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Back in 2014 I did the Orange Tour de Ben Nevis, fittingly on an Orange 5.
I'm back up that way next week with the gravel bike, and found a route on Komoot that looks suspiciously similar...
https://www.komoot.com/tour/1271425696
Am I looking at a world of hurt on a gravel bike (38c tyres)? I don't recall it being too bad, other than a couple of hike-a-bike places which is fine.
It's not impossible ... but I think I'd be choosing something a bit more comfortable unless you want to spend a good part of your day nursing a bike that's out of it's depth.
To be fair, if you skip the descent into KLL and stay high past the Mamores Lodge, it'll be a fair bit more civilised but still stretching at times. Also, keep an eye on river levels as there is that one crossing out at Luibelt to think about. It's fine at low and normal levels but after proper heavy rain is a bit risky.
if I was picking a bike for the route, I'd be on a handy 29er hardtail.
To be fair, if you skip the descent into KLL and stay high past the Mamores Lodge,
I think that's what the Komoot route does (which the TdBN didn't).
This is my actual planned route...
https://www.strava.com/routes/3128704361959547098
if I was picking a bike for the route, I’d be on a handy 29er hardtail.
It's gravel bike or nothing 🙂 I don't have an mtb any more.
I'll also be doing this...
https://www.strava.com/routes/3128708320000660698
Any suggestions for 40 odd mile gravel routes from Fort William will be gratefully received though.
Is it not mainly pushing and carrying from the river crossing at Luilbelt to Loch Trieg then Treig to the Larig Bothy?
A long time since I was at Luibelt but I walked Larig to Loch Treig twice in the last few years. Lots of bog hopping.
I think the best route would be straight over from Luibelt to the Larig bothy. Skip Loch Treig.
At the start I would skip the first bit of the WHW and use the minor road out of Fort William. Plenty tougher stuff later.
Agree with both of irc's suggestions; I don't use komoot/strava so didn't examine the posted route as I did that original Tour de Ben Nevis route around 2009/10, the first year it was held..
I think the best route would be straight over from Luibelt to the Larig bothy. Skip Loch Treig.
That’s actually where the route of the TdBN went in 2014 looking back at my Garmin trace. And that’s the bit that I recall being a hike. I was assuming that the Komoot version via Loch Treig was more rideable but I’ll defer to more recent local knowledge.
I think I might just ride up to the Abhainn Rath crossing point and then decide based on what it looks like on the ground. Or frankly, even if I can be arsed crossing the river!
And by minor road, I assume you mean just following the Old Military Road out the south of Fort William to start, rather than going through Glen Nevis?
Thanks both.