Video

I have may first attempt at a bit of film making, I recently bought a GoPro Hero 2 camera for taking video footage "hands free" while cycling, climbing or any or my other outdoor pursuits, shame it didn't arrive for the trip to Scotland, but I took it on one of my regular Thursday night bike rides for a try out footage can be seen on youtube on the below link.

Thursday night ride
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caGY41d_lGA

It gets bit grainy as time goes on due to low light conditions, I've tried to compensate by increasing the brightness during editing which helps a little but only a certain amount of brightness adjustment can be used before loss of picture quality is experienced.

More camera trials to follow at some point, as soon as it stops raining !

Loch Etive Easter 2012

The start for this route was at Glencoe which has many accommodation options. The Red Squirrels campsite was our choice which was adequate, a little basic but clean and pleasant enough. The gents facilities were brand new but the fact they were housed in a portacabin type unit meant they were a little cramped and although I couldn't comment on the ladies facilities they were an older unit so I doubt better. As I said adequate but I wouldn't be taking the family for a summer holiday anytime soon, maybe it was the weather conditions t the time which were somewhat damp on arrival. This site does have the facilities for open fires though, if that's to your liking, however I'm not sure the Scottish weather favours sitting round the camp fire in the evening, although in summer could keep the midges at bay. Other options are a SYHA an independent hostel, various B&B's a couple of miles away in Glencoe village itself or rooms at the Clachaig Inn, a fine pub boasting several real ales and somewhat more single malts (250 was the boast) and frequented by many outdoors types in the "boots bar" however lacking a bit of local influence and charm for my liking.

Weapon of choice for the bike ride was my Cotic Soul and lightweight camping kit, along with provisions for 3 days, but more about these elsewhere.

Day 1 would take the A82 out of Glencoe east as a warm up then onto the West Highland Way at the first option as an off road taster, providing you can dodge the oncoming long distance walker traffic. This takes you past the Kingshouse Hotel an alternative starting point then following the WHW across the A82 toward the Glen Coe ski centre which offers a brief climb before the long and fast decent on the old military road toward Bridge of Orchy but taking a right turn beforehand at the Victoria bridge to head west down Glen Kinglass.

Welcoming the relief after leaving the bone jarring military road the estate road into Glen Kinglass is easy going at first and noticeably quieter now off the well trodden path of the West Highland Way. This is where the adventure really starts and there's even a warning sign to tell you you're heading into remote countryside.

Due to the melting snow the going was wet and after about a mile we came to a fork where we opted for the double track through Clashgour farm rather than the submerged footpath, a good choice at the time but note you are advised to dismount and walk for 400m through the farm. The next challenge is a stile over an 8ft deer fence a bit of a bog trot followed by a river ford, which is rideable but approach with caution depending on river levels.

The next river crossing is serviced by a rather smart suspension footbridge before the undulating track begins to flow again round the south of Loch Dochard. Its worth noting that after an interesting stone slab pavement section another river crossings required. This suspension bridge is in poor repair and it might be worth wading across if you unsure about the bridge.

After this crossing the landrover estate track returns and along with it a little more speed and fun. The road services Glenkinglass lodge however this is no indication you're near a built up area as we cycled for what seemed like forever at least another 10km, on good track though, to where the glen meets Loch Etive. A quick look around and we pitched tents for the night, feeling like we'd done plenty for one day.

Day 2 began with calm air and blue skies, Loch Etive mill pond still, the mirror finish only broken by a boat carrying a load from the forestry logging operation to the north. A look across the Loch showed where we planned to spend the 2nd night out with another long day ahead to get there, although most of this day would be on tarmac.

There was an option of more off road to the south of Loch Nant, but due to time constraints we opted for cycle route 78 along the minor roads, traffic free and easy riding with still good views. Then a detour into Oban for a bite to eat before heading out on the old road north adjacent to the railway to cross the Loch mouth at Connel and make our way back along the northern Loch Etive shore back into the wilderness.

As the skies blackened and the rain started, we left the tarmac only stopping to fill up with water at one of the burns, quickly setting off again we nearly missed Cadderlie bothy which we intended to take at look at. A quick U turn we noticed smoke coming out of the chimney and after opening the door we were met with greetings of I'll get a brew on shall I? The wood fire already on the go, after sitting down briefly it was hard to leave, were staying the night.

The chap already resident at Cadderlie bothy, Jay, had been staying there a few nights, breaking himself in for the year. He told us he was trying to get to know his country and spent the month March to November roaming the highlands living off the land. So much for our wee adventure this man was doing it pretty much full time, choosing to exist outside of our society as we know it. Obviously a man without commitments like us, living the dream ? Probably not.

Still the Bothy was a fine one, tidy and well kept, 3 rooms in total, 2 with fire places, the middle set up with a bunk bed which we took. All particularly nicely wood cladded, even a book shelf on the wall and cupboard standing in as the larder, although the usual bothy furniture was a bit unforgiving after a couple of days in the saddle.
Day 3 began at first light, the sun rising above the mountains the other side of Loch Etive in the clear blue sky, breakfast was had, bikes loaded for the final days riding and bothy floor swept to do our bit in keeping with the Bothy code. A little uncertainty lay ahead, the map denoted the path as single track for some 6 miles, usually a sign of much walking ahead. A chat with a couple of locals along the way had confirmed as much with talk of "ooh no you won't cycle that". But we were used to it, many Scottish cycling epics come with sections of bog trotting with progress only able by foot. Then once clear of the singletrack long the loch side we were then onto quite a long stretch on the minor road out of Glen Etive before reaching the main road through Glen Coe.

Progress was good along the double track which entered the forest and after what seemed not very far at a clearing the gravel surfacing finished and the path became a little more overgrown. We were expecting it to disappear altogether and the walking to start however we were pleasantly surprised as the track only narrowed a little and became a fantastic ribbon like stretch of near singletrack bliss, always undulating as it dipped across dry burn gullies some of the uphills a struggle with one or two ending as a quick push but all in all probably the best bit of riding for the whole trip. Maybe the locals were just trying to ward us off to keep this track to themselves.

Finally the path reached the forest edge and there started the sodden grass and inevitable bog land we were expecting however this was for a mere 400m which after getting down to the loch shore line could be easily avoided and the shoreline provided the ideal stopping point for a snack before carrying on. Back on the bikes, past the logging operation and mobile landing jetty, we were back on tarmac following the gentle uphill gradient winding our way up the glen following the river which was the popular playground for kayakers but this signalled the end of this years epic as all that followed once on the A82 was the long fast tarmac downhill out of the wilderness and back to civilisation. Still at least they served good beer!

The Soul

The Start

After the annual Easter highland mountain bike adventure the idea was put in my head to make a record of this and for similar trips so the blog is born to share some of my thoughts, experiences and views.

The name comes from my very first trip to the highlands where I woke in the small hours to remember my spd equiped cycling shoes were still at home some 350 miles away. An early morning dash 60 mile each way ensued to the nearest cycle shop where the problem was rectified with an unscheduled purchase. What followed was a trip which gave me an experience of a lifetime.