Mountain Biking to the CIC Hut on Ben Nevis
September 19, 2008 on 11:59 am | In Mountain Biking | No Comments
Today, for a change, I went mountain biking with Ailsa and Heather as part of their week’s holiday of biking in the Outdoor Capital of the UK. They had already explored the Witches Trails and taken the train to Corour for the trail down to Spean Bridge past the Lairig Leacach and the legs were feeling a little sore so a shorter day was the plan.
So we went for a wee ride up to the CIC Hut along the Allt a’Mhuillin starting from the North Face Car Park in Torlundy. This is a great trail but you have to put in the effort at the start to reap the rewards later!
The new Forestry Commission trail going up to the Allt a’Mhuillin at the top of Torlundy Forest is very steep and usually requires some pushing (or burning thighs). However there are two well marked viewpoints just off the trail that break up the climb and give fantastic views over Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil at the first and the best ever view of Ben Nevis from the second.
The Allt a’Mhuillin trail sits back at a much more friendly angle but still with bits of pushing over the drains. It goes right into the heart of the north face of Ben Nevis, a fantastic sight, and we even got a cup of tea from the guys working on the hut just now.
The descent (all 650m vertical of it!) is a bit technical with lots of drains to cross but great fun and flowing in between. A section of fast forestry track then got us on to the Witches Trailsas part of the descent. Down by The Wall back to the North Face Car Park and we finished with a wee loop by the River Lochy.
It was a superb short day out, wet and windy for much of it but this just added to the sensation of being right in the heart of the mountains. Fantastic single track that puts the “mountain” back into the “biking”!
Mike Pescod
http://www.abacusmountaineering.com
Mountain Guide and Instructor with a passion for the hills. Scottish winter climbing is my favourite but scrambling, rock climbing, walking and ice climbing here and in the Alps are pretty good too!
Visit the Arran Outdoor Festival
August 21, 2008 on 11:04 pm | In Canoeing, Mountain Biking, Hillwalking | 1 Comment
With the summer nearly over, we all need things to look forward to … and the second annual Arran Outdoor Festival is only 4 weeks away (18-22 Sept 08). There will be a fantastic selection of guided walks, from the high peaks to coastal and forestry walks with experienced local guides. Stagecoach have laid on buses from the pier in Brodick, so be “green” by leaving your car on the mainland and you’ll also save some money on the ferry fare (only £8.95 for a return adult foot passenger).
There is also a great choice of adventure activities, including Sea Kayaking, Climbing and Gorge Walking with the Arran Adventure Company (www.arranadventure.com) who are offering a special deal for the festival of “2 for the price of 1″. If you enjoy a challenge, why not sign up for the Adventure Triathlon? This combines a 10km run, the Lamlash Splash (swim from Holy Isle to Lamlash!) and the mountain bike trailquest, which is part of the national league. Or, just pick one event!
The Safari Supper will be popular with a visit to three different eateries around Brodick, followed by an evening of “live” folk music in the Ormidale Hotel Bar. Corrie Village Hall will be the venue for the mountain film night, with epic adventure stories to inspire you. For more information, check out the festival website www.arranoutdoorfestival.co.uk. Advance bookings are essential for most events, so contact the Arran Adventure Company to book your place on 01770 302244 or by email: info@arranadventure.com.
Suzanne Sell
http://www.arranadventure.com
Working for the Arran Adventure Company. Sea kayaking sorts me out! There are some fantastic coastal locations to explore around the Isle of Arran and it has become so popular that there is a thriving new club that meets on a weekly basis.
Mountain Biking on Arran
July 4, 2008 on 2:22 pm | In Mountain Biking | 1 Comment
I was recetly on Arran and took part in a trail quest organised by Arran Adventure Company. Having not been on a bike for about five years I was a bit wobbly to begin with! We had a practice session on the first day - a practice session of six miles! It was all about navigating your way around a specific route and looking for certain points so you could stamp your route card. The time for this route would establish our teams for tomorrow.
I thought I was better on my bike than I actually was and ended up going over the handlebars - not a pretty sight! Therre was a lot of uphill which wasn’t so much fun but coming down the other side was amazing. I did the route with Michael, Louise and Maria and we stuck together as a team instead fo competing against each other which made the journey good fun.
We were having so much fun that we actually rode straight past one of the stamps and only realised when we came to number seven after number five. We had a few mishaps with Michael’s bike as his chain came off about nine times around the route. Grrr!
Once we had our last stamp we enjoyed the view back to the adventure cabin. Everyone could hear us coming as we were singing Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now!
Our timing wasn’t bad considering none of us were particularly bike friendly however as our times were similar we weren’t in the same team on the second day.
The second day was much harder and we had three hours to complete the course with markers all over Arran. For our team to gain maximum points there were also extra activities you could complete: aerial assault, sea kayaking and abseiling. Yikes! Our strategy was simple, the two fastest and the two slowest paired up and we did our best to try and get as many points as possible. Unfortunately our team didn’t win but we had loads of fun trying!
Gillian Thompson
http://www.visitscotland.com/adventure
Works with adventure sports in Scotland and has a keen interest in keeping fit and walking and a new passion for surfing.
Final day of Mountain Bike World Cup 2008
June 10, 2008 on 12:21 pm | In Mountain Biking | No Comments
The Downhill day is the biggest day of the week and sees the largest crowds. It’s a spectacular event and saw 30 ladies and 187 men compete for a chance to get to the final.
The downhill course at Fort William is known as a monster and even the fittest riders have to work really hard. It’s a total distance of 2.82km with a start altitude of 655m. The track is much the same as it was for the World Championships last year.
Laura and I took a ride up int he gondola to see the start (I like hills but this is one big hill)! It’s amazing seeing the speed that these riders travel at, at some point I had to close my eyes as it look pretty extreme to me.
The crowds were worked up by the commentator who made a fantastic job of keeping everyone informed. They all had their cow bells and horns to create an amazing atmosphere in the arena - it really made your hairs stand on end.
The ladies event was fantastic with British riders including Rachel Atherton, Katy Curd and Tracy Moseley. National Champion Tracy was last to ride and by now the arena was at fever pitch, everyone was watching the screen to compare her times to the current leader. When she eventually came in her time was an amazing 5:20 which saw her take the podium in first place.
In the men’s event the riders everyone was watching out for were Scotsmen Ruaridh Cunningham, Joe Barnes and Ben Cathro. British riders also included Gee and Dan Atherton and Steve Peat.
The talent was amazing and the crowds really made the event. Steve Peat was in the leader position but was narrowly pipped by Gee Atherton. It was really tense to see whether GB could make it 1st and 2nd. It wasn’t meant to be and Greg Minaar finally took the winning position.
This was the first Mountain Bike event I have attended. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. A tip I would give is to invest in some Avon Skin so Soft to keep the midges at bay!
Gillian Thompson
http://www.visitscotland.com/adventure
Works with adventure sports in Scotland and has a keen interest in keeping fit and walking and a new passion for surfing.
Day Two at the Mountain Bike World Cup 2008
June 10, 2008 on 12:02 pm | In Mountain Biking | No Comments
Woke up to a bright sunny morning and headed over to the site. Today was the Cross Country and the crowds were starting to form early on.
In a break from his normal way of taking the course Steve Peat was caught walking the downhill track and crossing the finishing line with his dog!
The cross country course is 25 miles and the heat in Leanachan Forest was around 21 celcius. The mens race consists of five laps and the ladies of four laps of the track which includes berms, single track climbing and fast jumping.
The ladies race was won by Canadian Marie Helene Premont and the mens race by Florian Vogel in 2:06!
Gillian Thompson
http://www.visitscotland.com/adventure
Works with adventure sports in Scotland and has a keen interest in keeping fit and walking and a new passion for surfing.
First day of the Mountain Bike World Cup 2008
June 7, 2008 on 12:26 pm | In Mountain Biking | 1 Comment
We headed up to Fort William on Wednesday to get ready for the 7th Mountain Bike World Cup to be held in the area. With the stand ready and looking gorgeous the first day of the MBWC saw fantastic sushine, enthusiastic crowds and a suberb 4 Cross event.
The day started looking overcast but cleared up and not a hint of rain was seen. In fact the course had to be sprayed with water as it was so dry! It was a relatively steady day with lots of people coming along to try out the trials area run by Cycle Wild Scotland.
At lunchtime I took a trip in the gondola to see the downhill track from the top. The journey up was amazing with some stunning scenery, I would recommend a trip up to take in the views of the area. The event today was the 4 Cross (4X) with the final being held at 19:30. By this time there was quite a crowd forming and the cow bells cetainly added to the atmospere.
It was an exciting race with some big names going out early on. There was also a spectacuar crash between Johannes Fischbach and Cedric Garcia. The finals were eventually won by Jared Graves (Australia) and Jana Horakova (Czech Republic). Fionn Griffiths was the highest placed home rider in the ladies event, coming 9th.
Gillian Thompson
http://www.visitscotland.com/adventure
Works with adventure sports in Scotland and has a keen interest in keeping fit and walking and a new passion for surfing.
Cow Hill Trails - Fort William
September 20, 2007 on 3:12 pm | In Mountain Biking | No Comments
Ok so the spotlight really has been on Fort William lately as the World Champs went off and we now have a Junior World Champion in the shape of Ruaridh Cunningham for the Downhill event.
Anyway I was down in the Fort yesterday evening and had the chance to head up Cow Hill on the bike. This was the first time I’d been up, and the climb up what’s pretty much a landrover track is quite tough going on a downhill bike. We headed up to the mast at the top and the views out across Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil in one direction and Glen Nevis in the other were amazing. The cloud base was high and the hills were set alight with evening sunshine; cracking stuff!
More importantly though; the run down was great. We followed the path down towards Glen Nevis and then branched left down the multi use path. It’s a well made path with a good mix of firm and loose surface and some jumps and culverts to keep you amused.
The sum total was as decent workout and some big smiles when we got to the Braveheart carpark at the bottom of the downhill. If you’ve got a spare hour and a half then it’s well worth the effort.
Ben Thorburn
http://www.freeskiing.co.uk
Freeskiing and telemarking are my main sports but in the off season it's all about the mountain bike... that and a bit of hill walking and running.
Fort William local trail guide.
August 27, 2007 on 2:59 pm | In Mountain Biking | No Comments
Well we all know that Fort Bill is gearing up for when The Worlds kick off next week but for all those travelling and taking our bikes there’s a bit of a black hole if you’re looking for places to ride. The Forestry Comission’s Witch’s Trails are closed for competition from the 3rd – 9th Sep and I’ll probably end up with withdrawal symptoms and be itching to get out as soon as it kicks off; so if you’re anythink like me then a local trail guide would be handy… I’ve attached this guide for Fort William, aiming to provide you all with some quality alternatives in the area.
As a double, consecutive IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association) Global Superstar, Scotland is shaping up as the place to be for amazing mountain biking; so when you’re planning your trip, don’t forget to pack your cycle legs and some midge repellent along with the rest of your kit.
See you there!
Download the Fort William and Highland mountain bike trail guide.
Ben Thorburn
http://www.freeskiing.co.uk
Freeskiing and telemarking are my main sports but in the off season it's all about the mountain bike... that and a bit of hill walking and running.
An Epic in the Cairngorms
August 10, 2007 on 4:25 pm | In Mountain Biking | No Comments
Wow! Last Sunday saw a crazy amount of rain in the Cairngorms. On the previous day, I had hiked high up onto Sgurr Mor with some friends on a beautiful blue sky day. But Sunday, on Sunday - the rain! Fortunately, such conditions are perfect for a bit of adventure mountain biking!
I took a couple of mates up Glen Quoich in the southern Cairngorms. We had an epic day! After a long, hard climb on a rough track, the trail levelled out. While this was a relief, it also meant that the trail became flooded to such an extent that we were regularly crossing pools of water 50 or 60 feet wide, not sure how deep they were or if they were hiding any surprises under the water!
After about 10 km, we reached the head of the glen and the point where the track crossed not one but two proper rivers! The water levels were up but we checked them out and deemed them safe to cross. As we hauled our bikes through the knee deep water, we were so wet we didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Laughter won, just! Once through the rivers, we then enjoyed an even wetter but much smoother return down the west side of the glen. Lots of whooping as we sped through deep pools, hoping that we’d not get stuck in the deep mud at the bottom!
Emerging back onto the road, there were 3 beaming smiles as we realised we’d made it and that a hot bath was just 2km away. Cruising along the quiet road, we managed to spot 2 roe deer and a red squirrel sitting on the edge of the road. The mist and cloud swirled among the Scots Pine trees, creating a magical and mystical feel to the glen.
Despite having the worst weather of any day of our long weekend break, the three of us were in no doubt that this day of torrential rain had been the best. That’s one of the great things about mountain biking. And also one of the great things about Scotland.
Stevie Christie
http://www.wildernessscotland.com
Director of Wilderness Scotland & also of the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival. Into most mountain sports, esp mountain biking, walking, climbing and sea-kayaking.
MTB at Drumlanrig Castle
August 1, 2007 on 10:37 am | In Mountain Biking, Uncategorized | No Comments
I made my second visit to the mountain bike trails at Drumlanrig Castle near Dumfries last Sunday. For those of you with families / partners who are not into biking, this is a great place to come as there is a castle, craft shops and an adventure playground to keep non-bikers happy while you have fun on the trails. Even if you are riding with novices, it is a good destination as there are some nice blue trails which run alongside or close to red trails.
As I was there with a novice rider and we didn’t have a lot of time on our hands, we followed trails 5 & 6. Trail 6 is a blue trail with some easy riding but also some fun singletrack sections. Trail 5 is red but follows Trail 6 for much of the way. However, it has lots of little detours of red standard which provide an excellent challenge and a break from the more sedate blue trail riding, and these can be followed without leaving your partner for more than 5 minutes at a time.
With lots of natural trails such as the twisty Whirley Birley and more challenging descents such as Dr Evil, this route provides a refreshing change from constructed trails. I’m already planning my next visit to check out the rest of the routes.
And given that Drumlanrig is less than 90 minutes from Glasgow or Edinburgh, shouldn’t you be planning a visit too?
Stevie Christie
http://www.wildernessscotland.com
Director of Wilderness Scotland & also of the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival. Into most mountain sports, esp mountain biking, walking, climbing and sea-kayaking.
