I’ve done that route from Fort Bill to Invergarry and beyond on a road bike with 32’s fine apart from when the forestry have been working. Corran to Fort Bill is the worst bit of the A82 it does get better from Fort Bill to Inverness but I do love the the A861 even if you do miss the Camusnagaul ferry it’s an easy ride round and better than the 82 it’s also l oh added with deer and highland cows. Looking forward to the next one.

Nice to see you were back out on the island again this year, Connor! I too made it again this year at the end of June for some more perfect riding. Some favourites - of course the lighthouse out Cap di Formentor. Sa Batalla is another favourite up the way to the Repsol garage. If you move away from the more famous and popular routes and rides, I've found there are some nice inland flat lanes winding around which make for some fast rolling and engaging riding. As you say, buttery roads and great scenery really anywhere you go and plenty of other riders always around. I do feel you have to keep your wits about you on the road, especially on the decents - they can be fast, and without local knowledge and plenty of tourists in hire cars and buses on blind turns, they can be dodgy enough at times. Concur on the cafe bombon! 😀

I did the clockwise peninsula loop on 23rd June, starting from the campsite and finishing with the Bealach. I found that the section on the north between Fearnmore and Shieldaig looked horrendous on the map but ended up being like a pump track- if you went full pelt on each descent you got pretty far up the next climb! The Bealach took me 59 mins, but the 1/2 mile or so section leading into the hairpins was brutal and I had so much oncoming traffic I pulled up at each passing place, aye getting clipped into SL's on 15% is no fun would change to SPD's next time I go (and do it from Applecross to Tornapress)!! 3 weeks prior I'd done Sa Calobra in 50 mins (I'm 55, 170cm and 85kg, a wee fatty lol) and knew the ascent and distance were similar but been holidaying at Applecross almost annually since 2005 so knew the gradient profile on this is WAY harder than Sa Calobra..... I also used my "hill bike" at Applecross which has 30/46 by 11-36 and kept me in the saddle!!! It's a superb ride though and had people shouting encouragement at me out their windows on the top half of it, never realised how much of a boost that can actually give you!

Absolutely amazing climb, it must be a bit more challenging with traffic on the road, I’ve recently done the Bealach na Ba on closed roads in Celtman Solo .5. Views from the hairpins are awesome on a clear day. The landscape around that part of Scotland is simply stunning and any photos or videos don’t show justice. You have to go to fully appreciate it!

Really enjoying the video series and your commentary - thanks.

Gave that a try in 2012 unfortunately was very very wet and windy, had to climb off before I was blown off! Rolling back down the very wet road was the most frightening thing Ive ever done... rims brakes etc!

How are you getting home?

Never heard of this one before but it’s in the bank now.

Serious question - why not fit a rear rack for panniers?

I'm 70 now cycled all my life, road, mtb and gravel. I still ride these bikes regularly but I have health issues one of which is arthritis in my knees. When I turned 70 I got an hardtail ebike. It seems to work like physio therapy mobilizing my joints but not putting them under to much strain. After a ride on the ebike I'm good to go on the normal bike. I can still get a hard workout on the ebike by staying in eco mode if I want to. Also living in a very hilly area I can still ride with the heart rate I set out to do, for instance a recovery ride.

Well done... Agree with you, the view from the top of the road 'snaking' down is epic.

Ridden all those roads, but on a motorcycle, the main road to Skye is another road I wouldn't cycle on. Coming back from the far north once in torrential rain I could hardly see where I was going. Would be terrifying on a bicycle. Great scenery though on a good day.

The A82 is a very dangerous road, no way would I ever cycle on that road. I've ridden the road on the other side between the two ferries a few times and its beautiful. I always use a gravel bike for these sort of trips, but then I'm slow on or off road LOL Enjoyed the film.

Good work Sir! Did you stay in the Lochcarron pub/hotel, used to be run by biker but a strange place. Night before I attempted Bealach where it all went wrong! Good luck with the weather!

What gear do you have on your handlebars may i please ask,i see a torch, GPS, but what's the other thing? Do you perhaps have two cameras? One on your head and one on you handlebars?

Christ, you've packed more gear for one night than I did for 5 'wild' days in Wales! 😁

Thought the traffic would have been lighter

Enjoyed again Connor 👍👍

Along with the case I use the lanyard included in the package. To be honest, at first I thought they were a little corny but after seeing a bunch of World Tour riders using them I got over that pretty quick.

I’m really enjoying watching your adventure. Myself I have never bike packed, I do sportives around Ireland. You might just have inspired me to try it. Next time I’m in Northern Ireland I would love to join you for a spin.

Cool

Beautiful scenery and a great video keep up the great work 💪🏻💪🏻

May the wind always be behind you and the rain never in your face.

Well said Sir this is spot on and brave we all need to talk! I failed Bealach na Ba in 2012, near the top was so windy and raining I couldn't do anymore!

amazing scenery , epic ride

Any recommendations for the bike hire?

Where have you hired from?

Planning on visiting spring 2025 - very informative ❤

Another great wee video Connor

Early morning 100%, for all those reasons.

Looking forward to part 2, bike packing is on my 'to do' list

great tips mate!! enjoy it also what power meter are you looking for gravel? was lookingat the Assioma PRO MX

Very cool just subbed

Brilliant video and a great cause. Really helped me get in the mood for a trip to Islay next month.

Hello Connor, what is the WhatsApp gravel club you refer too in NI?

Really enjoyed that video Connor. I would love to take the bike over sometime. I rode a motorbike up the west coast of Scotland many years ago now and it was a beautiful area to ride though. Looking forward to more videos.

I’m thinking I’d love to incorporate that wee ferry at Ballycastle into a ride looks fun! The roads around Kintyre and Oban should never be underestimated quite tough in places. I cycled about there just after lockdown and it was bliss very little traffic. Yes having extra small frames can be a bit of a pain for bothies and luggage if I were to do more bikepacking I’d consider Tailfin just learned they do a universal skewer now and adapters for quick release so great for if you have multiple bikes. Looking forward to the next part.

I'm going again in a month 😊 hitting up Randa and Formentor for the first time, plus my favourites Puig Major, Sa Batalla, Sa Calobra, Soller, Galilea, coast road, and Creu. Can't wait

Nice setup! How do the Evo Schwalbes compare to the TT ones, Do they feel much slower? How many total miles aproxwere you able to put on the Schwalbe TT before having to replace them? Thanks for your videos!

Those schwalbes look neat! How many kms have you been able to put on them? I understand they're race and tt designed but look good for regular use

Nice to see my old office (blue doors: 20 Lower Thames Street, aka London Custom House) at 10:38 & 12:45 I bought my orange H6R (C-Line Explore as it’s called these days) new back in 2012. In 12 years I’ve done 11,145 recreational miles. Definitely the best bike I’ve ever had, robust, easy to maintain. I ride roads, bridleways and bike paths: anything from 18 to 45 miles. Watch a few vids for the unfolding to get the hang of it and it’ll become second nature. Also check out touring videos from Susanna Thornton, Wiltshire Man. In London, the RAF fly their Chinooks 25:46 on Anti-Terrorist sorties (protecting everyone). Working in Croydon I’ve even seen the Apache AH-64 gunships fly over (2016) but Croydon is kinda rough, school kids like stabbing each other at tram stops, and murdering each other at railway stations and bus stops in recent years.

I have always seen them as my LBS Condor is a Brompton dealer. Never needed a folding bike, the small wheels also put me of, great video thou 🙂 ps, what was the cost pre day?

I’ve just hired one out to evaluate if I should buy one, the one I hired cycled very sluggish and was very resistant to freewheel, was able to check the tyre pressure and they were both on 30psi 🙁 Pumped them up to 95 but still found it difficult to ride and very bumpy; in the uk with the roads the way they are this wouldn’t make for a comfortable time. I’m not even sure if I would hire one if I was in a city, if the tyres were flat again it would be difficult to pump them up to 95 with the supplied pump.

This is absolutely class Connor, thank you so much for your support!

You get used to the folding fairly quickly. Only one pedal folds. I used to commute from Dunadry to Belfast every day using the train from Antrim. It was perfect on my Brompton.

Hey, nice chatting with you and your wife at the Springsteen concert. Maybe see you in Enniskillen later this year or Girona or Majorca or the Alps 😂😎

Great series of videos Connor keep them coming. Mallorca videos are really great.

A great cause and a reality check to all that mental health is such an important are of health. Can’t wait to see you do the tough climb. Going to do it myself soon too. Happy to sponsor you for this

Great wee video Connor. 👍🏻

Amazing video Connor. Keep er lit. 🚴💨