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Just supposing you were planning to do the WHW with a group but wanted a couple of additional days to make it up to 5 or 6 days cycling, what would you do?
So the first constraint is that it would need to be suitable for people/bikes who would be doing WHW in the first place, let's presume over 3 days.
One thought was a day from the Aonach Mor gondola, but I get the idea that might be a bit gnarly. Could hire bikes to solve that mismatch, but would the people be suitable?
Ben Lomond was the obvious choice, but would the sort of person/ bike combo seen on the WHW enjoy that?
Likewise that popular biking Munro from Kinloch.... Binnean Mor. (Full disclosure: never done it)
Corrieyairack pass seemed like an obvious option. But quite a lot of road work. Though I guess that could be avoided.
Or the Great Glen up to Inverness, but perhaps too much in the easy direction.
Tell me
Camp/stay at Bridge of Orchy. Leave luggage and do a day ride down Glen Orchy, hop on a train at Dalmally to Taynuilt to skip fast A road, ride back to Bridge of Orchy via the classic route through Glen Kinglas, resume WHW the next day 😎
Stay in kinlochleven for an extra day and there’s loads of riding to go with different gnarl factors from there.
Or do a day loop from Kinlochleven, I'm way out of touch but there are all sorts of great loops possible from town up and over to e.g. Ciaran Bothy and back via enduro trails.
Edit: too slow, what he said ^
Camp/stay at Bridge of Orchy. Leave luggage and do a day ride down Glen Orchy, hop on a train at Dalmally to Taynuilt to skip fast A road, ride back to Bridge of Orchy via the classic route through Glen Kinglas, resume WHW the next day
Ooh. That does look good.
PS, can't believe there's another Kinglass in that area
Kinloch info gratefully received. I've only done the Cairan ( sp) path in that area.
Also wonder if a right turn up Glen Nevis is an option. Past Steall and then northish towards laggan... Then over Corrieyairack....
Depends on whether you are determined to do the full WHW. An alternative to the short last day would be to head east away from Kinlochleven and do the Tour of Ben Nevis (not sure if this race still runs) route which would bring you into FW from the north.
Loads of riding around Kinlocleven Or try and bag a Ben Lomond munro discent before the lake shore path of doom.
At Kinloch you also have the kennels and the grey mare trails. Both ace.
Can you whip over to the Arrochar Alps? There is a mojo trail diary of some guy riding there looks good?
When folks say ride the WHW do they mean all of it or is there an assumed alternative to the hiker bike by Loch Lommond?
The hike a bike is over egged to my mind. Yes, it's a bit tricky in a few places but isn't enough of a ball ache to make it non-negotiable. It's just part of the fun of the route and that's it. It's way more rideable than you might interpret from some folks' doom laden descriptions.
Yes, it’s a bit tricky in a few places but isn’t enough of a ball ache to make it non-negotiable.
and I always think it's actually a beautiful and relatively unique bit of trail, feels a lot more wild and remote than the map would suggest. Shame to miss it out.
Cheers that’s handy to know
I must have missed the Loch shore edge then or the steps down and the boulders that we have to navigate for 90 minutes .. yeah all rideable From Creag Lolaire to Inveraran https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lochlomond/rowardennan-inverarnan.shtml Took about 4 hours with the bike on the shoulder in the air and about to be chucked in the Loch at one point with the scares still stowing from March on my knee ..... loved every minute of it ...
The Loch Lomond bit for me looks a total avoid and I've done Kingshouse to FW there/back in a day a decade ago and it was full of walkers - I'd do something else.
I did the Badger Divide last year, recommended as far less folk and all rideable.
Yeah.. do the Badger Divide instead, way better and very empty of walkers. WHW is not really a good cycle as it's always full of walkers on tight path sections. This summer we did the Trossachs Loop (about 180miles) that's a cracker, or the full outer Cairngorm Loop.
Do it N to S then double back onto the Rob Roy way? Not particularly inspiring riding but a good journey.