Day 4 Strath Cuileannoch to Cannich

What a long and wet day! I've busted through the 200 mile mark already with a 67 mile effort today. Unfortunately it's not all good news as I am having problems with my left Achilles tendon. It seems my Achilles heel may literally be my Achilles heel.

It rained much of the night, and I woke very early in my wild camp this morning and decided to get underway. The first stretch was a long flattish ride down the Strath (valley) to the tiny villages of croick and The Craigs. I was mostly in cloud. From a distance clouds may look nice and fluffy, but when you are in them you realise they are just stationary drizzle.

 

Next I passed through the very posh Allerdale Estate and up Glen Mor. Right at the top is Deanich Lodge, apparently the most remote house available to hire.

 

A stiff climb on a rough track took me to Loch Vaich followed by a pleasant run along its shore in mixed weather. 

 

The old bothies here are in a poor state, one room is just about useable but I would not fancy it myself.

 

I dropped down Strath Vaich past may Highland cattle to meet the main road at Black Bridge, then got a massive soaking in the ten minutes to Inchbae Lodge which was thankfully open for an early lunch.

Partially dried out, I followed forest tracks to Garve, yet another one of the stations I passed through on the way up.

 

Soon I was at Contin, via a lovely tree lined trail. This is where I had intended to stop for the day, but it was barely 2pm. The shop furnished me with a massive coffee and a huge helping of stovies (beef and potatoes cooked into mush - another Scottish thing).

 

The next leg was all or nothing - a long route over high ground and the Orrin dam finally dropping down to Struy in Glen Glass.

 

I decided to go for it. The initial climb through Fairburn was steep but sheltered, but after an hour of effort I was dismayed to see a sign saying the dam was closed for public access.

 

How closed is closed? I decided to find out and pushed on up the steep but good track to the ugly looming dam, about 1000' of climbing by this point.

 

The Orrin dam. Should be called the Orrid dam.

 

It was open, no sign of any work going on at all! Still it was another 500' up over the hump into Glen Goibhre. Here an increasingly rough track contours the hill for miles and miles, particularly hard going as every dip was flooded and I constantly had to get off and walk.

 

My ankle was giving me some serious gip by this point, but at long last the track made a descent through forest to Struy.

 

The Struy Inn was not open, but just another seven miles on an easy and quiet backroad took me to Cannich and a B&B to dry out and get a good night sleep.

 

Tomorrow should be a short but quite tough day to reach Fort Augustus, where the really challenging Highland sections start.

Miles today: 67! Total so far: 227.

Feet climbed today: 6280!!! Total so far: 14730.

Day 3 Crask Inn to Strath Cuileannoch

All credit to the charming and cosy Crask Inn! I have drunk, dined, washed, slept, breakfasted and been handed a generous packed lunch all for less than half what you would pay at the hotel up the road in Altnaharra.

The official route heads about 15 miles north west from here, mostly on roads before reaching Oykel Bridge via a couple of evil climbs. I didn't fancy such a detour and with the help of the landlord devised an alternative.

 

Leaving the dreaded bogs behind at last, I took fast, meandering forestry tracks down to Lairg, on the way visiting a rather ruinous broch.

 

These are ancient dwellings built thousands of years ago with a circular double wall, staggered doorways and probably wood and turf roofs. They would surely have been dark, damp and smokey, much like today's bothies.

 

At Lairg I had a cake stop at the charming Pier cafe then stocked up on food for the remote days ahead.

To avoid the A road, I followed the pretty river Shin south for a while before rising up onto more forest tracks. Coming across a brand new bit of single track, I could not resist and descended steeply to find myself at Shin Falls, where I watched salmon trying in vain to jump the cascades.

 

In order to head west I had to cross the Kyle of Sutherland. The first road bridge is six miles south at Bonar, but fortunately there is a new pedestrian walkway bolted onto the viaduct at Culrain, saving a long detour and giving good views of Carbisdale Castle.

 

A stiff climb behind the castle and I was back in the forest trails, dropping onto a tiny and deserted B road running high above the Oykel river.

 

Crossing the "funny wee bridge" back to at A road, I made the discovery of the trip, a tiny and precipitous fishermans' path worn into the river bank. It gradually widended passing though some of the most picturesque river scenes. Chatting to the fish-botherers and even stopping for a paddle, I didn't want this section to end.

 

Reaching Oykel Bridge, I grabbed a pint at the hotel. It is really more of a outdoorsmans' pub with cheap simple rooms available, and it's pretty much the only thing in Oykel Bridge.

 

It was quite a climb out on forest roads initially then a rough track, finally descending with care into Strath Cuileannoch. This is a gorgeous and remote valley with perfect natural camping spots inside the river bends.

 

Although I had more in the tank, one spot was just too good to pass up. Fate must have agreed, because the moment I stepped off the track towards where I planned to camp, I found a perfect red deer antler laying on the ground. A fitting souvenir from the first leg of my trip.

Miles today: 49. Total so far: 160.

Feet climbed today: 2720. Total so far: 8450.

Day 2 Loch Lèir to The Crask Inn

Very much a day of two halves. Although I'd picked a lovely spot to camp, the downside of being in a nature reserve is the natural noises! It never gets fully dark up here at this time of year, and the many strange and varied bird calls carry on all night.

I continued on the excellent forest tracks, and once over the gentle Stetill Hill it was all down hill to the charming Halledale Valley. A tiny and deserted road followed the river upstream to Forsinard Station. 

 

 

This is home to an RSBP research centre and there is an exhibition in the station building, it's a real birders paradise around here. However the hotel had closed down and there is nowhere to get any refreshments, so I continued on.

 

 

The tiny road follows the railway route as far as the hamlet of Kinbrace, where I turned west on an even smaller one to Badenloch and it's lodge. A handsome boating and fishing loch, and the start of the private track to Loch Choire.

 

 

This track was also good, at least as far as the Loch, where there was quite a large farm and hamlet. It seems to be the centre of activities to regenerate native broadleaf woodlands, which requires excluding the red deer with 6 foot fences. If you keep still, they sometimes come quite close.

 

 

This is the view from the east end of loch Choire. At the end of the loch you can just see the 1000' pass of Bealach Easach which I have to cross.

 

 

This is where the day started to change! The track along the north shore of the loch had clearly once been a well built landrover/pony track but was falling in to disrepair. After a few miles I had to resort to pushing the bike and also had to suffer a heavy shower while the pass loomed ahead.

 

 

Despite the poor track, the glen is lovely and with it's many waterfalls would make a fine winter climbing spot.

 

I slogged up the pass, looking forward to the easy four mile downhill run to the Inn on the other side. Here is the view from the top back up Glen Choire:

 

 

But it was not to be. The track on this side was far worse, often just a barely perceptible depression through the sucking bog all around. Most of the bridges had rotten or been washed away and it was another two hours of exhausting soggy pushing before I reached my haven, the Crask Inn.

 

 

What a relief!

 

 

Miles today: 41. Total so far: 111.

Feet climbed today: 2420. Total so far: 5730.

Day 1 John O'Groats to Loch Lèir

 

This was the view from my tent as the sun finally set over the Orknays at nearly 10pm.

 

Then it got cold. The fancy new sleeping bag did not really cut it, and I ended up wearing pretty much all my clothes as well. It might be the end of May but it is still very cold up here, about 3 degrees last night.

 

Anyway I survived and after a coffee set off from the excellent campsite. There was quite a lot of road to cover before reaching the forest trails.

 

 

Perhaps not the most inspiring views, but the gentle climbs and long glides made easy miles. Until the wretched headwinds reappeared, in defiance of the forecasts. I wasn't imagining it, the wind farms agreed.

 

 

At Watten I had lunch 1 overlooking a handsome loch, then found the shop was open and bought some breakfast pies.

 

They looked like quiches with black pudding on, but turned out to have baked beans, bacon and sausages in too. Must be a Scottish thing.

 

At long last I reached the trail head and turned onto the  excellent forest roads.

 

 

One thing I am still working on is cycling more slowly - as soon as my mind wanders I seem to speed up again. I'd also like to stop thinking about how far I have gone, how far is left and how long it will take, and reach a zen like state of just pottering ever onward.

 

I must have got close, because I found myself at Altnabreac Station way before I expected. There's not a lot of facilities...

 

 

And if you miss the last train (which is also the first train) you see this:

 

 

Whoever lives in the station now has a sense of humour though:

 

 

After a few more miles of track through the rather barren and featureless Forsinard nature reserve, I came across a spot so pretty I just had to stop and set up camp.

 

 

It will be a big day tomorrow, so time for an early night.

 

Miles today: 41. Total so far: 70.

Feet climbed today: 2020. Total so far: 3510.

Day 0 - Home to John O'Groats

It seems wierd that you can be at home near London with all the mod cons in the morning and camping on a field on the far north coast later the same day. But you can, just, as I have just proven.

The flight to Inverness went without a hitch, the bike intact and even some sunshine to greet me. It was a pleasant 10 mile ride to the town where I easily found somewhere to buy gas and lunch before catching the train to Wick.

 

Worryingly there were about a dozen of us keen bean cyclists but the somehow found space for all the bikes and off we went.

 

It was a very scenic trip passing smaller and smaller stations, some request stops apparently populated only by red deer.

After hugging the coast past Lairg, Tain and the Cromity Firth where dozens of oil drilling platforms are incongruously parked we headed inland to the empty landscape of the Flow Country. 

 

After around four hours of beautiful countryside we finally rolled into Thurso on the North coast, only for the driver to change ends and reverse back out to take the branch line to Wick.

 

Not much of a place, Wick, so a quick fish and chips and I am on my way. I start off trying to find a backroad route but I need not have bothered as when I join the A99 again it is deserted.

 

A light but relentless headwind and some rolling hills mean it takes a while to ride the 18 miles to John O'Groats, but it is a gorgeous evening. The headwind will be a tailwind tomorrow!

 

The campsite is wonderfully situated with a view of the abandoned houses of Scoma. There is just time for the obligatory signpost photo then it's bedtime.

 

 

Miles today: 29. Total so far: 29.

Feet climbed today: 1290. Total so far: 1290.

Target smashed - and ready for the off

Firstly a massive thank-you to all my supporters and sponsors out there; I'm delighted to announce that today we reached the target of £2000, all of which is going to Lochaber Mountain Rescue. As I write the total is £2063 plus another £327 in gift aid.

It's a fantastic achievement, but there's no need to stop there... maybe you didn't get around to it before or are feeling particularly generous today? In any case you can still donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jogiow

The adventure starts on Saturday, when I fly up to Inverness. As you can see, the bike is all nicely packed up, protected and ready to go. It's not that I don't trust the baggage handlers to take care of it, it's just that... well actually I don't trust them to take care of it.

Once I get to Inverness airport, I have a couple of hours to assemble the bike, cycle into town, buy some gas, find some lunch and catch the 2.30pm train to Wick on the Far North Line. It's a slow, wiggly and spectacularly scenic route, some of which I will see on the way home as well.

Then it's about another hour and a half cycle to John O'Groats where I'll set up on the campsite all ready for the first day on Sunday.

I have also - just in time - finished planning the route and preparing and printing out my backup maps. 

The grand total distance as planned is, coincidentally, 1111 miles. My mapping program is claiming 104,127' of ascent, which I rather hope is not correct. The official figure for the Great North Trail, which is the first 800 miles of my route and includes most of the hilly bits, is 56,430', so it's probably more like 75,000' total. Which is still two-and-a-half times the height of Everest. I rather wish I had not worked that out...

If you are so inclined, you can see my backup maps and GPX files here. The GPX files will load into any mapping program you may have, including Google Maps, but MemoryMap is the best option. The backup map images should load straight into your browser.

Communications in the far north of Scotland are likely to be a bit patchy, but I will try to keep this blog up to date, either directly or by relaying messages via Bev.

Well that's it - wish me luck. I shall need it!

All kitted out

As I write, fundraising has reached a smashing £1248 (or just over £1400 with gift aid). Thank you all! I'm still gunning for the £2000 though.

This post is all about that subject that outdoor types find endlessly fascinating - kit.

I've been climbing, mountain biking and camping for nearly thirty years now, so you'd think I'd have plenty of kit already. Well I suppose I do, but a lot of it is showing its age and not what you would call light weight.

The success of this trip will be all about travelling as light as possible. Unlike road cycling, panniers are not really practical on a mountain bike so most of my gear will be in a rucksack, which I would like to keep down below 5kg if possible. Thanks to the amazing light-weight gear now on the market, it might just be doable.

The first priority of survival is shelter, so obviously I need a tent. There are plenty of ultralight one-man mountaineering tents available, some even weighing under 1kg! They use such light fabric that they are becoming almost transparent, which is not great for privacy. They also tend to be very expensive, and very small inside, even the supposed 2-man versions. 

I've gone for a compromise - it's a  super simple pyramid tent but still pretty light at just 600g for the outer skin, but there is loads of room inside. It supported by a single trekking pole in the centre. Unfortunately I am not trekking so have no poles, but I found a chap on ebay who made me a lovely carbon fibre pole weighing less than 100g. 

Inside, you can fit a single or double mesh sleeping compartment or just a groundsheet. I've gone for the single compartment (410g) which gives complete protection from insects, including the dreaded Scottish midges. 

This only takes up the back half of the tent leaving loads of space for sitting around, for a second person to sleep or even to bring in the bike at night. The downside to this design is that it does require quite a lot of pegs and decent ground to peg into. When you add on the pegs, guys, pole and storage bag (which I've adapted to strap to the handlebars) the whole thing is just shy of 1500g.

Sleep is important too! Even though I am starting in late May, night time temperatures in remote parts of Scotland can still dip below freezing at times. So I have spashed the cash on a really excellent sleeping bag from the BEST manufacturers of down bags, Rab. Their Neutrino 200 is filled with best goose down, is rated down to -1C, repels water and damp, packs down very small and weighs just 650g in its waterproof stuff sack. Not cheap, but well worth it.

Rab down bags are the best

 
Sleeping mats have moved on a lot since I bought my 2lb thermarest back in 2000. Some minimalist designs tip the scales at just 150g, but I'm going for the slightly more substantial Klymit O-zone at 320g including a built in pillow.

 After shelter comes food (and water). I'm not planning to cook much, as I will try to find substantial lunches enroute. But I want to be able to make tea, porridge and basic hot suppers. Check out this fantastic gadget! A tiny gas stove that attaches directly to an insulated pan that doubles as a large mug. It's wind-proof and ultra-efficient, the mug even changes colour when it's hot enough to make tea. It takes standard gas cartridges, and everything packs down inside. All for just 320g plus the gas.

For navigation, I am busy cutting and pasting the route from the 1:50,000 OS maps onto A4 sheets  (on the computer, not by cutting up real maps). I can get 1-2 days riding on a single piece of A4 and these, together with a compass, is my backup navigation system.

For day-to-day use, I have decided to cheat somewhat and use the excellent MemoryMap software with both the 1:50k and 1:25k OS maps loaded (£40). 

This means breaking the habit of a lifetime and buying a smartphone to run it on. After extensive research I went for the Ulefone Armor X5, mainly for its 5000mAh battery and rugged, waterproof case. So far I have been very impressed, in normal use the battery lasts 5-6 days. By turning it off an night and using airplane mode most of the day I should be able to double this. 

Of course it is also a phone, camera, walkman and (when I find signal) internet access point. Not bad for £110 and 240g. I'll also take a 5000mAh powerbank, cable and charger. I found a nifty bag that attaches to the crossbar and displays the phone nicely, and also has room for all the bike tools.

So this is how it all breaks down (ess means essential). Firstly, the minimum kit I will always have on while riding:

Item	Weight	Ess?	Cost	Notes
Helmet, glasses, gloves	365	1		gloves 45g, helmet 280g, glasses 40g
Light cycling top	100	1
Cycling shorts	150	1
Undies	120	1
Lightweight trekking shoes	620	1	£85	Haglos Gram trail shoes or just normal trainers.
TOTAL	1355

That's around three pounds of stuff that I won't even notice, which is good. Next, the kit attached to the bike, and the bike itself:

Item	Weight	Ess?	Cost	Notes
Basic weight of bike	13200	1
Tent (strapped to bars)	1500	1	£200	DD XL pyramid tent (610g), superlight solo mesh inner (480g), carbon pole (100g), pegs, bag & guys (200g)
Water bottle and bracket	100	1
Tool & phone bag	150	1
Phone	240	1	£110	Ulefone Armor X5 (5000mAh battery)
Tools	490	1		Multi tool, spare tube, puncture repair kit, cloth, lube, bit of chain, rechargable rear light
Pump and bracket	100	1
Powerbank, charger and lead	185	1	£30	Anker Astro E1 5200mAh
Bike lock	440	1	£30	Abus Bordo 6055 Light folding lock. Light and compact with half decent security
TOTAL	16405

Again this weight should not be too noticeable, except while climbing or of course carrying the bike. Having to carry the weight of a lock is annoying, but I can't risk the bike getting nicked while shopping etc. There are some good light weight locks now available.

Now the rest of the clothing. There is a big difference here between just the essentials and the whole lot, so I will have to exercise some judgement. All this will be carried in the rucksack unless in use. I suppose I can always post home unecessary gear during the trip.

Item	Weight	Ess?	Cost	Notes
Waterproof jacket	220	1		Can detatch hood
Fleece jumper	225	1
Waterproof trousers?	336			Too heavy?
Long finger gloves	40	1
Long-sleeve cycling top	250			Too heavy?
Spare cycling top (Merino)	170	1
Spare cycling shorts	150
Ron Hill leggings	200
Spare undies	120	1
Neck cowl	30	1
Lightweight trousers	270	1		For looking vaguely respectable.
Down jacket/gilet?	465			Too heavy?
Hat/cap?	65
TOTAL ESSENTIAL	1075
TOTAL ALL	2541

And now... everything else that will have to go into the rucksack:

Item	Weight	Ess?	Cost	Notes
Sleeping mat	320	1	£78	Klymit inertia ozone mat includes pillow
Sleeping bag & stuff sack	650	1	£220	Rab Neutrino 200 bag
Sit mat / rucksack pad	50	1		Just a bit of closed cell foam
Small groundsheet	80			2'x4' for the vestibule or under the sleeping area
Jetboil flash stove and mug	400	1	£90
Butane 240g	356	1		100/125g also available.
Cooking accessories	100	1		Knife, spork, sponge, lighter, washing up liquid
Repair kit	75	1		Needle & thread, duct tape, zip ties, para cord, shock cord
First Aid kit	75	1		Bandage, dressings, zinc tape, plasters, pins, steristrips, paracetamol, compeed, vitamins, puritabs
Wash kit	150	1		Toothbrushes, toothpaste, travelwash, soap, suncream, lip salve, midge repellant, tissue, deodorant
Travel towel	52		£8	Gramcounter ultradry Medium
Paper maps and folder	100	1		Approx 20 pages
MemoryMap OS map data	0	1	£40
Notebook, pen & pencil	50
Compass (with mirror & whistle)	85	1		(smaller compass about 50g)
Water container / wash bowl	105		£30	Platypus Water Tank 4l
Head torch	90		£11	Luceco LED USB rechargable
Harmonica	95			Why not?
Rucksack	300	1	£45	Exped cloudburst 25l waterproof
TOTAL ESSENTIAL	2661
TOTAL ALL	3133

So that's it... with the tent, phone and tools attached to the bike that makes the rucksack weigh in at 3.7kg with just the essentials or 5.6kg for everything on the list. So 5kg is definitely doable, horray!

Of course I will need to add on food, which will be around a kilo, and more in remote areas. And water. And whatever I have forgotten on the lists above!

Meanwhile, thanks again for your support. Please do share this blog with your friends and colleagues (roughwaydown.blogspot.com) and ask them to consider donating to this great cause by clicking this image: