Into the Northern Unknown

Winter is fast approaching and I managed to squeeze in another bike pack before the weather probably puts an end to such antics. I've been intrigued by the Highland Trail 550 for some time. After a little research it looked like it could be fun to do the Northern Loop in it's own right and mapping it out gave a mileage of 125. 

I decided to do it over 3 days, easy I thought! But with rain on the first morning I then thought well I'll start after lunch and I mean 2.5 days will be fine, surely. Won't it? (Did I learn nothing from the Cairngorm Loop!).

I now "swear to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me..". I thought I needed this 'clause' in as I'm still not sure whilst writing these words the day after finishing whether I would recommend it to people I like or not! So I need to be honest and work through it!

An enjoyable start from Rosehall saw we nervously cycling up the scenic Glen Cassley. It felt very different heading off on my own with no idea about this particular route and the trails. The rain had mainly stopped but there was a cold NE breeze. Luckily my slightly worried internal monologue was soon broken when I saw a band of 4 musketeers lounging by the river and having cup a soups!

I was surprised to see other cyclists and we had a nice chat. They had taken a month off and were cycling the Great North Trail (800 miles) which goes mainly off road from the Peak District to John o' Groats. I headed off wondering if I would see them again. At the end of the glen I hit the interesting old hydro works trails which took me over a hill to the top end of Loch Shin. I could see the '4', miles in the distance behind me as I dropped into the next valley. 

At the loch and a road I got slightly grumbled at by a game keeper who said I had probably scared off the stags he was heading up to shoot. The weather was cold, breezy and bleak and not long after heading North on the road I noticed an old overgrown field and native woodland by the river on my left. After checking the map it looked like this was the last shelter for ages and the route became more exposed after this point....

Decisions, decisions... I decided it was sensible to camp even though I had only done 26 miles! It was a grand spot and I set up camp under the tree's near the river. Someone had been there before and left neat piles of kindling, sticks and dead wood. Just as I wondered if I would see the musketeers cycle past (I could just see the top of the road through the tree's) they did, stopping themselves to survey the spot, before seeing me, waving and heading in! 

I was momentarily annoyed (just being honest remember the clause), thinking the mystery of my solo adventure had been slightly broken, but pretty much immediately it was great fun and I was glad of this chance encounter! They all spread out and set up their individual tents before we all met in the middle and they cooked and lit a fire. It was a lovely chance evening and they were most generous sharing tales, whisky and chocolate! 

They were just starting to get up and breakfast as I was leaving around 9am. They had told me the night before that they have settled into a nice rhythm of 30-40 miles a day usually and generally not starting before 10 - 11am each day. 

Up the road I went in the morning sunshine full of optimism. The track from the A838 at West Markland was where Abi, Kev and I had walked up Ben Hee months ago. The track got better and better with dramatic views of Ben Hope to the North. Near the fancy Gobernuisgach Lodge I presumed the Musketeers route would head NE, as I turned West. 

Glen Golly was lovely, but unexpectedly my legs went somewhere and I quickly started to struggle! On and on went this (bastard) scenic track! Initially rideable, then too steep for me to pedal on my laden bike. At a high point (Creag Dubh) the track split and I continued on a scenic but torturous boggy track ever westwards.

I had a really difficult time on this section both emotionally and physically. I've just measured it and it's only 8km of basically pushing but I really struggled. Lowering the bike off peat haggs then having to jump down before lifting up over the next quickly lost its appeal. I felt a failure, acutely aware of my slow snail like speed. It was here I started to really think I had bitten off more than I could chew!

Many hours later I got to the Bealach Horn and was treated to a brilliant, loose, steep at times descent down to Lone and the road below Arkle. I sure did feel lonely at lone! Looking at the maps I had another hill crossing to get to Kylesku. I had to do 45 miles or more today if I wanted to finish on time but by the time I had desperately pushed up this next hill (the track was good but steep, my legs were still MIA) and seen I had only gone about 28 miles fear crept in again! 

Good loose track shot me down past Loch an Leathiad Bhuain towards Kylesku. I could see it below, I was close but I knew again I had to camp early as I was cold and knackered. I found a nice spot by a hydro scheme with views across the water and hills to the west. 

It was a good camp and watching the sunset cheered me before a fitful nights sleep listening to stags bellow, the hydro water outlet discharge loudly and worrying how I would fit in 66 miles on my last day!

With a new day brought a better frame of mind! I let go of the fact that my phone was nearly dead and I had forgotten the charge lead (I had an external battery pack), I fixed my gears after realising the back wheel skewer was loose (idiot for not checking this)! I looked at the map and had a plan and new sense of optimism!

My original route took the coastal road to Lochinver (scenic but lots of small hills), but I worked out that I could save 10 miles by using the main road, going over the big hill and then West along Loch Assynt! 

I felt slightly like I was cheating or giving in, but knew I needed to save some time and it worked as I surprised myself by rolling into Lochinver around 12:30pm as the legs had come back to me. I had calculated that if I left Lochinver after 3-4pm I would need to spend another night out so it was really cool to be leaving the amazing pie shop around 1.30pm after knock out pie, mash, peas and gravy - delicious!!

The pie meal literally fuelled me for about 4 hours. I took spare for later but never needed them, after a while I didn't notice the extra kg of pie on my back :-) . I felt great, although it was difficult to move given how full I was! I've been on some of the track that passes Suilven before and it was nice to be there again. Suilven is such an iconic shaped mountain. I'd thought beforehand that I would have plenty of time to nip up Suilven on this trip! Somehow these things seem so plausible before hand. 

At the SE end of loch na Gainimh (would be a great place to camp) the track deteriorated greatly and I started walking with the bike. I could ride the odd short section, but when it's like that I just prefer to push. I really enjoyed this section even though I wasn't riding. I felt very chilled at last, even taking the odd selfie. It was so scenic, so quiet, all I could hear were the stags bellowing. I stopped and made a cup of tea above Lochan Fada thinking well there's only about 3 miles to go on this section so I may even get back to the van in daylight.

Clearly I had no sense of time, or maybe the pie, or pastry sent me into another slower dimension space because quite quickly after this I noticed a red glow to the West indicating the sun was setting. Oops, where had the last ?5 hrs gone! I really wanted to get to the road before dark so had to really hustle to do this on spicy rocky tracks. Pretty horrible end to this section pushing on horrible narrow, muddy cattle paths, through bogs, around beaches etc (just for info I think this section of pushing is around 14km - with some riding in it, but not loads for me at least!).

I was elated at popping out at the road just as the Highland landscape crept into dusk. I dug out the head torch and enjoyed the 20 mile road ride back to the van. I admit I was hallucinating a little from tiredness by the end but really felt pleased with myself for completing this loop. It's definitely harder and less rideable than the Cairngorm Outer Loop, but as a journey it's pretty special passing through some spectacular Northern Landscapes... 

Will I do it again and include the coast road that I missed out this time...? well that's the real question isn't it... 

The Cairngorm Project - rags to riches

After the feast in Blair Atholl things felt much better.. Shaw enjoyed his big battered sausage and I managed to secrete a couple of pizza slices I couldn't eat into bike bags for later as Shaw and Judith made a cup of tea on the park bench. 

Later than anticipated I chivvied us on again into the dusk. Positive that we now had a road section as it would be quick going, bad because we didn't have lights! We quickly got to Bruar and took the minor road (sustans number 7) North parallel to the A9. It was dark at this point so we dug out the head torches.

We looked at a couple of random patches of earth by the road to camp, but they weren't great so we pressed on. When the no.7 headed down a dead end road things became more viable and we quite quickly found a flattish area in tree's just off this cycleway/minor road. It was a much milder night and we soon cracked open the wine and enjoyed slobbing by the tents under the tree canopy whilst listening to the traffic on the A9 close by!

In the morning I went down through the forest to the really beautiful river. It was a great spot, with no real sign of human activity apart from a rusted out metal mattress frame part way down the slope, probably from the ?dump, now grassed over that we had slept on!

I desperately needed the toilet so crouched behind a big rock over a dug hole watching the beautiful tree's gently sway, and the river chug and bubble past down beyond my makeshift privy. I then became aware that lots of leaves were falling on me from above, but they didn't seem to be coming down elsewhere. I craned my neck looking up and saw a lovely red squirrel above in the tree's.... when I recounted this tale to Shaw he sensibly pointed out that it was probably annoyed with me because I was shitting in it's winter nut stash!

We packed up, all in good spirits, Judith slightly surprised that she hadn't been given breakfast in bed today! I was really stiff, and tender in the rear (!), so it was good to have a long flat, quiet road section to start us off. 

The route trails the A9 North for a while, then crosses it and goes uphill and off road all the way to Inches/Glen Feshie area (sort of). I haden't paid attention, or even looked and expected a big old grind of a hill. It wasn't! It was lovely, gently uphill on estate tracks into a really interesting area I knew nothing about. 

I found it a really uplifting day following Edendon Water gently uphill, passing the fascinating derelict Sronphadruig Lodge to Loch an Duin and the watershed. We stopped near the loch and made coffee/tea sitting in the grass eating snacks in the sun with not another soul around. I was truly happy and content at this point as we just enjoyed the surroundings, had a bit of banter and drank coffee lying in the grass. It was a reminded to me that I never do this, but it's so rewarding. 

The single track alongside the loch was great fun, like seriously good fun sadly finishing at a beautiful ford at the North of the loch. From here miles of track dropped to Gaick Forest (forest in name only in this area) passing further lochs into Glen Tromie. 

Eventually we hit a minor road, that alternated between tarmac and gravel and we saw the first people of the day, two bike packers heading in the opposite direction. Glen Tomie is really long with breaks of native forest along sections of its length. 

Onward, onward...to Tomie Bridge and the first road in many, many hours. From here it's beautiful minor roads to Feshie Bride. By this point Shaw and my rear's were feeling pretty tender! I didn't ask Judith so can't comment as to the state of hers! I was still very much enjoying the day but still a little way to go. 

Surprisingly Shaw briefly appeared to be broken at Feshie Bridge, lying down in the carpark and not responding to banter! Very rare, I thought he was unbreakable!

From here you have loads of options to finish but I'd picked some great single track through the forest to Loch an Eilein before hitting the main trails that lead back to Loch Morlich and the vehicles!

We did it! Shaw speeding ahead on the last few miles on the road and making a cup of tea for Judith's arrival whilst we shared a much earned beer. In summary it was a tough 3 days, and I admit I am glad we did it over 3 days and not 2! It was so good, and so much more varied terrain and scenery than expected that I can't wait to do it again sometime soon!