Scotland - Off Road

The black art of moving from A to B on foreign soil
johnnyboxer
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Re: Scotland - Off Road

Post by johnnyboxer »

Dark Knight wrote:A suggested route with various possible options, not off road but pretty wild.
It all depends on how much time you have and availability of overnight options.
Just not sure how busy it will be up north, there are reports that accomodation is available.
Have a good trip and luck with the weather, I am going up to Ballahulish at the end June with the wife which means using the car.
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daveuprite
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Re: Scotland - Off Road

Post by daveuprite »

Richard Simpson Mark II wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 10:36 pm Yes, the French get a lot of stick, but the 'don't give a damn' attitude has something to recommend it.
It's not quite "don't give a damn". It's more "live and let live". There just isn't the psychology to moan and complain about other trail users because people seem to accept that the trails are there for them too - we all own them. It does help that there are just SO many tracks and very few users - so everyone is spread out nicely. My dirt-days are usually around 60-100kms, and in Winter I very rarely meet another soul. Not one. In Summer I might pass a couple of dog walkers and a mountain biker over the same distance. That's during 4-5 hours of riding, 90% off tarmac.

In about 10 years of regular riding off road in France I have witnessed about 5 people angry with me, and 3 of them were English! The Two-Wheeled Fools were out on an organised (and very well marshalled) randonnée ride once when we were accosted by a british guy in a Clio who was furious with us for riding in 'his' area. If he hadn't been in his 70s/80s we would have lamped him I think (although that would not have helped!). He just wouldn't shut up and respect our right to be there. But that is extremely rare indeed.

I completely accept the need to preserve and look after the kind of valuable wilderness habitats you find in Scotland. There are natural park areas in France too, where we are justifiably not allowed to ride. But for the WHOLE country to be virtually off limits is a crying shame. In my experience 2-wheeled users do relatively little damage, and only on one defined track. We are less likely to stray off-trail as ramblers often do and we don't churn things up nearly as bad as 4x4 vehicles. They could at least open up a network of tracks in the more agricultural areas, which are not 'natural' anyway.
Richard Simpson Mark II
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Re: Scotland - Off Road

Post by Richard Simpson Mark II »

I'd agree with that.
Oop North John
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Re: Scotland - Off Road

Post by Oop North John »

daveuprite wrote: Thu May 13, 2021 7:14 am I completely accept the need to preserve and look after the kind of valuable wilderness habitats you find in Scotland. There are natural park areas in France too, where we are justifiably not allowed to ride. But for the WHOLE country to be virtually off limits is a crying shame. In my experience 2-wheeled users do relatively little damage, and only on one defined track. We are less likely to stray off-trail as ramblers often do and we don't churn things up nearly as bad as 4x4 vehicles. They could at least open up a network of tracks in the more agricultural areas, which are not 'natural' anyway.
There are very few "natural" areas in Scotland, apart from the Flow country and a few pockets of Caledonian forest as just about everywhere else has had a human changing it. These programmes are very thought provoking:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vjv ... odes/guide

And some pictures on a similar vein:

https://theferret.scot/land-use-scotlan ... otography/

IIRC the River Tummel near Pitlochry is dry for several miles as the water is sent on a circuitous path to fill dams and to power hydro electric stations.
Steve 63
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Re: Scotland - Off Road

Post by Steve 63 »

Dark Knight wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 9:50 pm A suggested route with various possible options, not off road but pretty wild.
It all depends on how much time you have and availability of overnight options.
Just not sure how busy it will be up north, there are reports that accomodation is available.
Have a good trip and luck with the weather, I am going up to Ballahulish at the end June with the wife which means using the car.
Thanks very much

I've been once before on a bike a few years ago but always go to Europe touring now 2-3 weeks at a time.
Due to covid went last year in the car in October, the weather was great for two weeks we we driving around. Scotland is a beautiful place when the sun shines,
crofty
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Re: Scotland - Off Road

Post by crofty »

Oop North John wrote: Thu May 13, 2021 9:55 am
daveuprite wrote: Thu May 13, 2021 7:14 am I completely accept the need to preserve and look after the kind of valuable wilderness habitats you find in Scotland. There are natural park areas in France too, where we are justifiably not allowed to ride. But for the WHOLE country to be virtually off limits is a crying shame. In my experience 2-wheeled users do relatively little damage, and only on one defined track. We are less likely to stray off-trail as ramblers often do and we don't churn things up nearly as bad as 4x4 vehicles. They could at least open up a network of tracks in the more agricultural areas, which are not 'natural' anyway.
There are very few "natural" areas in Scotland, apart from the Flow country and a few pockets of Caledonian forest as just about everywhere else has had a human changing it. These programmes are very thought provoking:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vjv ... odes/guide

And some pictures on a similar vein:

https://theferret.scot/land-use-scotlan ... otography/

IIRC the River Tummel near Pitlochry is dry for several miles as the water is sent on a circuitous path to fill dams and to power hydro electric stations.
The Tummel is a fine river for paddling John, think it is the Garry above Pitlochry that suffers from water abstraction.
I agree very few area of Scotland are natural, almost all the Highlands have been changed to suit sporting considerations.
Dark Knight
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Re: Scotland - Off Road

Post by Dark Knight »

Another comment about travel up north in Scotland, probably well known.
When you get further north you find that some farmers are breeding Aberdeen Angus cattle, this combined with no fences can provide a challenge.
The cattle seem to prefer eating the grass at the side of the road as it must taste better, due to their size, they block a single track road.
Now this is an animal weighing in at 100 of kilos and can move faster than you would think.
I personably have come around a corner to find the road blocked by one of these animals.
So I approached slowly and studied the situation, it was female with no calf, its buddies were down to the right watching.
Deep drainage ditches either side of the road, grass on the left very green suggesting that it was wet, ground falls of sharply to the right to where her buddies were standing.
She was watching me, decided that because she was female with no calf that there was a good chance that she would move out of the way if I slowly edged forward, which she did.
If I had been wrong, she would have smashed me and the bike up, this is obviousy a dangerous situation, so I would not reccomend anyone taking a similar action.
A female with calf or a male is definitly a no go situation.
Dark Knight
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Re: Scotland - Off Road

Post by Dark Knight »

Was up at Killin today, some pictures of the falls and the Killin Inn.
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Dark Knight
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Re: Scotland - Off Road

Post by Dark Knight »

OK, so I forgot to rotate them.
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