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Hi guys,
I've spent 4 years cycling round the world but, until recently, I'd never done any 'bikepacking'. I just spent a week cycling round the bothies in Scotland and put together this little film:
It's the first time I've used a drone camera in the wild. It was a real pain to carry it around with me - I had a 90 litre backpack on!
I'd love to hear your thoughts,
Cheers!
Alastair
(photos from the trip here, in case you're interested: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alastairhumphreys/sets/72157649633814583)
I can't access Vimeo at work but am keen to see it when I get home later on 🙂
I saw your link on the Bear Bones forums - nice video (didn't have the sound on as I'm at work - shhh!)
Recognised quite a few locations including the bothies but in the spirit of your request I'll not say anything.
OP
Excellent work,stay awesome 🙂
Would love to know the route you took
Would love to know the route you took
Might be less than logical 8) There's maybe 100Km, not always rideable, between the first two and something similar for most of the others. Hence the "Imaginary Journey".
How useful did you find your shoe choice?
Ace film.
Looks like a up through the Hebrides, down through Skye and up the west coast through Fisherfield & Torridon to Cape Wrath kind of route
Amazing video. One day I will do something like that
That was a great watch, well done !
10/10
A great film
Spot on
Great film - love the drone work
Where is the bothy on the sea cliff? Can't see it on the MBA website
Loved it! but cold beans!!!!!!
That was epic. Loved every minute. Cold beans? Food of champions!
Watched it earlier. Inspiring!
Superb 🙂
Lovely!
All that talk of sleeper trains makes me really appreciate where I live with such easy access to the places shown in the film. My FBROTY was Fisherfield last week, looking forward to more as we head into summer.
AND I bought a midge jacket today! 😉
Where is the bothy on the sea cliff? Can't see it on the MBA website
It's not a traditional bothy, i.e. an estate building, it was only constructed in the last few years. I know the rough area but not the exact location.
Cliff top bothy is not on the mainland.
Stayed in a bothy(craig)Torridon last week it was great lots of hike a bike getting there and getting out on my tod, loads of wood chopped and tea lights gas food!
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7662/17059453977_492e30f90d.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7662/17059453977_492e30f90d.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/rZuajR ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/22534490@N00/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8730/17116131558_bd5ce51dbd.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8730/17116131558_bd5ce51dbd.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/s5uDAw ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/22534490@N00/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
Nice film, thanks for sharing. Needs a more death stare hike-a-bike directors' cut for the real aficionados of the NW and Skye - far too much fun riding on good tracks in this for my liking 😉 . There's one bit that i don't recognise though and I'm going to have to work it out and get there 'cause it looks fantastic.
Edit - scratch that - the sneaky editing order had me thinking about the wrong area entirely... I realise I do know where that bit is after all, but not made it there yet (was there as a kid but can't remember it very well). Great stuff.
Brilliant film & thanks for sharing. Looking forward to another bothy trip in September!
Fantastic...inspiring...well done!
Fab
Brilliant film. Got a wee bothy trip I've been meaning to do for a while now. May will be the month to do it!
Excellent - top work
Thanks for the film, the great books and the inspiration.
APF
Really enjoyed that. You've got me opening up my os maps again.
Thanks for sharing - I'll have to enjoy this at home later. I think you're being a bit modest saying you haven't really bikepacked though! For anyone who hasn't read Alastair's books, they are a couple of the best I've read:
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1903070856 ]Moods of Future Joys[/url]
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1903070880 ]Thunder and Sunshine[/url]
Amazing work Al. Wonderfully filmed and an inspiring story. 🙂
First class!
postierich - MemberLoved it! but cold beans!!!!!!
Had a Norwegian guy stay with us a few years back, cycling Uk/ Scotland /Europe He lived on cold Baked Beans and Jam donuts- cheapest power food available!
Can you explain why bothying is so popular with Germans? Has somebody published a guide to bothies in Germany?
Can somebody who speaks German search Google.de?
properly brilliant and inspiring video. My OS maps have just been dragged out the box too. Been too long since I've had a wee adventure. Time to do some planning I think.
Mixed feelings on this. It's a good film and it's well made. Inspiring. But that's the problem. You just need to read the blogs of people that maintain the bothies to know that encouraging more people to use them may end them altogether. People just don't take their rubbish back with them or leave piles of shit and tissue paper around. Something doesn't sit well with a city type encouraging all his pals to come use them. They're never likely to put anything back. Donations don't pay for the time and graft of volunteers that maintain them and encouraging more use just increases this burden. Some are at tipping point already. Sorry for the negativity, could you make a film encouraging everyone to go to Wrexham please. It's nice there.
@devs I know what you mean - at least one of those featured in the film has been the victim of its own "success" in the past. Quite a few bothies seem to be targets for weekend university trips.
Not featured in the film - I've stopped at Meannach bothy (It's passed on the Tour of Ben Nevis after crossing the Abhainn Rath) and there were two large bin bags of rubbish left nearby.
On a bike I find it hard to have much space to leave much beyond candles and perhaps whiskey for the next visitor, it's a bit easier to cart in a bag of coal when you are on foot! A good posting on bothy use is https://cairngormwanderer.wordpress.com/the-bothies/
Misuse of the countryside by a minority has an effect on the majority - there's a proposed camping ban for areas of the Lomond national park due to problems caused by what is probably only a handful of people.
Fantastic ... thoroughly enjoyed .. loved the 2nd Bothy by the cliffs
Not featured in the film - I've stopped at Meannach bothy (It's passed on the Tour of Ben Nevis after crossing the Abhainn Rath) and there were two large bin bags of rubbish left nearby.
That one down there?
[url= https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2520/3963267573_d1fd7121e5.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2520/3963267573_d1fd7121e5.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/73dMnx ]Bothy.[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/7904024@N08/ ]jimmyg352[/url], on Flickr
We stayed there & yes, there was a bit of crap laid around but we brought more out than we took in. If only everyone did that.
Some used to be mentioned in some German travel guides - don't know if they still are. I remember some MBA types lamenting that at Shenaval something over 20 years ago as it seemed to have heavy German traffic.Has somebody published a guide to bothies in Germany
@esselgruntfuttock Yes, that's the one. The rubbish was at the foot of the track you are on, so "nearby" was probably 400 metres. Whether it had anything to do with the bothy I don't know.
The MBA have done it up in the last couple of years so it's really comfy now.