Scotland route ideas

International Europe
#1

Got about 3-4 weeks when back home next summer and thought a trip to Scotland was in order as not explored there much.
Looking to take my mountain bike and packraft and tent.
All I need now is a route.
What would be recommendations of must visit places/trails/rivers/lochs.
I like remote.

Been searching around a bit so got some ideas, but most trips written up are weekenders. I could either use the bike to get to a place and then head off nd hike/packraft. Or I can bike and raft to get from a to b.

Perhaps Great glen way, fort William, side trip to Skye… then south. Quite fancy fitting in a couple of mtb days (7 stanes) at end.

So, given say 3 weeks, what would be your ideal summer trip?

#2

Do It! Scotland is made for bikes and packrafts!

Look North and west. You can work your way north from fort william area to knoydart, inverpolly etc. If you are into rivers then lots to be done as smaller trips around the Cairngorms area, not as steep as the west rivers! biking here is great too. I wouldn’t bother with the great glen for paddling, the rivers are good grade 2 but you would grow old paddling the lochs in a packraft, an open canoe works best to do the trip from fort william to inverness.

Have a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K_SXI_OD7M gives an idea of the terrain, no bike though.

Happy planning,

Rob

#3

IMO with packraft and feet there nowhere you cant go in Scotland. Just look at a map, the lines of the lochs and string it all together.
I’ve not tried it, but my feeling is that the extra ~13kg of a bike on the boat complicates things unless you’ve designed a route specifically for a bike and are doing steady paddles with little portaging or rough, unrideable ground (eg: along lochs then picking up roads and tracks). Cross country, walking is much more versatile. I agree a packraft would be wasted on most of the Great Glen. Better to go where regular boats can’t.

You can’t go wrong with the two coast to coast routes out of Mallaig (train): up loch Morar and over to Arakaig, walk over to Loch Lochy and down that river to Ft William (1 portage). Then from FW paddle round (tidal) or follow the C2C walk route to Blackwater res, or on over to Loch Laidon, and down Rannoch and Tummel lochs on down the Tay river (various portages I believe) to Perth. I’ve done that as far as Rannoch Moor.
Or from Loch Lochy/Gairlochy, walk any way you like over to Loch Laggan and hop onto the Spey around Aviemore and down to Speymouth/North Sea. We did Spey in IKs and folders one time, but it would be great ride in a packraft too.

Both will be about 10 days, I’d guess. I’d then go up to Ullapool, get a bus up the A835 a short way and spend a few days in the Inverpolly Area. It doesn’t go anywhere but there are some great mountains all around.