[Closed] Looking for suggestions - 4 days gravel riding out of Fort William

Into Corrour / Ossian? can't recall the details but look on map -- could even head towards Perthshire eatswards.

Or Great Glen Way up towards Inverness? And return down other side of Loch Ness.

Great Glen and then some of General Wades roads

Great Glen jump train to Aviemore back on East Highland Way

Here's a route that works really well from several alternative starting points. It's a cracking day out on a circular route through changing terrain and views.

From the Crannog restaurant pier in Ft Bill:
Take the wee passenger ferry across the loch to Camusnagaul. Ride south west on the A861, a very quiet minor road to Corran, Ardgour; continue W through Glen Tarbert to Strontian (café). Climb north up the very steep minor road at the old lead mines and drop steeply into the glen at Polloch; continue past the road end onto good gravel for @18km NE to Glenfinnan. If you want the café at the visitor centre there, take the path (marked on the OS 1:25k maps) across past the monument and up to the road crossing.
Continue E on the A830 Mallaig road for just about 5.5km and off to re-join the A861/wee old road back to Camusnagaul. Boat back again. But watch your times, this ferry only runs a few times a day.
Seafood at the Crannog is awesome. if the times for the wee boat don't look like they'll fit, drive west on the A82 to Onich and start there instead, using the car ferry across to Corran. Or start from the A830/A862 junction near Glenfinnan etc. Last time we did it, we took the morning boat across the loch but just stayed on the main road back into Corpach then picked up the NC78/Sustrans trail at the canal locks back into town.
Views up Loch Shiel from the gravel road are superb; the coastal road along Loch Linnhe is peaceful and has stunning perspectives on the Glen Nevis & Glencoe hills.

Park at Invergarry, (or nearby at the floating pub, by Laggan Lock Gates).
West on the A87, climbing above Loch Garry, over to Bunloyne and turn R down Glen Moriston.
Taking the old Wade's road across the hill to Inchnacardoch is one option for getting over to Fort Augustus. This is a bit variable and will involve some pushing, as not all of this trail is brilliant.
Or continue down the road in the glen to Invermoriston on Loch Ness side and join the Great Glen Way there, following this all the way back through Ft A, SW to your starting point.
The Great Glen Way now has paired trail options in several places. From Invermoriston, (in both directions, east or west bound) you can take the lower trail which is all gravel forestry road or alternatively and with more climbing and more tech, high above this and with cracking views are the new upper trails; this build would be mostly dark green with blue bits at a trail centre. 4 miles west of Fort Augustus, the GGWay trail splits again at Bridge of Oich; the more techy choice with mild singletrack goes on the north side of Loch Oich, through Invergarry village and thus back to Laggan locks. Or on the southern side of this loch, the trail is on an old railway line and has been recently re-surfaced.

Or on the southern side of this loch, the trail is on an old railway line and has been recently re-surfaced

Do you have any information on this converted railway track? I can't find any mention online

Re-surfaced in 2018 from mucky & lumpy previously; it's gravel and wide, not tarmac and is waymarked as part of the GGW. Gives you choices of route, depending on taste and whether you need to go to the shop in Invergarry while passing.

Connects the Great Glen Water park at the west end of Loch Oich with the rest of the trails at the canal bridge at the east end of the loch.
Not much else to say really; the track bed is part of the Spean Bridge to Fort Augustus line, closed even before Beeching got to it and had been built to hook up passengers from Glasgow on the West Highland Line with a steamer vessel on Loch Ness to get them up to Inverness.

A good itinerary for a carless, sleeper train trip would be; arrival day, do the Ardgour/ Shiel/ Glenfinnan circuit, using the boat at the start of the ride only and finish on the road via Corpach. Spend the night in Ft Bill, where there is normally plenty of accommodation.
Day two, easy bikepacking ride up to Ft Augustus on the GGWay, sightsee and stay there. Turkish café by the war memorial hall just down from the canal bridge is simple but fine. Lockside Inn is a pleasant wee bar nearby.
Day three, loop around Garry/ Moriston/ and take the top trail back from Invermoriston to Ft Augustus to get the high level views.
Day 4, ride back to Ft Bill and get sorted out for the journey back by train. At the west end of Loch Lochy, you can choose to divert off the canalside last 10 mile section, by cutting over on the minor road to the Commando Memorial above Spean Bridge, duck into Leannachan forest there and visit Nevis Range, avoiding the road by using easy forest trails back towards Ft Bill..

Note: Top trail between Fort Augustus and Invermoriston goes well above the tree line and runs along the hills at about the 300-350m line. Views from up there towards the west are spectacular.
While the descent at the Ft A end is steep, it's not technical and I'd not hesitate to take a gravel bike this way.

Note: Top trail between Fort Augustus and Invermoriston goes well above the tree line and runs along the hills at about the 300-350m line. Views from up there towards the west are spectacular.
While the descent at the Ft A end is steep, it’s not technical and I’d not hesitate to take a gravel bike this way.

What about the second high level option from Invermoriston on? Apologies for the thread hijack but you seem to know the area very well and I'm doing a trip that way next week with my daughter (11yrs) She will be on mtb and I'll be on gravel bike loaded up

Are you travelling east, or westbound..?
Assuming eastbound, the second section of high trail, between Invermoriston & Drumnadrochit is a little harder than the first one. The main issue for you here, compared to the Ft.A to Invermoriston one, is the extra climbing and distance. It's well surfaced, mostly not particularly technical (but with the odd tricky bit on the downhills, so you have been warned). You will both be pushing up some more of the steep climbs here but if your 11 year old is relatively fit and strong, they will cope with that section in isolation. This is the section with the 'Viewcatcher' in it, as well as an amazingly situated viewpoint shelter a bit further east. It's a good route, fun and your biggest problem will be in keeping the pace sensible to be able to conserve energy along the way. It would be an exceptional 11yr old who is capable of completing Fort Augustus to Drum on both high trails in one day.
There is a lot of climbing in that middle section, so if the western one is found to be tough going, maybe re-route to the lower trail here.
The most technical descent in the whole route is probably the eastbound switchback section above Invermoriston, where a dozen tight corners in a row down a steep, forested hillside will challenge most folk on a gravel bike.

I'm sure the total ascent difference between the High- and Low-level routes isn't that great. The High level is certainly the better route on account of the views.

Did similar a couple of years ago, the sleeper train is great.

- Pinnacle Arkose LTD ED bike trip film + info - 3 days, 4 easy days -
https://totalwomenscycling.com/road-cycling/reviewed-pinnacles-limited-edition-arkose-adventure-bike

Route here - goes towards Corrour Estate and WHW
https://westcoastbiking.co.uk/2017/06/14/gravel-bike-pinnacle-arkose/

Thanks, we are heading East, I think we might skip the first high section and go for the 2nd one as that doesn't seem to add as much climbing. We have the whole day although our accommodation in BCC Camping pods is about 6 miles off the trail at Drumnadrochit so we will have that to contend with also

Perfect! Thanks.

The track along Loch Shiel from Glenfinnan to Polloch is a peach and would make a nice long loop with minor roads.

Lots of great tracks from Corrour down to Loch Laggan.

The minor road along Loch Archaig is worth riding as a detour on the Great Glen Way.

4 days gravel riding out of Fort William

The A82 fulfils that criteria.

100km a day with camping kit on Lochaber tracks makes you very fit!

Corrour estate, Corrieyarrack, Great Glen Way, could all be blended together for a nice route. Fort William - first half of Tour de Ben route, portage past Staoneig to Treig, about Corrour, option for portage over to Ben Alder estate to scoot round Loch Pattack, Ardverkie, Laggan, Corrieyairack, GGW back. A few bothies about. Three hard days I would think.

Loch Shiel road, mentioned above, is in a poor way at the moment. ....I drove it today for work.

I rode the Loch Shiel track yesterday. A tad bumpy in places on gravel tyres but perfectly rideable.

Just posting here to say that all looks awesome and I'm glad this advice exists.

(I'm bookmarking this)