[Closed] Scotland routes -- wild but mild

What about the Badger Divide route? Designed to be ridden on gravel bikes instead of proper MTBs?

https://www.strava.com/clubs/305371?hl=en-GB

I don't live up that way, so no doubt others can provide loads, but it is a route i fancy having a crack at so have been reading up on the other day.

Skye , Torridon & Glencoe ...arent the best spots for mountain biking ?

Are you having a laugh ..they are among the best spots ..but not for the type of riding you are suggesting ..there are some easyish doubletrack trails out of Aviemore ..ring Bothy Bikes who will suggest some routes and they also do their own maps ..

Not having a laugh, just having a guess as I said, obviously a very bad one 🙂

<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Also phrased badly, as I meant not the best for gravel-type riding. I'm aware that more technical MTB riding up there is sweet and have done a bit around near Glencoe myself.</span>

My assumption was rather basic... that the bigger the mountains get the harder it may be to find easy (and still wild) riding. But I know that's not true for the Cairngorms as they're much less steep and rocky than the North West Highlands tend to be.

I suppose i'm thinking in relative terms as well. For climbing mountains Glencoe, Skye and Torridon are well worth the journey as England and Wales have nothing that compares. But for riding I would imagine the returns for that long a journey aren't so great, as there are much closer places worth visiting.

Oh, and that Badger Divide looks Perfect 🙂

Might be worth looking at the area north of the Contin/Strathpeffer to Ullapool road. There's a lot of long estate tracks in there. There's also one of the various versions of the Scottish Coast to Coast.

Further south there's the Wild about Argyll Way which is being marketed as being gravel bike friendly.

The track from Coylumbridge ( Aviemore) up Glen Eanaich as far as Loch Eanaich would be doable on a gravel bike ..its pretty straightforward as a there and back ..

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/38978040250/ ]Screenshot_20180313-143417[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/ ]Neil Hodgson[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode_lite ]Flickr2BBcode LITE[/url]

There is a good book called Scottish hill tracks by  by Ralph Storer.

Loads of good ideas, but worth getting up to date information on the state of individual tracks as some may be hard work on a cx bike and others fine

If it's gravel your after, either Cairngorms or Galloway.

As Nobber says.

If it's the Aviemore area you end up in, tap me up for a selection of suitable routes.

Great Glen Way, Speyside Way and Dava Way all make for decent "gravel" riding too.

There is a good route to be made in Caithness too I reckon.

The Corrieyairack should be doable on a gravel bike. I used to do it regularly as a loop from Inverness on a dropbar bike over 50 years ago. There's other trails that fit in but I haven't ridden them for a long time. The Great Glen Way (also ok for a gravel bike) from Inverness followed by the Corrieyairack appeals to me.

I did it the Corrieyairack on Big Apples (virtually no tread) 2 years ago - there's bits where you'd have to be careful but nowhere you'd need to get off for any distance.

You can put together some big loops up north of Dingwall on a gravel bike. eg Ardross to Alladale, thence to Ullapool Rood just south of Loch Glascarnoch, short road transit the look for the track going left which will take you along the north side of Ben Wyvis (it's relatively new) and you come out at Eilanach Lodge, road thereafter to Evanton and back up to Ardross. Easily doable in a day on a singlespeed by a fossil.

Alternative: from the Ullapool Road a slightly longer road transit to Black Water Bridge, take the forestry tracks there almost to Rogie farm, but bear left and take the long climb which will take you along the south side of Ben Wyvis, and eventually out on the the Heights of Docharty between Dingwall and Strathpeffer, then by road back to start (although it could be done offroad, but you'd have some proper mountainbike and hike-a-bike work then).

Great views guaranteed. 🙂

Some nice routes around Glen Affric area. Can feel pretty wild, with proper mountains and forests.

A loop of Loch Affric, and out to the youth hostel and back. Or interesting tracks around the south side of Loch Beinn a Mheadhoin, Tomich, Plodda. Or the power line track over to Glen Moriston.

Also along Glen Strathfarrar, for a really quiet road route.

Up Loch Eanaich then a wee walk up Braeriach if the cloud is high up in the sky and not too windy although you will be flying home if there is wind as it blows you back to Aviemore

Tyndrum to kingshouse on the west highland way is nearly all non single track (sorry, can't bring myself to call it gravel). Skip the BoO to inveroran bit by going along the minor road.

Having said which I wouldn't really want to do it on a drop bar bike but each to their own.

While I remember - Laggan, Ardverickie, Corrour and the "Road to the Isles" to Rannoch.

Loch Eanaich route is very doable on 40mm tyres, if the wind is behind you on the way back down it's very entertaining, there's only one corner you have to slow down/brake for - DON'T forget to brake. Last year there was a mini landslide on the lower section on the way back down (take the high road on the way out for the views), prob all cleared by now.

Here's a photobomb.....

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The Burma Road is worth a run, one of my favs on a nice day.

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It's quite steep....and long

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Good descent but sketchy surface @ 35mph+ on 40mm gravel tyres

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Looking back up descent

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Burma road is one of the dullest days I have ever spent on a bike.

😁

It's not on my to do list either .

Oh Jesus, those photos capture exactly what I'm after... Stunning... if only weather like that in Scotland wasn't so hard to catch.

So Loch Eanaich looks great. I'd actually spotted that before and wondered whether you could do that, then walk 5-6km south from the loch up and over to the track that ends near the Tom Dubh summit. From there, there'd be a steep (but hopefully well surfaced) track down into Glen Feshie, and a long valley cycle back to the road.

Add the Burma road, the Corrieyairack, and it's would already look a good plan for a Cairngorms week.

Glen Affric looks ace too, and that route north of Dingwall looks a great long day out.

Thanks for all the tip-offs, some plans are converging in my head 🙂 Hope they actually emerge...

Late April/May is usually good weather, I’m back up there for a week at the end of May

So Loch Eanaich looks great. I’d actually spotted that before and wondered whether you could do that, then walk 5-6km south from the loch up and over to the track that ends near the Tom Dubh summit. From there, there’d be a steep (but hopefully well surfaced) track down into Glen Feshie, and a long valley cycle back to the road.

Hmm, we did that a while ago (day that Diana woman died, which must make it about 20 years ago) on rigid mtbs.  It was an adventure, but TBH the descent into Feshie wasn't a lot of fun.  I imagine it'd be purgatory on a gr... on a gra...  on the type of bike you're talking about.

legometeorology

...Add the Burma road, the Corrieyairack, and it’s would already look a good plan for a Cairngorms week...

If you do the Corrieyairack, don't take it lightly. I had to overnight once near the top in a blizzard in August (many years ago). Next day sun was out, all snow melted, and got sunburn. In other words dress for the mountain, not the bike.

Much of the Cairngorm stuff posted above, whilst obviously doable on a gravel bike, is so much more fun on a MTB. I have ridden most of it and rarely opt for my Croix de Fer. Hardtail is my first choice.

wondered whether you could do that, then walk 5-6km south from the loch up and over to the track that ends near the Tom Dubh summit. From there, there’d be a steep (but hopefully well surfaced) track down into Glen Feshie, and a long valley cycle back to the road.

No.

I rode Epicyclo's routes around Ben Wyvis last year and would highly recommend, probably a little milder and flatter than some of the Cairngorms stuff too.

Galloway seems to be a big unexplored expanse of endless & ever-growing gravel, would be interested if anyone could share routes, ideas etc

Holy thread resurection......ok, Mrs B has set her heart on the Badger divide route.

We have 6 days of riding, im after some suggestions for side loops off the Badger divide route

And maybe a suggestion as to weather we take 29ers or beloved gravel bikes please.

GPX or links would be double plus great 🙂

Can't help with anything on the southern bit.

From Fort Augustus you could follow the Highland Trail route as far as Struy or if you want to do the track of a thousand puddles on to Contin/Strathpeffer as an alternative. If you don't want to do the bit of pushing by Loch ma Stack which is on the northbound leg then a little further west is the return route which takes a new wind farm track over to Tomich.

@epicyclo posted about riding the track of a thousand puddles recently, might be worth searching for that.

If your itinerary allows, plan to overnight at the SYHA Loch Ossian place but book early if possible as it has been quite busy this year.  You can plan to get a decent evening meal at the nearby Corrour halt café, which is also open again from 0830 for breakfast.  If you took a second night there, you have day walk & climb options in a stunning setting and since the hostel had showers installed, it's a pretty civilised place.  Corrour halt & Trainspotting when combined, are the source of the classic expression: " It's Sh1te being Scottish"

Riding in from Laggan and out to Rannoch you will have no problems at all on a Grrr bike but still, I'd be taking a 29er over my own C de F.  It's not that the 40mm tyred rigid bike would be 'wrong', it's simply that personally, I'd expect to enjoy that journey more on a 29er hardtail.  If you're keen to go with the CX bike compromises, you'll still have a ball on the grrr bike.

Great Glen sections are mostly very good surfaces that will be fine on smaller tyres, although the two 'top route' sections after Drum contain a surprisingly large amount of climbing.  The Corrieyairick climb will be hard and the descent harder, as it is pretty rocky for a rigid bike but again, if you know what to expect, you'll be fine.  Once past Rannoch, the surfaces are almost entirely good tracks & cycle paths, so all do-able.  Enjoy and let us know what you make of it.

http://www.cotic.co.uk/news/2018/badgersandbackroads

guys this is ace. thank you.

Gpx can be found here

https://www.theracingcollective.com/xduroscotland.html#logistics

Galloway seems to be a big unexplored expanse of endless & ever-growing gravel, would be interested if anyone could share routes, ideas

As an occasional “gravel” biker I am sure somafunk, myself and other locals could come up with some decent rides. A group of bike-packers recently rode from Ae to Peebles, I wondered why there were so many tyre tracks on a track I use occasionally and then it popped up on my FB feed!!!! Myself and others do a ride which joins Mabie and Dalbeattie and back which is around 50mls but could be made longer. Joining those to Ae and or Drumlanrig wouldn’t be too difficult. It’s spmething I may workmon next year when I retire, my only issue guiding is being auld,n slow!!!!!!

As an idea for a route? I did this a couple of weeks ago. OS78 Nithsdale.

From Dumfries I followed Sustrans 10 route out on The Caledonian cycle way out to Ae. The route then takes(signposted)the Lamphit forest track(up the DH access road). The route is well signposted all the way up to a road known locally by various names ie the Sqiglly Rd. Turn left to Kinnelhead, through the farm to the right and carry on to end of farm track until you come to another house/farm. Follow track up to gate. Through gate, follow track. Half a mile or so there is a track to your right, go down this and over dodgy bridge and up to gate. Through gate onto forest track. Follow forestvtrack ignoring all left/right junctions. At a sign for Revox look for SupW signs on post to right, turn right down vague track and follow SupW signs back to “Squiglly Rd and turn right back to start off return route via Ae. You will see a sign post, Ae 12 and Dfs 22.

For me this was a 50ml trip. Loads more miles could be added in Ae or travelling out to Mabie via various trails around town.

Could do a trip over to Drumlanrig or vice versa

At Ae tonight a few of the guys who ate just getting started prefer to do trail/gravel riding so led them on some trails they didn’t know about, 14mls before dinner🍔

May as well add to this thread:

To cut a long story short, I didn't manage a trip with my (now ex) partner, at least not an offroad one, but plan to do a couple this spring/summer myself.

One being the Badger Divide, hopefully extended up to Durness (I'll post a route when I've got a better plan).

The other, I want to go over to Mull and the peninsula north of it where Sanna Bay is. I just sketched out a route -- if anyone has any knowledge of it that'd be great.

I'd hope to take my gravel/monstercross/all terrain bike. The important bit is I'd be on 700x47mm tyres, reluctant to take the mtb as there'll be a fair bit of road.

https://www.strava.com/routes/17954787

(note that that route includes a good 20 miles of ferry)

Kentra to Ockle will be a handful with those tyres, though more manageable if dry. On balance, I reckon you should just compromise on that section as the rest of it should be fine.

Thanks scotroutes, I'd thought the same about that section, looks stunning though.

For the record, have you added anything to this map?
https://gravelmap.com/

Nothing up in North Scotland yet... I was going to add a few things, from this thread as well, but I'm wary of doing it until I've actually ridden them...

Seems useful for visualising how to link things into a big tour, and it's very easy to use (I added a bunch of trails in the Dales)

I’m off touring Mull and Ardnamurchan on my gravel bike next week. Jump onto Mull via Loch Aline then back via the ferry from Tobermory. You can do a nice loop and hit Sanna on the way back if you’ve left a vehicle by the Corran Ferry. I lived on the Ardnamurchan for 3 years it’s stunning and quiet. Keep your wits about you on the single track roads the locals drive like loons as it’s great fun to do so.

Ah just followed your link. It’s a nice route. I rode from Crianlarich to Fort William on WHW start of this week. Great scenery but glad I was on a hard tail I must say. I was wild camping near the Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe. Public loos by the car park with hot water was a nice bonus.

legometeorology

...I’d hope to take my gravel/monstercross/all terrain bike. The important bit is I’d be on 700x47mm tyres, reluctant to take the mtb as there’ll be a fair bit of road....

Don't underestimate how good 2.35 Big Apples or G-One are. Although virtually treadless, if they are run at a suitable pressure, they conform to the surface, so there's plenty grip except on mud.

I used them for a Corrieyarack ride without problems. They're my go to tyre for gravel, because they're nice and fast on the road transits too.

North of Inverness and west of Dingwall there's plenty really long gravel rides available.

You can ride from above Dingwall along the gravel road on the south face of Ben Wyvis, and come out at Black Water Bridge, then a few miles further on along the road to Ullapool, veer right onto more gravel and head along Strath Vaich which will take you to Alladale where you can rejoin the tarmac, or head back south along the gravel until you get to tarmac at Braeantra, go along Strath Rusdale until you come on to the road south back to Dingwall.

It's a great day out, brilliant scenery, and if I can do it on a 70 year old bike with rod brakes and 37mm tyres, you'll have no trouble with your bike.

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(If you're interested in that, I can draw out the route for you.)

Or you can simply ride around Ben Wyvis which is much easier since they rebuilt the track (it had disappeared)

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Highlandman shhhhhhh

Or you can simply ride around Ben Wyvis

You can do a big estate road loop from Strathpeffer around Wyvis, up Strath Vaich to Deanich, Glencalvie, Loch Morie, Evanton (around 130km in total). All fairly straightforward track, from memory, but some great views and remote country.

I think most of the Gaick pass route should also be rideable on a gravel bike?

Round Beinn Dearg from Ullapool with a night in the charming Schoolhouse bothy if you fancy (it's easily doable in a day though).

I think most of the Gaick pass route should also be rideable on a gravel bike?

Pretty much. There'd just be the bit past Sronphadruig Lodge and Loch an Dun that might be "interesting". In fact most of the outer loop of the Cairngorms loop (or the original loop) would be doable on a gravel bike, there'd be Loch an Dun, Loch Builg at the head of Glen Avon and the top bit of the Tilt down as far as the Falls of Tarf

Some great inspiration here. Bookmarked
🙂

There's a film here of a trip that's basically Ardverikie/ Laggan Wolftrax along the old HT route to Corrour, down to Loch Treig, Staonaig bothy, over to Roy Bridge, along the Great Glen and back over Corrieyairack Pass. http://www.bikepacking.com/plog/hot-and-bothied-film/

Keeping this going - Rob Roy Way from Pitlochry to Drymen. I did it using a rigid MTB with 1.75" Marathon Mondials. TBH, doing it again I'd reverse the route. Team it up with the West Highland Way for a Glasgow Start or End point.

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2013/04

Loving these pictures and videos folks. Wild but mild ? I think I may have found my natural home. Getting into the middle of nowhere (on my own) is basically why I ride and I tend to view anything above red route level tech as just an opportunity to break either my bike or myself.

Still not sure I see the point of gravel bikes though. Even the tame trails on here look to me like they’d be a lot more fun on a mountain bike. Maybe that’s just a sign that I’m getting old but even a tame descent is a lot more fun if you can drop the saddle and pump the suspension and/or squishy tyres through all the little bumps. Each to their own though.

Something's just gone wrong - eek! I posted up rough description of a route around Ben Alder and it disappeared 😢

Anyway, try again: Dalwhinnie - Dalspidal Lodge - Loch Garry - Loch Rannoch - Rannoch Station - Road to the Isles route to Corrour - old HT550 route past Corrour Lodge and on to Ardverikie House - follow Pattack River and round to Ben Alder Lodge - back to Dalwhinnie. 120km of which 15km is by the A9, 20km is on a quiet road by Loch Rannoch and there's about 2km of potential pushing at the end of Loch Garry. 1200m of ascent.

There's lots of potentially big loops in Scotland if you are prepared to do a little pushing here and there, depending on skill and determination, to join things up.

@roverpig - I agree to a large extent - the estate tracks in Scotland are a hoot on a 29er hardtail, it's just mile munching. They tend to be just a little bit rougher than the usual forest fire road so big tyres but not necessarily suspension make them very manageable.

Edit: where gravel bikes do make sense is where you have a mixed road/track route or where a generally road based ride can be made a bit more interesting by just turning off and heading along a track or to avoid a big detour (quite common in the Highlands) where a pure road bike wouldn't cope with the track and an MTB would be a pain on the road.

Still not sure I see the point of gravel bikes though.

Wouldn't be my choice for a big day out on Scottish estate tracks either (including the routes I suggested above). An XC bike would be a lot more comfortable and faster for long distance cruising in most cases, and will handle the bits where things rougher.

Remember that it's not just our waistlines that have got bigger, "road plus" tyres at 47mm or so are pretty much the same width as MTB tyres of old and probably quite a bit bigger volume. The real difference is flat vs drop bars but the wide flared drops are pretty good handling wise so long as you don't aim for a slammed stem.

the estate tracks in Scotland are a hoot on a 29er hardtail

Even there I prefer full-suss but that really is just a sign of age. My back just grumbles more on a hardtail these days even on estate tracks. I’d agree though, we are blessed with an amazing network of off-road but largely tame trails up here. Estate roads, stalking tracks, forest tracks and these days an increasing number of wind farm access routes, can all make for a fun day in the hills. I didn’t mean to piss on anyone’s chips either. If a gravel bike is your preferred option for these trails then go for it.

Still not sure I see the point of gravel bikes though. Even the tame trails on here look to me like they’d be a lot more fun on a mountain bike. Maybe that’s just a sign that I’m getting old but even a tame descent is a lot more fun if you can drop the saddle and pump the suspension and/or squishy tyres through all the little bumps. Each to their own though.

Yeah - every ride is a compromise. There's always at least one section where you think "I'm on the wrong bike". It's just a question of working out what suits for the majority of the trip. I've used everything from fatbike, 29er (rigid or front suspension, various tyre sizes), B+ (rigid or front suspension), and gravel/touring bike (700x28 to 650x47 tyres) so not hung up on one being "best". The only thing I've not gone on yet is Enduropacking - decent travel FS and minimal bivvy kit - but I have a couple of routes in mind for this summer. However, as the title of this thread is "Wild but mild", I'm assuming we're talking about the much less gnarlier routes and making use of the little roads too. In many of those instances the gravel/adventure bike concept works really well - though rigid 29ers (let's just pretend they're not hybrids) can be just as good.

Oh - I'm not accepting your "age" argument either 😉   I'd quote my age but epicyclo would just come along and trump me 🙂

You’re right, it’s just a number and an excuse for being soft 🙂

Not sure I agree about picking a bike for the “majority of the route” but that’s being pedantic. I’d be the first to admit that a gravel bike is a better option for 95% of the stuff I ride. But the other 5% is often the most fun bit and the bit where I’d really miss the “MTB”. I’m not racing anyone so I don’t really want to give up the bit I enjoy most just to make the rest a bit faster. As you say, it’s all a compromise though and as long as you are out there nobody cares what you’re riding really.

@roverpig - I did the HT550 two years ago on a rigid 29er (Cotic Solaris with Travers Prong carbon forks) and I'm just a couple of months younger than @Scotroutes. To quote Joe Friel: "Age is only a problem if you use it as an excuse.".

In fact putting B+ wheels and tyres on an MTB is ideal for such terrain as the tyres soak up all that little chatter.

Edit: sometimes choosing the "wrong" bike makes things all the more interesting 😏

whitestone

...sometimes choosing the “wrong” bike makes things all the more interesting

It's amazing where you can get to on a "wrong" bike. 🙂

Bookmarking this.

Most of what I'd suggest has been covered, the Northern stuff.

One I fancy sometime this summer is this Monadhliath trail

I've never ridden that area at all.

HEre's a pic from my Tour de Ben Wyvis yesterday
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42 miles, 3100 ft climbing overall. It's a lovely day out.

And while we're discussing the tools for the job, here's mine. Rohloff Singular swift with jones bars. Racing Ralph 2.2 with the rear de-knobbed to make it semislick.
I've just got myself a dyno hub for an upcoming Balkan tour.
I had a 'proper' gravel bike for a short while, a Spesh Sequoia. The Swift is much more capable and comfy.
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That Monadliath Trail might have been modified somewhat since the Stronelairg windfarm roads were put in, so check the latest OS mapping, but the area generally is excellent. Piemonster and I did a wee road tour round there last weekend.

https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/57.10959,-4.48247,14

Oh and I plan to ride this route again in a couple of weeks, then write it up properly and give it a dedicated web page on my blog. It would fit perfectly into this thread - mostly easy going with just a couple of rougher sections (mainly the Corrieyairack and the Fair Haired Lads Pass).

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2017/07/so-low.html

Tick

Not relevant to routes in Scotland but an observation about MTB vs gravel bikes.

I've been trying to get my FS bike (Salsa Spearfish) sorted for climbing, the descents are already much quicker than on my Solaris but on climbs that's been quicker. On Thursday I set a PB on a Strava segment that's a third rough tarmac climb, a third is steady stony climb and a third steady, stony, descent (both these bits are probably similar in gradient and style to the lower part of the Speyside side of the Corrieyairack). In fact I got in the top ten (out of 700).

Today I was out on my singlespeed which has CX/gravel tyres on it and just thought that rather than stick to the roads I'd try the same segment. I did my third fastest time and was 1:40 slower than my pb of 9:40 but that would still have put me in 50th place. I wasn't all out trying in the same way that I was on Thursday but the fact that you can't change gear means you just have to keep a decent pace up so that you can continue to turn the pedals.

I was definitely quicker on the road part but slightly slower on the rest of the ascent then definitely slower on the descent. The FS was much more comfortable than the SS, I wouldn't have wanted to ride 50km of that roughness of track on it, fine for a couple of km but then I was glad to be back on tarmac. You have to be much more careful with your lines. On the other hand the SS/gravel bike feels more "connected" with what you are riding over, the FS just isolates you from it all.

To be fair to the SS (On-One Pompetamine frame) it was never designed as a gravel bike and 37C tyres aren't what I'd fit to such a bike anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLuhgDa1FAuvDWj0lSQIlMA/videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCwQewcydg8

This is all great.

I've mapped out a potentially utopian plan taking on much of the above suggestions:

https://www.strava.com/routes/17984216

Actually, I'd probably want to do that but begin in Glasgow to do most of the Badger Divide. There is one bit of that route I'm not sure about, looks sketchy on google maps: the bit from Struy over to Fairburn. I guess I'm not sure if I picked the best route from Strathpeffer to Rosehall either, but it all looks great around there...

I've got an intense 3 day trip in mind now too...
https://www.strava.com/routes/17984206

Without derailing the thread, I agree, I'd rather be on a rigid 29er even on estate tracks. But like Scotroutes says, the problem is finding a balance when you've got lots of road miles (if all goes to plan, I've got 85 miles on road on the last day of that first route and only 25 miles off it)

Even my gravel bike will have a dropper though, which helps a great deal...

p.s. Epicyclo, I'm aware of your love for Big Apples 🙂 I've not got the clearance on my Arkose for anything remotely that size, but if I go with my mtb I've got big nearly slick 2.2"x29er's on there. These may be your sort of thing too...
https://www.vittoria.com/ap/terreno-cross-country.html

legometeorology

...These may be your sort of thing too…
https://www.vittoria.com/ap/terreno-cross-country.html/a >

Very much so. At the moment I have quite a few tyres to wear out first though. 🙂

BIg volume and supple is the trick IMO.

At the moment I'm experimenting with 50mm Stan's Crows on Easton Arc 40mm rims which gives them a higher volume than narrow rims. So far so good - although I haven't been able to put the time in on them I'd like because of a wee health problem.

One experiment coming up is to see how big a 650b+ tyre I can get in a Pompino seeing as the poor thing spends most of its life offfroad or on crap roads anyway. There may be some chainstay modification...

The bit of your route that takes you out at Loch Glascarnoch can be boggy. Last time I did it was a few years back, and it was too much hike a bike even for me. If I did it again it would be a fatbike. However it's not a huge portion, and the scenery is nice.

My choice would be to keep going to the bridge at Black Water instead of heading in to Garve. Then you have the choice of a relatively short ride to Inchbae and going into the track near it  or a bit further along, south of Loch Glascarnoch. I think someone on here is involved with the inn at Inchbae, so it's probably worth popping in.
If you double back a wee bit from Black Water, there's a trail on the hill wich more or less parallels the main road to Ullapool, and that comes out just south of Inchbae.

This is what I mean. Contin to Strath Vaich.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29653720

Your Struy to Fairburn route is that taken by the HT550 and is fine, it's the "track of a thousand puddles" but I only counted 350 😉. From Contin I'd continue following the HT550 route, it's the line suggested by @epicyclo that parallels the main road to Inchbae then the track up Strath Rannoch and round to Strath Vaich.

In fact from Struy to Gobernuisgach Lodge (which is up near Ben Hope) apart from the Blackwater to Loch Vaich section your route follows that of the HT550. Your Fort Augustus to Tomich line is part of the return route of the HT.

Re: Inchbae Lodge. The owner/operator is on here, don't know how regularly. His username is woody.

Some really inspiring stuff in this thread, definitely bookmarked it for future reference. Had planned a trip to Scotland in 2017 but never made it, hoping to get up there either this summer or next.

Also added the Caledonia Way to my list of rides to complete, along with the Hebridean Way.

Brilliant, thanks again, made some edits to those linked routes (which means that to anyone looking now some of the above comments from me will not make sense)

I'm still tempted by the track through Lochluichart windfarm as I like riding through big windfarms, but the Longart Forest bit does make more sense.

I'm so excited to venture north again 🙂

In fact from Struy to Gobernuisgach Lodge (which is up near Ben Hope) apart from the Blackwater to Loch Vaich section your route follows that of the HT550. Your Fort Augustus to Tomich line is part of the return route of the HT.

Ah! I guess I should just have looked at that then... I was well aware it existed, just figured it wasn't mild enough for what I'm after...

There's only a couple of technical/hike-a-bike bits on the HT550 on its way north: there's the bog to get to Ben Alder Cottage; the singletrack around Ben Alder and the push around Loch ma Stack. The fun starts heading to Bealach Horn from Gobernuisgach Lodge

Have you considered the Scottish Borders, the Tweed Valley has some amazing gravel riding , lots of choice and many can be linked with some great quiet roads on a gravel bike too. A great place for a base to explore various loops.
Also consider Kielder Forest.
Amazing scenery and riding at both places.

Aweeshoe: aw, come on, Ossian is so good we can share it out a bit, can't we..?

If anyone reading this thinks it might be a good idea to try heading north west from Ossian towards Spean Bridge, I'd say please don't try that, it's just a ball ache even with a big bike, let alone a gravel bike.

This thread got me excited enough for a last minute plan to emerge...

Catching the sleeper tomorrow night to Fort William, riding to Kilchoan and catching the ferry for a night in Tobermory, on to Iona, 2 nights in the hostel there to give a day to wander and jump in the sea, then to Inverary for Sat night, and a short ride to Ardui to catch a sunday train home.

https://www.strava.com/routes/17954787

The beach at Fidden is the best in the area.

IMO Iona is a bit over-rated. I reckon every second building is a shop or gallery designed to extract money from the visiting hordes who descend on it off the ferry in their coachloads. Mind you, head over to the west side and you'll not meet many as it's too far for their wee legs to carry them.

Doing the Badger Divide on May 2nd, cannae wait.
Taking the rigid Singular Swift I think, 50mm Conti Race Kings. Praying for decent weather 🤞

This is the sort of riding I tend to do these days. Much of what I do tho is multiday so I amnot sure if any routes I have would be much use.

Dalwhinnie / loch Pattack, Laggan is good. Also so is kinochleven to Ossian to lochan Na Herba if you accept what for me was mainly a walk thru the Abhainn Rath

Dunno if loch lyon has been mentioned - there is now a double track right round the loch not marked on the map - we used is as a thru route from just south of Bridge of Orchy. further north Ullapool to Oykel bridge is nice as is Black bridge ( just south of altguish) to Amat - which then can be linked up with the ullapool to oykel bridge route That section I really enjoyed as unusually there was not too many steep climbs!

Don't forget geograph for checking track quality - often very useful. With a map, google earth and geograph you can often tell how ridable a track is.

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/843/28263124497_1a5b38c1eb_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/843/28263124497_1a5b38c1eb_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/K4vUeX ]IMG_1363[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/4848/45671969104_9c27bbc970_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/4848/45671969104_9c27bbc970_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2czSMeb ]DSC_0505[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/835/29260603588_2b53ca43bf_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/835/29260603588_2b53ca43bf_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/LzEf2j ]IMG_1368[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr

scotroutes

...I reckon every second building is a shop or gallery designed to extract money from the visiting hordes who descend on it off the ferry...

A bit of a historical reversal then... 🙂

Well that was stunning...

Loch Shiel shortly after arriving in Fort William on the horrendous sleeper train that had me sat on a platform for 50 mins while changing trains in Edinburgh.

The track from Kentra Bay to Ockle, tough going as Scotroutes had warned, tougher than I expected, as even the track was rough, never mind the footpath.

Then I hit the peak wish-I-had-my-mtb moment; or hour, as I hiked through 2km of overgrown singletrack and bog.

At some point during the hike-a-bike, I remembered to look up and was greeted by Rum and Eigg

The next day, on the north coast of Mull, after a night in Tobermory hostel

Peak glad-I'm-on-my-all-road-bike moment on the Mull coast road

One of the Scottish caribbean's on Iona

The penultimate, and longest, day, from Iona to Inveraray, made slightly trickier by a relentless 20mph headwind which pushed my 90 mile ride into a 11 hour epic. (I may take part of the blame for getting lost and causing myself another hour long bog trek...)

Can't wait for a Durness trip now...

The route again:
https://www.strava.com/routes/17954787

That loks lovely - and encapsulates the whole experience. 🙂

Nice.

If it makes you feel any better, TJ "managed" the Ockle bit with a tandem 😜