deanich Lodge, and down the side oh Loch Vaich to Black Bridge (downsteam from Loch Glascarnoch).
You could cross over into Strath Rannoch just after Loch Vaich, and then do forestry tracks through Longart forest and past Loch Garve to get down as far as Contin
2. Cairngorm circuit
Coylumbridge (campsite) - Glenmore Lodge - Nethy Bridge - Dorback Lodge - Glen Brown - Bridge of Avon - Tomintoul - Linn of Avon - Loch Builg - Corndavon Lodge - join B976 about a mile north of Balmoral - Invercauld Bridge - Linn of Dee - White Bridge - Geldie Burn - River Feshie - Feshiebridge - Drakes bothy - Loch an Eilean - Coylumbridge.
Nethy Bridge to Dorback is road, as is Bridge of Avon to Tomintoul;
When you meet the Burn of Brown, head downstream to just past the forestry on the right, and there's a steep unused track up the hillside to the forestry road. It's best spotted from the other side of the valley floor. (1 km pushing)
From Loch Builg, there's an alternative track direct to Invercauld
Between Invercauld bridge and Linn of Dee, you can either follow the north side of the river (largely off road), or the south side through Braemar (for supplies)
Geldie Burn to the Feshie will mostly be pushing (5 miles, mostly rough grass with wet bits, and just enough track to see where you're meant to be going).
There may be large fords to cross in Glen Feshie. To avoid them, you have to stick to the right bank, but the main track/gravel road is on the left bank. You'll get wet feet at some point, probably.
I camped in Glen Builg. On this occasion, my luggage fitted into a Camper Longflap.
If you went from White Bridge down Glen Tilt to Blair Atholl, then up the A9 cycle route to Dalnacardoch, and back over the Gaick/Glen Tromie, you could probably make a 4 day trip out of it .
1. Alness to Tongue/Bettyhill
Alness - Strath Rusdale - Lochan a'Chairn - Glencalvie Lodge - Croick - Strath Cuilleannach - Oykel Bridge - Invercassley - Glen Cassley - round the north end of Loch Shin onto the A838 - West Merkland - Gobernuisgach Lodge - Loch Hope - Hope - Tongue
There's a pile of rocks across the defunct road at the top of Strath Rusdale that you'll have to lift the bike over, and the old road is very overgrown for maybe 500m.
I started at Inverness, and finished Gobernuisgach - Altnaharra - Strathnaver - Bettyhill - Tongue
I camped by the side of Loch Merkland, but if you want remote, I'd suggest looking for somewhere at the top end of Glen Cassley, before going over the top to Loch Shin.
There is the Moine Path from Loch Hope (here) over to Kinloch (13 km), but I'd expect it to take 3 hours or more with a Trucker.
An alternative/extension, that I did on the way back, is from Croick to Alladale Lodge, up Gleann Mor to Deanich Lodge, and down the side oh Loch Vaich to Black Bridge (downsteam from Loch Glascarnoch).
You could cross over into Strath Rannoch just after Loch Vaich, and then do forestry tracks through Longart forest and past Loch Garve to get down as far as Contin
2. Cairngorm circuit
Coylumbridge (campsite) - Glenmore Lodge - Nethy Bridge - Dorback Lodge - Glen Brown - Bridge of Avon - Tomintoul - Linn of Avon - Loch Builg - Corndavon Lodge - join B976 about a mile north of Balmoral - Invercauld Bridge - Linn of Dee - White Bridge - Geldie Burn - River Feshie - Feshiebridge - Drakes bothy - Loch an Eilean - Coylumbridge.
Nethy Bridge to Dorback is road, as is Bridge of Avon to Tomintoul;
When you meet the Burn of Brown, head downstream to just past the forestry on the right, and there's a steep unused track up the hillside to the forestry road. It's best spotted from the other side of the valley floor. (1 km pushing)
From Loch Builg, there's an alternative track direct to Invercauld
Between Invercauld bridge and Linn of Dee, you can either follow the north side of the river (largely off road), or the south side through Braemar (for supplies)
Geldie Burn to the Feshie will mostly be pushing (5 miles, mostly rough grass with wet bits, and just enough track to see where you're meant to be going).
There may be large fords to cross in Glen Feshie. To avoid them, you have to stick to the right bank, but the main track/gravel road is on the left bank. You'll get wet feet at some point, probably.
I camped in Glen Builg. On this occasion, my luggage fitted into a Camper Longflap.
If you went from White Bridge down Glen Tilt to Blair Atholl, then up the A9 cycle route to Dalnacardoch, and back over the Gaick/Glen Tromie, you could probably make a 4 day trip out of it .
Re: 2 day gravel road/landy track route scotland
Thanks, I'll check those out. Looks like there are a few route options. 
Matt
Matt
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rualexander
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Re: 2 day gravel road/landy track route scotland
We did a few great routes back in May.
Couple of them were similar to those mentioned above.
Another was a circuit starting in Dalnaspidal. Take the track southwest alongside Loch Ericht, then up to Loch Pattack. From there follow the tracks over towards Loch Laggan and head alongside Lochan Na Earba. After that turn south on the tracks through Strath Ossian to Corrour Lodge and Loch Ossian. From Loch Ossian there's a fairly new fantatstic rideable track, not yet marked on the OS maps, that follows the route of the old footpath through to Rannoch.
A few miles on the road alongside Loch Rannoch then turn north onto the track at Craiganour Lodge, take this track north to Duinish bothy, you then have to 'hike-a-bike' for a kilometre or so before joining the track alongside Loch Garry which takes you back to the A9 where you can ride up the cycle path back to start point in Dalnaspidal.
This route could easily be combined with the Cairngorms Circuit to make a much longer route.
Couple of pics from our ride :
Couple of them were similar to those mentioned above.
Another was a circuit starting in Dalnaspidal. Take the track southwest alongside Loch Ericht, then up to Loch Pattack. From there follow the tracks over towards Loch Laggan and head alongside Lochan Na Earba. After that turn south on the tracks through Strath Ossian to Corrour Lodge and Loch Ossian. From Loch Ossian there's a fairly new fantatstic rideable track, not yet marked on the OS maps, that follows the route of the old footpath through to Rannoch.
A few miles on the road alongside Loch Rannoch then turn north onto the track at Craiganour Lodge, take this track north to Duinish bothy, you then have to 'hike-a-bike' for a kilometre or so before joining the track alongside Loch Garry which takes you back to the A9 where you can ride up the cycle path back to start point in Dalnaspidal.
This route could easily be combined with the Cairngorms Circuit to make a much longer route.
Couple of pics from our ride :
Re: 2 day gravel road/landy track route scotland
rualexander wrote:From Loch Ossian there's a fairly new fantatstic rideable track, not yet marked on the OS maps, that follows the route of the old footpath through to Rannoch.
Is that the path past the Corrour Old Lodge (ruin)?
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rualexander
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- Joined: 2 Jul 2007, 9:47pm
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Re: 2 day gravel road/landy track route scotland
andrew_s wrote:rualexander wrote:From Loch Ossian there's a fairly new fantatstic rideable track, not yet marked on the OS maps, that follows the route of the old footpath through to Rannoch.
Is that the path past the Corrour Old Lodge (ruin)?
Yes that's the one.
Here's a photo taken on that section heading south with the Glencoe mountains in the distance on the right of the photo.