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(Warning)>
Due to the remoteness & the terrain of the trails, we strongly
recommend you tell someone of your planned route & carry spares
supplies with
you.
(e.g. tubes, repair kit, dry kit, food, phone probably won't
work, whistle & O.S.maps, Scene Of Humour Will Help) |
TRAIL IN THE SKYE, CHIEFY'S
ACCOUNT:
Isle Of Skye Trail 1
'This trail will test your mind and body, not to mention the
bike to a new limit'. |
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 From the 'Dunvegan
hotel' car park we turn right onto the A-863 and headed to the
campsite at the end of Loch Dunvegan. We then turned right onto the
coastal tarmac road which headed off twisting and turning as it
followed the shore line. This was an easy pedal turning ride to the
first of the trails climbs, just after the gift shop in Colbost. The
road climbed over a short steep hill & then dropped down into
Glendale on a fast swooping downhill run, which was made more
exciting by dodging sheep stood in the way. Glendale has the only
snack shop on the route, anyway we turned into the strong head wind
and started the long, long climb up to the summit below Beinn nan
Corrafidheag (260m)
Now came the downhill to Ramasaig, here on the ridge you could get
fantastic views of the lighthouse & Moonen Bay way down to the
right. At the bottom of the downhill run we pick-up the red dirt
track heading up the valley to Lorgill, the track cuts its way over
rocky out crops and then drops downhill over grass land to some old
sheep pens by the river. Naturally there is no bridge to cross over
the river, so its walk it or as we attempted to ride it. From there
on we attempted to follow vague sheep tracks to the beach and cliffs
off to the right and aimed for the left side of the beach. Here we
had to shoulder the bikes and haul it up the Cliffside to the top on
no proper track, once on top we could ride a bit but most of it was
either bogs or pushing through thick grassy mounds or cliff edge
sheep tracks.
So often we would
come to a deep gorge with fast flowing water and have to turn and
head inland a bit to over rough grass and bogs to get around. Even
crossing was a challenge with bikes and Spd's on especially on
smooth slippery rocks. The trail/tracks became 'so no trail' we just
rode around trying to pick up some sort of dry gap in the grass. The
views from the tops of the cliffs were simple stunning, but all we
could see were row upon row of ridges we still had to tackle. 'This
trail will test your mind and body, not to mention the bike to a new
limit' On reaching the headland point
and the turn for home
our spirits lifted, but even then we could not find a clear trail
track to follow. So it was ride the best looking bit of rock, bog,
grassy mound you could see.
Then we came across
the best bit of single-track we have seen all day, heading along the
valley to the woods. But it stopped dead at some big wooden 'bloody
stupid' gates, which pissed us off after all the shit we had
covered. We encountered 3 or 4 of this gates which you have to get
through. After a short climb came a beautiful downhill single-track
to the chopped down wood below. 'Shit happens, tubes relieve
themselves of air'. Once fixed it was back off downhill but skidding
to a slow skip over the sharp edged drainage channels on tenterhooks
the tyres would not blow.
At the woods we
picked up the first signs of a proper trail track in ages, from here
on it was just a case of following the trail and road back to the
start. We were glad to be riding on flat ground with out are bikes
sinking into bogs or bouncing of grass tuffs.
'This trail route is very hard, you will need:
A good map, Proper kit, Time, Experience, Good weather, Whistle, (Phone
no good here!) |
YOU WILL BE: RIDING,
PUSHING, CARRYING, LAUGHING, ALONG CLIFF EDGE TRACKS, WADING,
COMING OFF.
Summer Only
Time taken: 07:26:23
Distance: 50.4km |
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