Touring Scotland

No worries!

Does anyone on here live in or near Oban by any chance? Trying to buy a bike but seller is being reluctant to post. Would need it posted down to London and I’d be happy to cover petrol moneys and a few beers in exchange for the favour

Try the Glasgow city sub section, definitely not Oban but might be Obanish people in there.

I stay in Glasgow and I'm from Oban. I will be back there in August but I'll have my own bike with me, not sure I can be of much help

If you could either receive a bike for me locally then I could send a paisley freight box and courier to collect where you stay in Oban? Still trying to work things out with the seller and see what I can but I’ll send you a pm shortly

I stayed with an eccentric (and bike mad) guy in Oban from Warmshowers when I was last there, I still have his number and could put you in touch?

Has anyone got a GPX of the Caledonian Way - can't seem to get it from the OS maps website here:

https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/5513098/Sustrans-The-Caledonia-Way

Do you need an account to access? I'm just getting an error message

The website is not working correctly

try here

https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/great-rides-caledonia-way

might be able to grab GPX files from here... ?
https://www.komoot.com/collection/919804/cycling-coast-to-coast-through-the-scottish-wilds-the-caledonia-way

Sounds kinda promising. Lets see how it goes with the options I have so far and I might get in contact with ya. Thanks!

Thanks for this. Second half after entering Pentland hills onwards was the highlight. Despite saying I was going 650b I took my 700c tyres. Definitely were sections where 650b would have been better, but I also probably had the tyres too hard for much of the ride. I'll probably do the second half again, possibly counter clockwise then after pentland hills take a different route back into town.

Nice one! Glad you enjoyed, I just cobbled it together knowing that I wanted to end up on those Pentland paths. Works well.

Planning a weekend ride from Dumfries to Ayr via Galloway Forest. In and out via train, and it looks like the Ayr-Glasgow and Glasgow-Edinburgh lines are still running on Sundays at the moment. Taking gravel bikes.

Anyone got any good routes for the area? Any must-do sections? Thinking near Loch Trool or Loch Dee might be good spots for a camp?

How late in the year would you tour in Scotland if you didn't like rain? :)

Seriously though, when's the "comfortable touring" kind of cut off, before it gets properly miserable or snowed in, icy, yada yada.

september? you'd be chancing your arm in october. november - march... that's zwift season

may and september are the optimum months for touring scotland imo

If you don't like rain it's probably not the ideal destination... on the other hand I've had amazing weather at pretty much everytime of year as well. I remember going to Mallaig in Ferbruary (in the olden days when you could get bargain sleeper trains ocasionally) and it was really sunny.
Basically I'd go expecting rain and any good weather is a bonus...
September probably worth the risk though.

Talking of Scottish rain, I added a weekend of touring onto the end of a family holiday and did the top half of the Drovers trail last weekend, cutting across at Strathtay to rejoin the route there. I'd highly recommend it, though as it got wetter it became more character building than actual fun. But there are some great sections on there. Camped next to an old stone circle above Pitlochry on the first night. Second night I stumbled across the Allt Scheicheachan bothy just as I was despairing of finding a flat/dry enough camping spot. Midges were horrendous by this point too, so was a good choice.
It's such a pleasure touring in Scotland where wild camping is encouraged and people seem generally to accept that being outdoors doing stuff is a good thing (done a lot of riding on the South Downs lately where this very much isn't the case).
Anyway, some photos which don't really convey how hard the wet bits were - was less inclined to get camera out while manhandling bike across a stream while being attacked by midges.
There was a point where I spent half an hour looking for a footpath, before realising it had turned into a stream and that was why I couldn't see it.

5 Attachments

and a few more (though deer/Loch are actually Kinloch Rannoch a little off the route ).

The ride does appear to have killed my Wahoo Bolt, which I left in a damp bag for a day at the end and now won't start up. Plus my shoes, plus possibly my bottom bracket. But was still worth it.

4 Attachments

ooft - looks class

Im looking forward to our balmy September fortnight....pretty chilly out there just now.

aye I'm tempted to run the badger divide over 4 days in september - if only I can find a slot on a train back from (or to) inverness

Run? Like...on your feet? With just shoes n nae wheels?

eh.... nope, on a bike. sorry should have said ride, don't know what got into me. I'll say five hail mary's and two our fathers after zwifting tonight

Was just in the process of reporting you to the police. Gotta be careful with that.

I'm tempted to run the badger divide over 4 days in september

How 'off road' is that route? Like, proper MTBing or gravel bike friendly?

Let me google that for you, hippy...
https://www.trailforks.com/route/the-badger-divide/

A 200 mile route from Inverness to Glasgow.

The Badger Divide route follows well established Rights of Way, Heritage Paths, long distance trails and a mix of estate and forestry gravel roads. Paved roads have been avoided wherever possible but a few remain.

The trail is suitable for a sturdy road or mountain bike and there aren’t any surfaces so rough you should have to push or carry the bike. Either kind of bike would have its advantages but there’s more easy going stuff than rough.

Ridden in two days or less is a decent challenge or go a little slower and take your time in one of the bothies or hostels the route goes past.

Although there isn’t any bike and hike there is some fairly undulating sections which shouldn’t be underestimated if you’re working out a schedule.

The route goes through or close to town wherever possible but there is a few stretches where stocking up if fairly crucial to having a nice ride. Between Fort Augustus and Killin would be the most notable.

The more remote parts are fairly exposed and far enough away from civilisation that you could get into bother if you’re not prepared. Please plan and pack sensibly and follow the outdoor access code.

If you intend to use one of the bothies that the route passes check out the MBA page for more information and seriously consider becoming a member and help support the great work they do. I have left the details on the bothies fairly vague on purpose to encourage riders to check out the organisation.

A large part of the route is waymarked in one way or another by various organisations, for more information on the great work these guys do have a look at the links page. The route isn’t in collaboration or endorsed by any of the organisations listed.