Routes for the '09 National

[Steve T]

Below are a few ideas for rides in & around the Highlands.

These are just suggestions for rides that have given myself and a few others up this end of the island a very pleasant day out on the bike. They are all "on road" as riding off road up here is a bit more restricted than down south (though Lowflyer has a few ideas / locations for getting your tyres dirty ).

Obviously they all start & finish at Ullapool.

Durness – Altnahara – Lairg 180 miles 3.5hrs riding time
Fuel should not be required for this run if people start off with full tanks (even TA’s)


Gairloch – Applecross – Achnasheen – Garve
220 miles 4.5 hrs riding time
Fuel at Lochcarron


Garve – Contin – Dingwall – Alness – Struie – Bonar Bridge – Lairg – Altnahara – Eribol – Durness – Ledmore Junc
220 miles 4.5 hrs riding time
Fuel at Alness (Skiach services)


Gairloch – Kinlochewe – Torridon – Lochcarron – Kyle – Portree – Staffin – Uig – Kyle – Strathcarron – Acnasheen – Garve
333 miles 6.5 hrs riding time
Fuel at Broadford before heading for Portree
(this is a very long day's riding, even without stops for photo's / sight-seeing)

Lochinver – Drumbeg – Scourie – Lairg – Rogart – Dornoch – Bonar Bridge – Croik – Oykel Bridge
220 miles 4.75 hrs riding time
Fuel at Lairg / Dornoch

Garve – Muir of Ord – Beauly – Drumnadrochit – Invermorriston – Kyle – Lochcarron – Kinlochewe – Gairloch
263 miles 4.75 hrs riding time
Fuel at Lochcarron

Having discussed ride-outs with Lowflyer, he reckons that "guided" rides are better to help reduce the number of people getting "lost", based on his experience over the last 2 Nationals. Lowflyer & meself are happy to fulfill the roles of guides - So, if any other "locals" are willing to lead our visitors into the wilds, please step forward.

I will have all of the above routes, plus rough maps, available on site for people to take away and digest / use as loo roll, as they see fit at the national.

If anyone knows other routes, please fire them onto this thread, then they can be copied off and made available on site as well.

Less than 2 months & counting

Steve T

[Austin]

umm, they all sound very good (my choice would be be the first one -Durness/Altnaharra), but also very long, especially after many will have ridden 600+ miles the day before from down south and will have a 600+ mile ride the next day back down south. I know you want to show off your wonderful scenery and roads but in my experience these sort of meets are as much (if not more) about meeting people and talking/eating/drinking as they are about riding bikes all day. I did suggest a shorter route round Inverpolly only after my visit to the Highlands a few weeks back (part of your 5th route but return to Ullapool at Kylescu Bridge).

[winxp-master]

Agree with austin, maybe a shorter route could also be added to the mix. Personally i don't mind but i am only travelling 385 miles compared to the 600+ some of the souther softies are riding and i think some are closer to 800 miles.

In Wales last February MOM did a 50 mile ride that included stops at a lot of seaside resorts etc for tea/coffee/sandwiches and it was a very relaxing ride. I know up in your way the roads are long and the mileage adds up quickly so i don't know if it's possible to do one thats too much shorter but maybe a 100 mile ride or something in that area might suit some better.

There were 2 rides last in Wales, mikes 50 mile bimble and J`s which was closer to 200 miles i think. Might be worth looking into if we could maybe do the same and have a long and a short ride then folks can choose?

Just some thoughts but thanks for the routes and planned rides Steve

Craig.

[francis_geoff]

May have to cut down on the throat lubrication to do some of the routes!
2 or three of them look very good. The trip around Drumbeg is a goodun

[africajim]

Thanks for the routes Steve, a lot of work went into riding these and planning them, yourself and Lowflyer.
The roads up north are few and far between and would be hard to plan shorter routes without back tracking, round trips are long due to the lack of actual roads to pick from!
Looks like lovely roads for pics and riding, bring them on!
Even I would struggle to find something to talk about for two whole days! A bit of riding in between would be perfect! Cheers guys

[Lord Vader]

OH I CANT WAIT


Steve,is one of them the Loop we did when i was up in Ulla?(Sorry dude,to lazy to get the map out)

[Steve T]

Steve,is one of them the Loop we did when i was up in Ulla?

Yes it is you lazy sod

As Africajim says, it's not easy to plan short routes cos there aren't that many roads to choose from - take a look a a map and you'll see for yerselves. The Drumbeg loop is fairly short, with some dramatic scenery, but it's all on what I call "sheep tracks"! Single track roads with grass & sh1t in the middle!
It's along this road that Lowflyer has some "dirty bits" to try out, allegedly

All the routes I've put up are just suggestions for people to contemplate / ignore at their leisure before they get here. I hope that they start people thinking about what they want to do when they get to Ullapool.

Steve T

[Lord Vader]

Yes it is you lazy sod

As Africajim says, it's not easy to plan short routes cos there aren't that many roads to choose from - take a look a a map and you'll see for yerselves. The Drumbeg loop is fairly short, with some dramatic scenery, but it's all on what I call "sheep tracks"! Single track roads with grass & sh1t in the middle!
It's along this road that Lowflyer has some "dirty bits" to try out, allegedly

All the routes I've put up are just suggestions for people to contemplate / ignore at their leisure before they get here. I hope that they start people thinking about what they want to do when they get to Ullapool.

Steve T

Oh all i want is to ride the stunning roads up there.
There are so many stunning little tracks close to Ullapool that anyone with a decent map got plenty of choice.ThanksGuys

[HUDDERS]

May have to cut down on the throat lubrication to do some of the routes!
2 or three of them look very good. The trip around Drumbeg is a goodun

Who you kidding

[HUDDERS]

OH I CANT WAIT


Steve,is one of them the Loop we did when i was up in Ulla?(Sorry dude,to lazy to get the map out)

You packed yet

Don't fancy nipping up north for a camping w/end at the end of the month

BUY YA A BEER IF YOU TURN UP