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...as for the first time, I pedalled away from the train station towards the mountains with a heavy trailer full of, well everything, trundling on behind me.
126 miles, 3 munros, a wild(ish) camp, a couple of boozy(ish) nights and two days of glorious sunshine later I wearily hauled trailer and bike back onto the home bound train.
I met some interesting folk along the way, including bumping into some fellow STWers. *waves* to Matt: thanks for the tip on the camping spot. It was great apart from what sounded like a prolonged viking raid in the small hours of Saturday. Luckily my tent was fairly well secluded. Dave - I sent a reply to your email but it got bounced back at me.
I was pretty exhausted after the weekend and before I unpacked it I put the trailer on the scales. It weighed 70lb. Yes, 70lb. I like my camping comfort (though I still didn't sleep well) and I had boots and hillwalking gear in there too.
A couple of crappy camera phone pics:
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The sustrans route 7 from Callander to Killin is fantastic - especially in weather such as this. I'm looking forward to trundling along it again soon.
I thought no longer being as mobile as I have always been used to with a car would quite a downer. This has been quite a way to overcome that. It's cheap too (well, if you stay out of the pubs of Killin).
awesome stuff
just done a week up there ourselves
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrmichaelwright/sets/72157626656043764/with/5691726228/ ]pics[/url]
looks grand. i'm taken with the notion of one of those trailer things. thoughts on using that?
Is that an edinburgh bike one?.
That's a fantastic set of pictures Michael. That stag looks a real poser. You must have had a fantastic week.
Yep, it's an EBC cargo.
The trailer is great but the temptation is to use the space and put more stuff in it than you probably need. It rolls really well and somehow I feel even more relaxed just rolling along a bit slower than I would without it. The bag is waterproof and really rugged. I've used it as a small groundsheet in the porch of the tent.
Manoeuvring the length of bike and trailer through some gates can be a bit awkward but it's easy enough to unhitch if you need to. That's another good thing as it's easy to just take the trailer off and you have your bike to take off up the hill.
I sure I'll get some urban use out of it now I'm to be car less.
Looks lovely 🙂
*waves back*
Good to meet you sir. That pic at the falls of Dochart is opposite my house - after you left, I did think to try and find you and offer a spot in the garden, but the lochshore is an ace spot (stayed there with a group last week).
You got the best of the weather as well 😀
Aye, the cycle route is fabulous - great fun way of getting into gert big mountains.
Wahay! Trailer touring, can't wait to get another one (I'm looking at the extrawheel voyager but feel a certain loyalty to BoBs...).
How did you get on with the lochearnhead switchbacks? They were murder last time I tried them...
13thfloor - if ever you are this way again, there is an easy way to avoid them - stay ON the old railway, gated but not locked... 🙂
Very cool, I've been on my bike too much and am suffering from exhaustion, but once I have my health back I want to go exploring with something like that!
13thfloor - if ever you are this way again, there is an easy way to avoid them - stay ON the old railway, gated but not locked...
Ahh... cunning! I followed the railway after the Killin turn off, great fun! 8) Will tie this in with Glen Kendrum, which I WILL ride on of these days...
How did you get on with the lochearnhead switchbacks? They were murder last time I tried them...
Well... I had presumed that the trail followed the bed of the old railway so they came somewhat unexpectedly. The climb wasn't that bad but I thought that I'd reached top about six times.
What's the railway path like beyond Glen Ogle? I'm planning another trip up to Crianlarich or Tyndrum soon and would like to avoid the road. It would seem a great route for sustrans to extend - linking up to the WHW. I'm guessing the surface isn't as good as most of route 7.
That would have been a generous offer Matt but you wouldn't me taking a night-time pee in your garden now would you. It would upset the local cats. I don't think I know of anyone with a finer view from their garden.
You can get a good few miles on it, I joined it at the end of the descent from the pass that links to Balquhidder, whose name escapes me completely
Kirkton Glen Alasdair? I just had a look at the map - there is a path indicated across from Balquhidder. Looks like a lot of tight contour lines there.
It seems the dismantled railway is discontinuous at the Crianlarich end.
How did you get on with the trailer on the train? Something I've thought about doing a few times, but wasn't sure how to deal with it.
I've had the trailer on the train a couple of times, they didn't seem to bat an eyelid.
The railway from Glen Ogle starts fine (well used forest road) but eventually becomes part of the farner's fields above the road, so sometimes hard and grassy, sometimes churned by the cattle, and sometimes blocked by fences/collapsed bridges. Eventually you end up at a caravan site just outside of town at which point you have to do one or two km on the road before rejoining the railway on the other side of the road for a final few singletrack km.
It was fun on a CX bike, might test the sense of humour with a trailer though!
You can carry on along the old railway along glen dochart about 3 or 4 miles easily- with one fence to lift over - we gave up at a bridge that had been removed as by this time there wsaa not much drop to the road. Surface is firm grass.
Edit - just saw 13ths post - we gave up befoer him and just dropped down to the road
Glen dochart
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/2533134153_2a0eba756d_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/2533134153/ ]05 Glen Dochart[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr
As TJ says, easy railway after Glen Ogle, with one fence, Brian and Sammy's house and then some missing bridges if you carry on to the meet with the main road.
Ahh... cunning! I followed the railway after the Killin turn off, great fun! Will tie this in with Glen Kendrum, which I WILL ride on of these days...
Kendrum - yes, landy tracks with iffy join up.
Kirkton and Ledcharrie is ace - go Sth-Nth for best ride on singletrack descent...
Glen Luib = rideable iffy landy track, but trackless forest in Monachyle.
ALways fancied a look at Inverlochlaraig (three valleys west)