The Scottish winter seems to be a damp squall these days, not great if you like trashing skis on the frozen ice fields on the Mounth, but not bad if you've got RRTYs to chase. With the Braco Way extension and a Snow Roads in the bag I just needed another ride for the 3 ongoing RRTYs (4,5 and 6).
With my hiking club's Hogmanay trip to Torridon lined up I set off from home on an uneventful ride to the rebuilt Glen Nevis hostel in Fort William for RRTY #4; a basic touring route cutting the corner of the tay by crossing the Sidlaws to Dunkeld and on up the A9 cycle track. The newly resurfaced section on the Drummochter pass is a significant improvement from the previous route on all but one point. For some reason someone decided to install poles at the bridges that make line choice tricky (thanks to them being on turns) on an upright with a Carraidce and I can see many tourists smashing their bags off them come the summer, if you're on a trike or in a wheel chair though forget it!
Stopping at the Wolftrax café, my former regular MTB patch for a late lunch and along the almost deserted A96 to Spean Bridge, I needed a few more Kms and rather than ride up to the Glen NEvis road end and back I'd decided to dodge the A82 section from Spean Bridge to the Fort by taking the Gairlochy to Banavie road, this necessitates the climb up to the Commando Monument.
The hostel has had a significant rebuild on its original footprint and now has two floors and a large open plan communal area.
I was taken by surprise at the lack of "Heat it and eat it" meals at the Hostel thankfully though one of the chip shops in town are on Just Eat so I got something brought up rather than ride to town and back.
The next morning I was up early for my bonus ride to the hostel in Torridon.
I didn't need this to be a 200 but I only needed a slight extension via Achnasheen to get it there so I went for the extra 2 points and the possibility of starting RRTY #7.
A stiff southerly was forecast but I reckoned this to be to my advantage and I was soon shooting over back up the Gairlochy road to the monument, on the side of the Ben I could see climbers already at altitude above the flood. At this ungodly hour on the Sabbath the A82 was all but deserted, not long after Invergarry the first of the corner cuts arrived, a stiff climb over Craig Ard, saving meters of road and gaining plenty of elevation for the AAA points that the route claimed to have.
At the top I rested before plunging back to the still deserted main road beside the loch; the road is flat along the loch but after the Tomdoun junction it starts to climb stiffly up the deviation built when Loch Loyne was dammed, rather than build a new bridge crossing the loch a new road was hewn into the side of Cárn Bán moving the confluence of the A87 and A887 from the Claunie Inn to the head of Loch Moriston.
Traffic was getting heavier now, Skye bound holiday home traffic crossing from Inverness. Last time I was at the Claunie in it was still a ramshackle old Drovers Inn with cheap rooms and a bunkhouse, I was exploring the north end of the old road on my MTB; I've still not checked out the south end from Tomdoun. Now the Claunie seems to be a remote luxury spa break, I'm not so sure of this change.
I was glad to reach the summit, the stream of cars hammering past me soon ceased as a nervous overtaker didnt' want to pass me as I plunged down from 271m to sea level at Loch Duich in a little over 13km.
On the loop road through Morvich that I needed for the distance I got a taste of the strength of wind as I fought along the north end to get back onto the main road. The Invernaite petrol station seemed to take for ever to arrive and I wondered if I'd missed it. I got lunch in the form of a black pudding sausage roll pastry.
Another small cut arrived at Dornie, this one didn't involve any extra height, and at Auchtertyre the road to the north splits off, traffic lessens and it climbs over Meall Ailean; I do wonder if rather than cross this had I gone to the Kyle and round by Plockton things may have worked out differently.
The road reaches it's summit of 208 in around 4km, and them promptly plunges you back to sea level on Loch Carron, this section is infamous for its rockfalls as the road shares a lochside shelf cut into the rocks, netting holds the rocks back as best it can, sections of previous fall form depressions in the rockface, and at one point a shelter is built over road and rail.
The wind blew up Strathcarron as the gloaming arrived without sunset and as darkness fell in Glen Carron this lone cyclist, surprised by the rapidly reducing effort needed to get up the hill took his misted up glasses off and noted there was only 28km to go.
The Sodium street lights of Achnasheen glowed in front of me, the rain highlighted in its horizontal trajectory by the Orange glow, it was wild. I left the shelter of the trees by the Ledgowan and was blown off track, I lent into the wind and carried onto the circle. Despite the wind being South Westerly it was being funneled by the steep sides of the unnamed glen holding the road and Loch a Crosig.
I tried to turn the bike into the corner to take the road to Kinlochewe but the wind wasn't having it, it turned the bike back onto the circle and started to send me on my way to Inverness. Retreating to the shelter of the trees I weighed up my options.
Option 1: I don't need these points, thumb a lift.
Option 2: You've got time to return to Strath Carron and go round by Shieldaig.
I opted for option 2, extra distance for the Festive 500 at the least. I soon found the reason for my rapid progress up the hill as I struggled into the wind as I retreated along Loch Gowan. When facing directly into the wind I found it easier to progress on foot, I knew it was a long way to the summit and a bit of shelter.
A van passed and pulled into a turning space before pulling up alongside me and asked if I wanted a lift. What more could I say than aye.
The bike and I bundled into the back of the van along with a collie and 3 mountain bikes fresh from a practice session on the Strathpuffer circuit at Contin where a group called Teuchter Wagons were preparing for this years event.
I was disorientated when I got out the van at Loch Carron where I'd asked to be dropped off so I could ride the last wee bit and get my distance up.
The water indistinguishable in the darkness of the night from the sky was eventually identified and I road on into the much gentler wind.
The Audax and AAA points gone but that didn't matter now. I'd forgotten that the road first crosses to Kishorn, I questioned my decision and thought I should have sought the sanctuary of the Ledgowan Lodge and tried to blag a lift to Torridon, but I'd made this decision. I walked one of the hills.
At Kishorn the road turned and I was soon passing the junction for Applecross and the Bealach na Bá and before I knew it I was climbing the Shieldaig bypass, and over the rise by Ben Damph and at last the hostel.
I got my "Heat it and Eat it" curry and went to bed having already decided to put my plan to ride to Toscaig and back via the coast road and bealach. In the morning I woke to another wet and indifferent day, I didn't know when I could access the accommodation the club had booked so set off up Glen Torridon to finish off the Festive 500 before sitting in the Café at the village shop for elevenses, lunch and watching the locals from a warm corner.
I haven't ridden the bike since. (Now the 11th of January), not only did the weather prevent my ride for the 1st and 2nd of January but my delayed plan to ride to Toscaig on the 31st was prevented despite the fantastic Hogmanay weather by the onset of Lurgy.
I have 3 RRTYs on the go and now only two weekends left to ride them in once I shift this cough.
