This month's epic is in fact a guest epic. A friend of mine has just returned from a splendid walking & mountain biking holiday at Gairloch, in the Scottish highlands, with tales of epic wilderness rides. I therefore assumed that a 'guest epic' was better than no epic at all. I apologise in advance for the brevity of the descriptions, as I am compiling this from second-hand information, and I am also frantically preparing for my own holiday.
This route takes you through a corner of the 'great wilderness' the uninhabited tract of land between Loch Maree and the Dundonnel River. The circuit passes under the mighty peak of An Teallach (Gaelic for "The Forge"), before following a stretch of singletrack past Loch an Nid and Loch a' Bhraoin and returning via the main road.
For lovers of mountain and wilderness scenery this route is a must. The vast empty spaces of the highlands pales everything that England has to offer into insignificance. The route may be hard work and frustrating, but the rewards are from the experience, not the riding itself. Those of you who have never ventured north of the border, are missing out on the greatest landscapes within our country.
The navigation is straightforward, as the route mainly remains in the valley bottoms, but never underestimate the west coast weather, or your chances of being found if anything goes amiss.
| Physical | Technical | Fun | Scenery | Singletrack | Rideability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *** | **** | *** | ***** | ***** | ** |
There isn't one! In fact there is no permanent habitation along the route at all. So be prepared.
Get out a highlighter, and Landranger no.19, and mark out the following waypoints. The final track / road junction is not on this map, but navigation is straightforward.
| Location | Grid Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrie Hallie car park | 114853 | ||
| Achneigie track junction | 090788 | ||
| Loch an Nid | 083745 | ||
| Lochivraon | 117734 | ||
| Junction with A832 | Off map | ||
| Corrie Hallie car park | 114853 | ||
| Total distance 25 miles - 17 Offroad | Riding time only 5 hours | ||
A vehicle track climbs the mountain side from the A832 at the Corrie Hallie car park, with it soon entering a deciduous woodland. As you leave the woodland, the track becomes too steep to ride beside the waterfalls. From the plateau the views of Fisherfield Forest-"The Great Wilderness" are superb, An Teallach also towers above you on your right. The descent toward Achneigie is very fast and rubble-strewn, resulting in a splendid display of synchronised rear blowouts from Neil and Ben.
Just as you reach the river and valley bottom, leave the Achneigie access track and join a faint singletrack alongside the Abhainn Loch an Nid. This is very sketchy in places, and often disappears completely. However, soldier on toward the Loch. Up to 2 miles of this singletrack section is unrideable and/or non-existent.
After rounding a corner at Creag Rhuigh a' Bhragdad, you cross the watershed at the valley head, and the track begins to descend. The section from Lochivraon bothy to the road, alongside Loch a' Bhraoin is again fully rideable, except for the numerous stream crossings. The track runs directly alongside the Loch edge, and is composed of energy-sapping shingle. In fact it is often easier to ride through the Loch itself.
As you terrifyingly ride off the map, don't worry as this track soon rejoins the tarmac. The A832 Dingwall to Gairloch road is officially a main road, but as the photos show, it is very different from a major road in England. Cycle back downhill, through the magnificent wooden gorge of the Dundonnel river back to your starting point.
Last Updated 05-09-2000
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