WHW above Kinlochleven
This guide describes a 4-day circular cross-country mountain-bike route that starts and finishes in Fort William. The route follows the line of the Great Glen via the Great Glen Cycle Route to Fort Augustus, then cuts over the Monadhliath mountains through the Corrieyairick Pass, heading through to Kinloch Laggan. Here the route heads back west through the Ardverikie estate to Strath Ossian and across to Corrour on the edge of Rannoch Moor. The route then makes it’s way back to Fort William by skirting the back slopes of the Grey Corries and the Mamores to Kinlochleven before finally linking through to Fort William along the line of the West Highland Way. The route is best read in conjunction with the following OS maps: OS Landranger 34, OS Landranger 35, OS Landranger 41, OS Landranger 42
The initial day’s riding is easy going, mostly following the line of the Great Glen Cycleway, and gives a great chance to get a close look at the famous Caledonian Canal, designed and built by Thomas Telford over the period of 1803 to 1822. No technical riding is met on this first day, making it a pleasant introduction and a chance to get warmed up for the harder work to come. The second day’s riding is taken up for the most part by the crossing of the Corrieyairick Pass, a route that takes you from the Great Glen over into Speyside. The track is actually the remains of an 18th Century military road, surveyed and built in around 1731 by General George Wade, an Irishman who functioned as “Commander in Chief of His Majesty’s Forces, Castles, Forts and Barracks in North Britain” from 1724 till 1740. During his period in the Highlands Wade established numerous military forts and barracks (such as those at Ruthven, Fort William and Fort Augustus), and was responsible for the building of hundreds of miles of new roads linking the key centres of military importance around the Highlands – all done to help control and subdue the Jacobite Clans who for a number of years had been threatening insurrection. The Wade Road over the pass is still in fine condition and makes a great day’s off-road expedition. The third day passes through land that is now mostly privately owned by large estates, primarily for forestry and deer-grazing, but again, the estate tracks make good riding, often following the line of ancient drove routes, and leads the rider into the edge of one of the most wild sectors of Scotland, Rannoch Moor. The final day is a real off-road adventure, and takes you from the edge of Rannoch Moor to the back of the Grey Corries and Mamores, on a route that requires a lot of perseverance and not a small amount of pushing, however it really takes you into the isolated heart of the Highlands, and is worth all the effort. Upon reaching the high ground above Kinlochleven, the majority of the rest of the route is followed along the line of the West Highland Way – which again is actually the remnants of an 18th Century military road.
We did the route in early June – in general, early May to Mid June would be the best time for doing this sort of route in the Highlands, as before then the weather is less predictable, and on the higher sections of the Corrieyairick pass old snow and ice could still be met, whilst later in the summer you have to run the gauntlet of the dreaded midges!
After driving from Edinburgh to Fort William in the early morning, we set off from Fort William just before lunchtime. Leaving Fort William along the A82 north, we soon turned off left onto the A830 which was followed for around 2km till the Caledonian Canal was reached. Here we turned off the road and up a minor side road that took us to the canal towpath. The sight of the “Neptune’s Staircase” was worth a small diversion to explore, where the canal descends down to sea level through a stepped series of locks. Jumping back on the bikes, we set off along the right hand towpath, keeping the canal waters on our left. The towpath is broad and flat, and we made short work of the 10km to Gairlochy. When we reached the lockkeeper’s cottage here, we crossed the canal by the bridge and followed the undulating minor road at the water’s edge till we reached the small cluster of houses at Clunes. Here our route turned right, following the broad forestry track that heads north-east along the western shores of Loch Lochy. Again, this proved to be fast cycling, being broad well-graded hard packed double-track. Glimpses through the trees showed the waters of the Loch, and on two separate occasions we caught great views of RAF fighters skimming the surface of the waters on training sorties. Reaching the end of the forestry roads at Kilfinnan, a few km of tarmac took us to the main A82 again. Here the cycleway heads off uphill into forestry , so it was a case of keeping the heads down for the fairly tough ascent to the high point where there is an excellent viewpoint that allows you to see far in both directions along the U-shaped trench of the Great Glen.
Loch Oich
From here we shot down through the trees on the remaining section of track, to appear out of the trees on the other side of the river from Invergarry. In the village itself we took a quick food stop at the local café before heading off for the final section up to Fort Augustus. Whilst we could have rejoined the Cycleway with a steep climb through the forestry onto the hills above Invergarry, we decided to take the quicker option, and simply followed the A82 again for a few km till we reached the bridge over the canal at Bridge of Oich. Here we rejoined the canal towpath on the left bank, and cycled the remaining kilometres to Fort Augustus, every so often eyeing the hills to our right that we would be heading off into tomorrow. Arriving in Fort Augustus we quickly found our B+B where we were able to get showered and changed before heading out for a meal and a few beers, celebrating the successful start to our trip.
We left Fort Augustus the next morning on the A82, heading south before doubling back on the minor road towards Ardachy Lodge. At GR373072 (OS34) we turned onto a narrow broken footpath, almost unrideable, heading uphill. Although this was a rough start, the main track proper was soon reached. The next tough km of climbing proved to be a mere taster of the further 12km of similar uphill work to come! Despite being built in 1731, the track itself is in remarkably sound condition throughout the whole of the ascent, and the only impediment to cycling the complete climb in a oner was it’s seemingly never-ending nature: eventually the body had to give in, forcing us to collapse onto the grass beside the track on at least two occasions!
With a justifiable sense of satisfaction at achieving the summit of the pass (~770m, 2500ft; 17km from Fort Augustus), our attention turned to the descent. The first 2 km were a steep, rough series of downhill zig-zags that have been badly rain-eroded, leaving a loose, rolling carpet of football-sized rocks that required a certain amount of skill (and lots of plush suspension!) to ride fast. After the initial steep drop through the zig-zags, the track continued downhill for a further 4km at a steady gradient on a loose stony surface till we finally reached the bothy at Melgarve. This bothy could have been used for an overnight stay, having a good living room with fireplace, ample furniture and plenty of firewood available in the nearby stand of old forestry. However, in our case the better option for the route in hand was to continue through as far as Kinloch Laggan (B+B accommodation may be hard to find there though). We continued past the bothy for a further few km till the stone bridge of Garva Bridge was reached (GR521947, OS35). The minor tarmac road was then followed further east till the artificial waterway was crossed at GR554933 (OS35). Here our route doubled back onto the rough track leading in the direction of Glenshero Lodge. Passing through a gate to the left of the lodge house we started to climb uphill through some sparse forestry plantation. The track takes a gently climbing contour, heading for the low point between the Spey Valley and the Laggan Valley. After 3km the track dropped down steeply to emerge at the A86 beside Loch Laggan at Aberarder Lodge; for us, the end of the 2nd day’s riding.
After spending the night in a nearby cottage, we set off again – with the first part of the 3rd day’s ride being a crossing of the Ardverikie estate. We had decided to cover all the bases beforehand, by checking that our route through the estate would acceptable to the estate factor - Ardverikie being the filming location for BBC’s twee and tartanesque “comedy–drama” ‘Monarch of the Glen’, we definitely didn’t want to be mistaken as pestering obsessive fans, and have a run-in with the estate workers! In the event, a phonecall to the estate office was well received, and we set off through the estate knowing that, “Right to Roam” notwithstanding, we weren’t going to be shouted at, shot at or have the dogs set on us!!
The River Pattack was crossed at the gatehouse bridge (GR539897 OS42) and the main estate access track was followed west through the forestry at the edge of Loch Laggan till the main junction of tracks was met a couple of hundred metres short of Ardverikie house itself. From here the main SW branch was followed, heading uphill for a kilometre till we emerged from the trees at the weir (GR503859 OS42). From here the deep U-shaped trench of an ancient glacial valley stretched before us, the double waters of Lochan na h-Earba being whipped into a blue and white froth by the powerful headwind funnelling towards us.
Lochan na Hearba
The track was followed along the south side of the lochs for about 6km, mostly flat and well surfaced, but hard work with the strong headwind. At the south end of the lochs the path swings roughly northwest, with a shallow climb, a contour round the edges of Binnein Shuas and a fast sweeping descent to the junction at GR444822 (OS42). Here we turned due west, passing through a gate and making for nearby Luiblea and Torgulbin (GR435827 OS42). At this point our route headed back into forestry, with a long steady climb of about 7km through dense conifer plantation - a place to get the head down and concentrate on the pedalling rhythm, helped by the smooth surface of the track. Eventually the ascent topped out, and almost immediately the track emerged from the forestry onto the upland above the upper reaches of Strath Ossian. A small metal shack at the forestry edge provided a bit of shelter from the steadily rising wind and cold rain blowing in from the west. After a short lunch stop here we set off into the weather. A well made estate track runs all the way along the edge of the hills on the west edge of Strath Ossian, and this was followed all the way down the length of the strath (~8km) to the shores of Loch Ossian near Corrour Lodge. From here we chose to skirt the loch by the track along its northern banks, and headed to the train station at Corrour, on the edge of Rannoch Moor. We had decided in advance that instead of staying at the (in)famous Loch Ossian Youth Hostel (toilets = galvanised tin bucket!!), we would try the independent hostel at Corrour Station itself.
Corrour Bunkhouse
This turned out to be a real find – a small fee (£10 each or so) gave us a night in the hostel – i.e. the old platform waiting rooms! There were 2 small bunk dorms (sleeps about 16 in total), and a small kitchen, large shower room, drying room with coal rayburn stove and the upstairs “lounge”, which is the old signal box, replete with 360° views of the surrounding moors and hills. To top it off, the main station building over the railway line has a small “restaurant/tea-room” for the benefit of hostel punters and train passengers, serving a 3-course main meal for the princely sum of around £8! With a table license too, this meant that we were able to get dried off and changed, before settling in for the evening to a good meal and a number of bottled beers, before heading back at 9.45pm (when the restaurant shut) to spend an hour or so watching the sun set from the old signal box.
The next morning (fortified with bacon and egg rolls from the tea-room) we set off to finish the route – our day’s destination being Fort William. The first km was hard going on a bike – the track heads due west, a few metres south of the rail tracks. The area is heavily boggy, and the path is mostly on half-submerged planks, with several sections that require a lot of ingenuity to work out how best to get bike and self across without getting wet feet. After the first boggy km though, things got better, and the path was followed for a further km till the stream was crossed at GR342681 (OS41). Here the path changed back to double track, dropping downhill to the bridge just above the shores of Loch Treig. A further 2km of simple riding took us to the bridge over the Abhainn Rath at Creaguaineach Lodge (GR309689 OS41). From here, our next immediate destination was the ruin of Luibeilt (GR264684 OS41), 5km upstream along the course of the Abhainn Rath. With a bike, the only practical option here is to follow the river upstream along it’s northern side, keeping the river on your left. Even so, this is hard going, and requires a lot of pushing. Some parts are rideable, but a lot of it is too boggy, too steep or simply too rough to cycle.
Nevis Watershed
We set off along the north bank, and after expending a great deal of energy, we finally reached the flat boggy area beside the Meanach bothy, on the other side of the river from Luibeilt. Here we stopped for a short while to recover our energy and eat a quick snack before contemplating the unavoidable river crossing ahead. Some guide books to the area dramatically mention that the river can be dangerous or even impossible to cross, and most sources of reference suggest crossing it at the “ford” directly opposite the ruins of Luibeilt. In my experience, this is not the best spot to attempt the crossing – following the river upstream for a hundred metres or so from this point the river is broader, and well broken with large flat boulders, and in my opinion this is a much better spot for crossing. (Recent riders have also suggested going further upstream by up to a mile to find a good crossing point in times of hight water - Ed) Using the bike as a “third leg”, placing it upstream as a prop and using it for support, and utilising the flat boulders as stepping stones out of the water’s flow, the river was crossed easily, though at the expense of frozen feet and wet legs (take your socks off, but do keep your shoes on – river crossings in bare feet are not to be recommended; you’re much more likely to slip or fall, and your shoes are going to be soaking wet anyway after the last mile of bogs you’ve just been through! Also, if the river is high, or if flow is fast, it is safer to place the bike parallel beside you, facing upstream, as this limits the amount of water pressure pushing against the bike). Do remember that any river crossing is potentially hazardous, so please take care, and do not underestimate the power of the water’s flow.
River Crossing
Once dried off after crossing the river, we set off again, heading south west along the old military road to Kinlochleven. This stony track took us past Lochs Eilde Beag and Eilde Mor before dropping downhill for 3km to the lowest point at Mamore Lodge Hotel. Hit-or-miss at the best of times, the hotel was not serving food or lunches of any sort when we rolled up cold and wet at it’s doors, however they did eventually open the bar and we were able to stock up on cans of Irn-Bru, salt and vinegar crisps and Mars Bars! Refuelled (after a fashion), we continued on our Way (quite literally, as the route now followed the line of the West Highland Way). A few km of uphill work (getting tough at this stage in the trip!) took us to the high point of the valley at Tigh na Sleubhaich (GR137643 OS41).
From here the track runs downhill, and if you’re prepared to hammer your bike (as we were), you can get a pretty exhilarating run over the next couple of km (watch out for walkers and suicide sheep!). Entering the forestry, there were a few tough counter-climbs before we reached the junction with the minor B-road at Blar a’Chaorainn (GR100666 OS41). Leaving the West Highland Way, we switched onto the tarmac for the last 6km into Fort William. The harshness of the series of short steep climbs sprinkled along the length of this road took us a little bit by surprise, and at the end of a tough 4 days with nothing left in the tank we really felt the gradients, but the final km was a perfect way to finish the route, coasting effortlessly down to the town at 30mph, laughing at the thought that all the hard work was over and the route was now done, anticipating the celebration curry to come that evening!
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Last Updated 14-06-2007
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