BRIAN ON LINE
 
 
This is another one of those epic trips that should be on the bucket list of every mountain biker and I am no exception so I was delighted to get the opportunity to complete this one and tick it off my list when Dave Banks and I headed west to Tyndrum and our starting point at the Green Welly cafe and shop. We started by heading out on the West Highland Way to Bridge of Orchy and we then headed past Loch Tulla to Victoria Bridge where we picked up the track to Loch Etive and headed towards Loch Dochard. Beyond Loch Dochard we reached the high point of the route and descended quickly through Glen Kinglass, encountering moab style bed rock and rough boulder strewn tracks before passing by Kinglass Lodge where the track improved considerably. Following a good landrover track we eventually could see Loch Etive ahead where we followed the track south along the shore line. On paper this looked to be straight forward, a gentle pedal along the lochside to Taynuilt, but in fact what faced us was anything but easy, the track rises and falls for 6 miles or so towards Inverawe which meant plenty of pushing for our tired legs but the nice views over the Loch and towards Ben Cruachan alleviated some of the pain as progress was slow. A small navigational error on the approach to Inverawe meant that we had to re-trace our steps to avoid travelling on the busy A85 and watching Dave become bogged down in a grassy field was worth the additional effort. Finally we made it to the station in time for the train and the 45 minute trip back to Tyndrum to pick up the car. After packing everything away and loading the bikes onto the roof we decided to finish off our day with a pint and some food at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, after all it would be rude not to! All in all another wonderful day out in the wilderness. For a more technical review of the trip, additional photographs and detailed GPS route files visit.....www.davebanks.scot/route_16.htm http://www.davebanks.scot/route_16.htmshapeimage_2_link_0
From Tyndrum to taynuilt via glen kinglass- JUNE 2014
 
The total distance was 36miles with an ascent of 2700 Feet