Scotland Coast to Coast
Robert Burns said "the best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley". So it was with our long-planned coast to coast trip. Though the one main influencer was Covid-19.
Originally this was to be a "credit card trip" - i.e. no camping and with all accommodation pre-booked. We were also due to start with the train to Kyle of Lochalsh, cycle down through Skye and get the ferry over from Kylerhea to Glenelg. However due to Covid, the ferry was not working and the hotel in Kyle of Lochalsh was closed so we ended up adding a car and driver (thanks Penny) and driving to Glenelg to start. Stuart and Gordon left their car in KOLA and did the extra cycle over the steep Bealach Ratagain. The first night was spent camping on the beach, which actually was quite pleasant and midge free!
Day 1: Glenelg to Fort Augustus, 88km
This was probably the toughest day of the tour. Right at the beginning Stuart had a flat and replaced the tube. An hour or so later in midge infested bracken he had to do it all again, this time checking the tyre more thoroughly and pulling out a thorn.
Apart from that the ride was quite pleasant along the coast to Arnisdale with fine views of the weather hitting Loch Hourn.
We turned off the tarred road just after Arnisdale and the hard work began. There was some seriously steep pushing, some rivers to cross, another puncture, a navigation issue, and some rain before an extremely steep downhill to the road at Kinlochhourn.
From Kinlochhourn the road winds up and across moorland, passing the ugly scarred Loch Quoich (an artificial loch with the water level quite low), and eventually down to the Great Glen at Invergarry where a well-deserved coffee and scones awaited us.
A short ride up a pleasant path next the Caledonian Canal got us to Fort Augustus where we got the tents up just before a downpour.
Day 2: Fort Augustus to Kingussie, 57km
The sun came out for a short while giving us some fine views of Loch Ness as we climbed out of the Great Glen on General Wade's military road over the Corrieyairack Pass (770m) to the Spey Valley. The route is very remote, though spoiled by the large new electricity pylons with their construction & service road, plus a large wind farm.
Just as we got to the pass some heavy cold showers caught up with us, though luckily the wind was on our backs.
We finally found coffee and cake at Lagan before meeting the main road to Kingussie and our first night in a real bed.
Day 3: Kingusse to Tomintoul, 66km
We set off past Ruthven Barracks - another relic from the attempt to put down the Jacobite rebellions. Some very nice tracks through the forest took us to Loch Morlich for morning coffee, then up into some beautiful old pine forest on tracks enclosed by purple heather. Very pretty it was.
Once out of the forest we headed down a pretty glen fording the river about 10 times. There were many ruined farms and houses to be seen, probably the results of the clearances for sheep farming in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Day 4: Tomintoul to Dinnet, 58km
We followed the River Avon up a long and pretty glen past the beautiful Inchrory Lodge. The path narrowed at Loch Builg - visited by Queen Victoria on horseback in 1860. Horses would have been better for us as this was where mechanical disaster struck: Stuart's derailleur got completely mangle by a rock, resulting in him needing to shorten the chain and ride a fixed gear. Not really fixed though as the chain bounced off regularly.
We eventually met a tarred road and coasted down to the Dee Valley at Ballater for coffee. The local cycle repair man was very pathetic and unable to offer any assistance.
A few miles past Ballater we turned into our hotel in Dinnet and enjoyed a beer in the sunny garden.
Day 5: Dinnet to Arbroath, 86km
A mixed day of the beauty of riding up Glen Tanar, over Mount Keen then down Glenesk, and the misery of an undulating busy road in the cold and damp from Edzel to Arbroath (the original plan was to follow the Esk downhill to Montrose for the train but due to an earlier derailment there were no trains north of Arbroath).
Being a sunny Saturday Mount Keen was very busy with walkers. The ride down to Glenesk was still fantastic though despite having to dodge in and out of the crowds.
After coffee and cake in Edzel the last stretch to Arbroath was a bit miserable, busy and cold. It might have been better to spend some time finding the smaller raods, but I think we all wanted to finish. What a relief to finally arrive at the harbour and see the North Sea.
Conclusion
All-in-all it was a great trip. I saw some lovely parts of Scotland that I have never seen before. The midges and the weather will always be an issue in Scotland. Two bikes are required: I was changing from mountain bike to rigid Rohloff every day. In the end, the fat tyres and suspension of the mountain bike probably ruled.
Rohloff gears with carbon chain are perhaps safer off-road than a derailleur that hangs down just waiting for a rock. Surgical gloves are a must in future to stop getting oil all over!