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Hoping for some mtb/gravel/ road route suggestions here please...
I'm heading up to the campsite at Strontian for a few days either side of the Easter weekend. This has traditionally been a motorbike and camping trip with the lads, however, this time I fancy a bit more comfort and variety owing to my ongoing "challenges" ( https://adventureswithprostatecancer.com/ )
So, I thought I'd head up in our partially converted T6 and take a motorbike and a bicycle with me. That will be more comfortable getting up there from the Peak, and better for my chances of sleeping than if I were having to crawl into a tent or share a noisy pod. It'll give me the motorbike for the Friday+Saturday motorbike ride-outs with the lads, and I can go off cycling the other days.
Any recommended cycling routes? Anything up to about 80km and 1200 metres of climbing should be ok if on road; half that distance if off-road? Maybe a little more... but happy with much less too. And what bike shall I take? Hardtail, suspension or gravel?
I could, possibly, take a bivvy bag and do a longer route?
Thanks in advance
there is a nice gravel route from glenfinnan to polloch.
the off-road route from polloch to strontian is character forming.
As above polloch-glenfinnan-back round loch eil. Is the obvious choice. And TBF the road from polloch to Strontian is character forming too.
the road down to ardnamurchan point is nice to ride. There is also a off road loop on arnamurchan that is decent, Hopefully someone has a better grasp of the details of it than I do but its glenborrowdale to Arachle to Ockle - I was having a bad day that day!
Anything out west would be great too. There is a tempting loop via ockle and the singing sands beach but I can't vouch for the missing bit in the middle. I'm sure someone has done it. Throw in some ferries and you've an overnight loop taking in mull.
there is a nice gravel route from glenfinnan to polloch.
Thanks... Is that the one alongside Loch Shiel?
Yep.
Cona Glen is allegedly rideable through but we missed the foot ferry from FW so ended up missing it out.
Cona glen from my memory of walking there would be a push / carry over the bealach
I did some road riding / touring round there many years ago and it was stunning. Super quiet roads. I rode up and under Glenfinnan Viaduct as well.
That was part of a 100 mile (almost all road) loop from Fort William down the western side of the loch, around to Strontian, up to Loch Moidart then Glenuig then just followed the coast back around past Glenfinnan and back to Fort William. But you could easily do that route starting from Strontian, just take the southern road past Loch Eil instead of going into Fort WIlliam.
Obviously you're not looking for anything that long in one go but it'd be a great 2-day tour. Or there are options just to go around bits of the peninsula and back to Strontian.
Then I went up to Ullapool, camped somewhere just north of there and did a loop around there as well. It was mid-September - glorious weather, no midges, no tourists!