Morvich to Glen Affric

This route is very difficult, and I would not recommend it to anyone. I have placed a descrition of it here in case anyone would be interested in reading it. Repeat, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS AS A MOUNTAIN BIKING ROUTE !!

In my opinion it is best to complete this route from West to East, as it means you get the climbing over in the first couple of hours, and the steep path up the gorge occuppied by allt grannda NH 0217 would be extremely difficult to follow downhill. Admittedly the scenery is most spectacular going from East to West. The starting point of the off-road route is Morvich NG 960211 the hill track takes you to Athnamulloch NH 133206. A single ticket between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh (12miles N of Morvich) will set you back approximately £15 sterling, although it is best to check with British Rail on +44 345 48 49 50. Trains are regular, and as they are run by Scotrail bikes travel for free.

1. Heading out of the train station at Kyle of Lochalsh turn right, following signs for the South along the A87. This road, which has recently been resurfaced, takes you along the coast to Morvich. It passes the beautiful Eilean Donan castle NG 881258, on the edge of Loch Duich. Upon reaching Morvich, countinue past the Caravan park and outdoor centre before turning right onto the track. The path is signposted as the Morvich to Alltbeithe Youth hostel, by the National Trust.
   
2. Initially the path consists of a land rover track, which continues on a gentle climb up the valley to the Edinburgh University Mountaineering club hut, which is locked. From here the track deteriorates markedly to a rather dismal footpath, which takes you up the gorge. I would recommend that you should take a pair of decent walking boots for this stage, as it is difficult to conquer by foot, let alone with a laden mountain bike to cope with. Whatever you do don't just rely on a pair of Specialized fatboy shoes with cleats installed - from experience I can tell you it isn't fun! This climb is likely to take a number of hours, although the views down into the gorge can become quite spectacular. There are a number of stream crossings, which are likely to get your feet wet, so don't try and avoid them as it ain't worth it. The main climb in the route of 800ft. is contained within ~1.5 km.
   
3. Once reaching the top of the gorge the track begins to become cycable, although I would recommend caution, and an attitude such as "if I fell of here how far would I tumble ?" as it is certainly not predictable. Anyone with an interest in glaciation will certainly find this section of the ride captivating, as numerous glacial features can be seen from the track, most notably the U-shaped valley through which you end up cycling.
   
4. The surface improves considerably after passing the Camban bothy NH 053184, although look out for drainage channels running perpendicular to the track, as mentioned in the bothy logbook they are good for bunny hop practice. As you continue East the scenery becomes more subdued, with the peaks being more rounded and generally not as 'immense'. It is quite cool to pass the point where the rivers change direction, at the start of the route they drain West, and then around the bothy they begin to drain East. Wasn't observant enough to notice exactly where, just remember saying, "wasn't that river flowing in the other direction earlier ?"
   
5. Eventually, the Alltbeithe youth hostel will come into view. To reach this, however, there are a couple of river crossings. Take note though that there are bridges, but these are not immediately noticable, so don't go flat out across a river, just to notice a sturdy footbridge upon reaching the other side drenched. From here it is plain sailing, accross a fairly flat valley bottom on a track which is significantly better compared to previous ones. You will also pass numerous ruins, which are nice to look at.
   
6. After crossing the bridge at Athnamulloch NH 134206 (watch out for the kerb going onto the bridge) you are pretty much into the Caledonian forest park. The track begins to resemble a road, and indeed it is only a five or six kilometers to the public road, although it is much better if you choose to continue off-road alont the South Bank of Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin. Take caution though as this route takes you through an important nature reserve, as the Caledonian Forest habitat only exists in a few places in Scotland - so take litter home ! Admittedly the south road is more difficult as there is a little (in hindsight - its quite a lot at the end of a long tiring weekend, after having a Cereal bar for breakfast and soaked through to the skin by the continuous drizzle) climbing involved, but this IS worth it for the downhill towards the car Dog Falls car park NH 2828 where there are toilets. Yes REAL toilets. Use them wisely as it is a good few miles to Cannich, and it's not so convenient to stop when needed.
   
7. After the Dog falls carpark I chose to continue down the public road (single track), which is fairly twisty but nice and easy. It is likely to be possible to continue off-road for longer but you would need to check this out yourself. Once at the bottom of the Glen Affric road you reach the main road. Turn left to go up through Cannich and onto Beauly/Inverness, I think that right would take you to Invergarry - but don't hold me to that as I just guessed which direction Beauly was in and hoped for the best. Luckily I was right, but I think that is because I live in the area. You might not be so lucky.

Well thats it, after a rather measly 25 miles I had gone from West coast to East coast(ish), it certainly felt like a lot more. As I said before, this route is very difficult and I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, I doubt that I will be doing it in the near future. I believe it is possible to go from Alltbeithe to Loch Achilty, as mentioned in the hardback book from which I originally got the idea of this route "Exploring Scottish Hills, a guide for walkers and mountain bikers" by Ralph Stoker, ISBN 0-7153-9806-7 published in 1991 by David & Charles plc.

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