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DaveE


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Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 14.17hrs on Mon 25 Sep 06
Thinking about mountain biking the West Highland Way. I'm a good rider and can handle most terrain but slightly concerned about the areas that are unridable i.e. don't fancy carrying the bike too much. I walked the route in 2000 but can't remember it in detail. Has anyone biked the route and if so what advice do you have?
maddy


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Joined: Feb 2006
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25th Mar 2008
Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 18.18hrs on Tue 26 Sep 06
done tyndrum-Fort william in a day-classic stuff-got to be one of my favourite routes.
Youve a bit of a push up the devils staircase but worth it for the descent.
Coming out of Kinlochlevin dont go up west highland way as you will end up pushing much steepness, go further along the road there is a minor road on right that will take you up to a hotel-this joins on again with the west highland way this is steep but all rideable
.milingavie to loch lomand fairly flat,conic hill being the exception but you could bypass that
Been along rowardenin to inversnaid all rideable,its the section after this that will be the problem(i have walked it )
a few months ago somebody posted an account of there trip (i think they took 3 days) on bikemagic do a search there im sure the article will be helpfull.
I would prefer to do it in the summer months longer days but downside of this is more walkers on the route
good luck

DaveE


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Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 12.54hrs on Wed 27 Sep 06
Cheers Maddy.
telemarker


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12th Apr 2021
Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 16.31hrs on Fri 29 Sep 06
I have biked Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven section,
we missed out the 1st bit from bridge of orchy where i think it goes over a hill, we cycled along road to Forest Lodge, then joined it over the Kingshouse.

The descent from Devils staricase to kinlochleven was brilliant value!
i am not sure about last few km into fortwilliam, but the bit after kinlochleven would be ok, apart from the bit mentioned by maddy to avoid
HTH


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20th Feb 2018
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 19.46hrs on Fri 29 Sep 06
Agree with Tele & Maddy. - The northern half of the route is the best riding IMO.

About 15yrs since I rode it from Milngavie to Fort W in 2 days, during April. - Finished in snow flurries both days, and spent the overnight at B-of-Orchy.

Route is probably better developed now, especially the boggy Lomond/Crianlarich sections. - Also bypassed the small hill at Orchy, which Tele mentioned. - And I think we also used the minor road mentioned by Maddy, to gain height after Kinlochleven, which allows you to stay in saddle while climbing.

Orchy to Kingshouse was a really nice stage, with good Spring views of snowy tops, and a heavy haul up Staircase after Kingshouse. - But the downhill was worth it, and is now probably even better with modern forks on the bike. (I had a rigid framed bike back then, which produced a few impact punctures downhill.)

In good visibility it's a great trip, especially north of Tyndrum. If I can find some old photos I'll post. - In fact, if you don't have time for it all, just do the north bits.
DaveE


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Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 08.28hrs on Sat 30 Sep 06
Cheers guys. Have recently read in an old mountain biking book that the west highland way south of Tyndrim is not allowed on a bike. Has this rule changed?
stevomcd


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11th Nov 2010
Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 14.02hrs on Mon 2 Oct 06
No such thing as "not allowed", but cycling is "not encouraged" on any part of the trail.

There are signs on the section on the east side of Loch Lomond requesting people not to ride bikes, but they can't actually stop you.
DaveE


Guest
Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 15.57hrs on Tue 3 Oct 06
Seems like there's alot of confusion amongst walkers about where you can and cannot mountain bike. I was mountain biking round loch Gamma (aviemore area) and a group of walkers were determined not to let me past. When i quizzed them about it they stated that cycling was strictly not allowed in the area. Am i right in saying that you can cycle on any path or right of way unless there's a sign specifically saying otherwise??
pfairbrother


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27th Nov 2017
What's this?What's this?
Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 16.44hrs on Tue 3 Oct 06
DaveE - If you mean loch Gamhna which is next to Loch an Eilien in the Rothiemurchus Estate the estate try to 'discourage' cyclists from using those paths. It's all voluntary of course because the Scottish Outdoor Access Code should allow all non vehicular traffic (walkers, horse riders and cyclists) to use those paths by loch gamhna.
Maybe those walkers were english and believed you can only cycle on bridleways, tracks and roads as you only can in that country!

paul



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 16.45hrs Tue 3 Oct 06 by pfairbrother.
DaveE


Guest
Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 08.06hrs on Wed 4 Oct 06
Yes thats the one! Is it just path errosion that the Estate are worried about?
Niall Thomson


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3rd Aug 2019
Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 06.37hrs on Sun 8 Oct 06
>Is it just path errosion that the Estate are worried about?<

I should think so - it's fairly chewed up in places so its all about being responsible although the walkers are contributing more than their fair share to that - how do some of these folk think the path got there in the first place? Most of the trail is robust enough but it needs some pathwork on the wet sections. From a mtb perspective - hopefully not of the type they've built around Loch an Eilein



Scott Lannon


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Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 20.30hrs on Sun 5 Nov 06
Cycling the way in july this year found it quite easy bar conic hill was a slog pushing up and mostly down, doing the cycle next year going to go round conic seen as we did it allready also a bad bit for bikes just before inversnaide lasts five or so miles gonna take the ferry next year miss it out, apart from that quite easy and very enjoyable canna wait till next july.
Lawrie Chandler


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Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 11.35hrs on Tue 6 Feb 07
I was just reading about the
Hustler


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19th Aug 2019
Re: Biking the west highland way
Date Posted: 22.00hrs on Tue 6 Feb 07
I spend quite a bit of time on the Way each summer, as one of the organisers of the West Highland Way Race.
I'd really not recommend trying to take your bike along the shore of Lomond North past Rowardenan through Inversnaid to the head of the loch. You can do it, but it's a real slog, you'll carry your bike much more than ride and that section is rough, mossy and boggy going at the best of times.

Much better, start somewhere above there and plan to enjoy yourself riding the rest of it Northwards. The section North of Kinlochleven to Glen Nevis is 95% rideable and is a good test at the end of a long day. I've done it a couple of times. If you ride Tyndrum to Ft Bill in one day, you'll deserve a beer that night.

The Race?
All of it, in one go, on foot. Around 100 runners start at 0100 on a Saturday morning in Milngavie in June and run, walk or crawl all the way. The record is under 16 hours.
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