Tuesday 7 September 2010

Thursday – Balblair & Kinlochewe

Weather: sunny rainy sunny
Miles:  19.11 + 15.72

Looking out of the window revealed mist and more mist, but as we drove out it became clear that it was just temporarily hanging over the waters of the Kyle Of Sutherland and the rest of the world was getting blue skies. The night before we’d discovered there were two trail centres I’d never heard of in the local area a short red route at the castle (which we didn’t bother with) and a black route on the other side of the river at Balblair. Not wanting to miss the opportunity we decided to hit Balblair before heading off west for the rest of the week.

Morning mist
The best way to describe Balblair is a one hill Kirroughtree with better views and without the really difficult bits. A bit of a dull initial climb soon took us out onto lumpy white bedrock for some undulating technical fun (providing you followed the arrows), surrounded by Scots Pines and views across sunny Sutherland.

Up
Picturesque
Down
Kyle of Sutherland and Carbisdale Castle

From the top of the hill it was back down to the cars via more bedrock and some twisty forest fun. Short but ever so sweet, and worth another lap if we didn’t have to get across the country for the afternoon’s entertainment.

More trees and rock
We loaded up and set off for Kinlochewe, stopping to look at the seals in the Cromarty Firth. As we drove west the sunshine was replaced with forboding greyness and bigger mountains, we stopped for lunch enroute but didn’t last long before we were chased back into the cars by hungry midges. We reached Kinlochewe early afternoon and unloaded ourselves into the bunkhouse.

Cromarty Firth seals

The afternoon’s entertainment was cakes and walking for Dawn, Fi and Andrea and a short ride for the rest of us. By the time we set off riding the sun was out again, we took the express estate road to the Heights of Kinlochewe, struggled to get our bikes over a high deer gate only to find there was a nice stile round the corner, then headed up the stiff climb of Gleann na Muice.

Struggling
Climb

At the top end of the valley track a fine bit of new single and a half track took us into the wilds, with distracting views of Slioch and the peaks of Letterewe Forest.

New track

The newness petered out at a gate and the trail became more challenging and much more fun, undulating its rocky way towards Lochan Fada. By the time we reached the beach some weather had come in so we donned waterproofs (which have a dual function as midgeproofs), very atmospheric.

On the beach

At this point I said ‘there must be a catch’ and indeed there was, a boggy trudge round the shore of the lochan in intermittent sunshine and showers (of rain and midges) followed by a wade through the outflow (very clear and very cool but no midges) and a drag up the flank of the hill to 400m (more midges).

Lochan Fada

Since I’d borrowed this route from day 1 of a tour company’s itinerary I expected the downhill to be easy and pleasant. It turned out to be a rockfest clinging to the steep side of Gleann Bianasdail until the valley opened out for the final section through the bracken to Loch Maree. There were plenty of ridey bits, but plenty of scary bits which spoilt the flow but gave more opportunity to admire the rock architecture.



Gleann Bianasdail

Rock

By the time we reached the loch the sun had come out again (maybe it had been sunny here all along). I was expecting a nice easy spin back admiring the views, but it turned out to be more hard work, winding through bracken, meadows, rock gardens and stream crossings. Eventually we reached civilisation again and span back to the bunkhouse.

Slioch

Whilst tea was being lovingly prepared Paul decided to remove the shock from his frame as it was knocking a bit, but couldn’t find one of the spacers when it came to putting it back together… so that evening’s entertainment was methodically raking through gravel looking for a shiny spacer whilst getting eaten by midges, we never found it.

Mmmidges

The night was another culinary success story featuring a tasty apple and blackberry sponge (which the quiet old bloke who was sharing the bunkhouse with us had to watch us eat), then there was the 7 real ales to make a start on in the pub next door.

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