2023-10 | Cycle touring in Scotland | Sustrans Route 78 | Great Glen Way

Join us on a cycle tour, coast to coast, from Oban to Inverness via the Island of Lismore, Appin, Ardgour and the Great Glen. We variously use the cycle route, Sustrans 78, the Great Glen way and our own knowledge of Scotland's backroads to stitch together a challenging and (more or less) traffic free route. Our journey involved 5 trains, 4 ferries and 2 bikes.

[@graham_ozzy]

Great video Dave and Mo 👏 that looked like a challenging trip with all the rain well done All the best graham

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Thanks Graham. Yes, it was quite a tough trip, but lots of fun and good intro' to bike touring for Mo. We are hoping to tour a bit further afield next year. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@jsim9042]

Wonderful trip to see both - thank you! Sorry about the coffee stops but you always stay so happy 😊

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Jacqueline. Glad you enjoyed the video. We are having such a busy summer and haven't been able to get out with the cameras. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and hope to do a bit more bicycle touring, which we plan to share on the channel. The coffee stops were few and far between on this trip but we did enjoy a couple of very welcome breaks, which came along just when we needed them most. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@grahamhaines9931]

Great trip. Thanks for sharing.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Glad you enjoyed it, Graham. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@RHJ-29-6]

Passed a few hundred yards from my front door on the outskirts of Inversneckie. Alas, some other time.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Mr J, it would have been nice to pop in and say hello. Our final day was fairly relaxed, with a long stop in Dores for coffee and cake (from the lovely lady in the wee caravan).You live in a wonderful part of Scotland; great scenery, friendly folks and amazing access to the highlands. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@vr_gamers8116]

Well done Dave & Mo, That was an adventure for sure. 100% look into chain waxing Dave, once tried you'll never go back to lube, chains last much longer, as does the cassette, zero mess, zero brake pad contamination, which is almost always caused by lube flying off in wet conditions.... and you'll find your drivetrain is so much smoother, which will save your energy on longer rides (10 watts of power gained for free). Plus it's more environmentally friendly, and last but not least, it makes drivetrain maintenance an absolute doddle.. rub over with a dry clean rag and you're done. I've been using it for years, 3 household candles last me an entire year. ATB 👍

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Well, everyday is a school day. I wasn't at all familiar with chain waxing! I'm going to give it a go. Presently, I use PROLINK chain lube, which uses MFR technology. The Metal Friction Reducer technology claims to work through molecule bonding, however, rainsplash from chain to disc is inevitable, which means carrying disc cleaner. To be fair, the discs quickly became contaminated on the road sections by road grime and I think that was more of an issue than contamination from the drivetrain. The road grime came off easily enough with a squirt or two of cleaner but on our long day I opted to just keep rolling.There were a few points in the vid though where it was painful listening to the sound of brake grind. My biggest mistake on this trip was forgetting my wee tub of saddle soap for my Brooks. Our bikes were wet for a fair bit of the trip, including overnight (a couple of the B&B's we used didn't have covered storage space) and my saddle was in poor shape by the end. The leather stretched to the point that I was bouncing on the rails, hence the creaking and groaning. I've retensioned it, given a good polish and it all seems good. The new bikes, Surly Ogres, performed pretty well for stock machines. I pretty much only changed over the bars (huge 70mm rise on mine and a more sensible 50mm rise on Mo's) and added some fairly low-end racks. We tried out the RhinoWalk panniers we picked up at the bike expo' in Shanghai. They performed pretty well for such cheap and cheerful kit. I plan to fit some Ortlieb frame packs and will dispense with my Carradice saddlebag (which contained my drone and cameras, none of which saw the light of day!) I'll also move the bottle cages to the forks, and probably invest in Blackburn Outpost cages with straps so that we can carry any size of bottle. Good to talk gear again :) ATB, Dave

[@vr_gamers8116]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 Excellent Dave , it takes time to get everything ironed out on any new bike , I'm sure you'll have everything to your liking in no time at all. 200% Positive you'll love the wax, it works better than any lube on the market.. for 50 pence. ATB

[@jsim9042]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854thanks for the insight into the gear!

[@jsim9042]

Pardon my ignorance @vr_gamers8116 but is this just simply a case of rubbing the candle on the chain so it can be done as necessary during a trip or is there heating involved similar to waxing by immersion in a melting pot?

[@vr_gamers8116]

@@jsim9042 Hi, Yeah it's done by immersion in hot melted wax, you can of course purchase a complete chain waxing kit, although bog standard candles work just as well. I use an old mess tin and a wire coat hanger, I reuse the melted wax several times a year, I cycle 5000+ miles every year and wax once every season, so for me it's 4 applications per year, I could wax less, although once you experience using a freshly waxed chain, it becomes addictive, it takes no time at all, I see it as one of the most important steps in my bicycle maintenance routine, the benefits of a waxed chain are too many to mention. Try it once and you'll probably never go back to lube.

[@GOBBYBOY333]

Well that turned out to be a bit of an epic, probably not the best introduction for Mo, but I was impressed with the minimal moaning, I think my other half would have ordered a taxi and left me with two bikes Haha. Dave that's probably not the best way to get a new Landrover! 🤭 I'm sure a people have been disappointed this year to find the low level off road section between Fort William and Fort Augustus, which they thought was going to be relatively easy, ending up being so challenging. Still thats another one under your belt. I too have looked at Holland for a nice flat tour, my daughter goes over to Denmark twice a year, so a coastal tour to meet her would be a dream for me. Luckily I have the DFDS Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry just 60 miles from here, which would be my preferred option. Anyway, I have another video waiting to watch of you on your next adventure, although that might have to be for another day as work as ever awaits me. Best Wishes Big Dave (Scotland 🤣)

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Big Dave, good to hear from you and glad you enjoyed the vid. The trip should have been an easy intro' to bike touring for Mo, but it quickly turned into a bit of an epic. Mo dug deep on the 13 hour day. She was still in good humour when we eventually arrived at our B&B, although when the barman asked if she wanted a "double G&T", she immediately responded with, "do you do triples"? All good fun though. We are considering the Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry for a wee bike trip to Holland in the springtime. If you can find the time, I'm sure you would love the coastal bike tour. The freedom of the 'road' is truly liberating. I'd also like to do a longer bike tour with Mo, but she is pretty busy with work so we'll just have to see how our plans unfold. Hope you enjoy the next vid too. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@robertchappellsnr.5872]

Only thing ye canny book is the weather.. 😂 Great effort mo... U did well..!!! Easy 4 u dave..!!! Roll on the nxt trundle. 🚲🙏

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Robert, you are so right, the weather always decides. Good forecast for the next couple of days though, so I might try to get out and film a short vid before the rains come back on Friday. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@mo9981]

Thanks! : )

[@keithd938]

Excellent video, also enjoyed talking with yous in costa , all the best, Keith

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Keith, welcome to the channel. Thanks for viewing and commenting, very much appreciated. It was great chatting to you in Oban and trust you enjoyed the remainder of your ride. Hope you have time to check out some of my other vids. I really do encourage you to get a bike rigged for some trail riding and camping. You are positioned in an enviable location for setting off into the back-country for some wilderness bike adventures. If you need help or advice with bikes and gear, check out Bothy Bikes In Kingussie. The owner, another Dave, is a good guy. ATB, Dave

[@Cootapatamba]

What a grand trip, inspiring! Slàinte Mhath ! (Brad, Australia)

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Brad. Glad you enjoyed the trip, It is always fun to make these wee videos and, through the comments, engage with folk around the world. You are certainly a long way away (from home or your spiritual home?) I have some good friends in Australia, but sadly I've never visited. Thanks for tuning in, very much appreciated, and good health to you too. Slàinte Mhath Dave and Mo

[@Cootapatamba]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 Spiritual Home, my Grandfathers, A Pearson. Never could understand him...

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@Cootapatamba Ah, Pearson, of Berwickshire origin if I'm not mistaken. During my student years, I had a classmate from Berwickshire. I couldn't understand him either :)

[@Cootapatamba]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 but you knew when he was cranky.... 😉

[@voicezful]

Best overall channel on YT. Such versatility. The approach to so many challenges you encounter and deal with is so admirable. Thought the music was particuarly apt on this edit. Also I do think the frustrations on the Sustran route were justifiable. Trying to imagine a lone cyclist in those forests as the mist comes down, no GPS as phone not charged and dusk creeping in. No visuals or landmarks! Excellent video though.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Thanks for the kind comments Andrew. Good to see your channel growing too. I might drop SusTrans a note to emphasis the points you make, which I wholeheartedly agree with. We met a chap who was waiting for his wife to complete a relatively short section of the route on an e-bike. He was pretty concerned as he had not heard from her in several hours. We explained the nature of the diversions to him, which I'm sure accounted for her delay. In winter, the higher routes we were forced to follow would probably be under snow. We didn't see any trackside warnings of the obvious consequences of heading off on the diversions (time delays, entering remote territory and experiencing significantly colder conditions). Interestingly, warning signage does feature on other SusTrans routes, such as the Drumochter cycle path). Overall though, it is a fabulous route and, as you know, Scotland is so well placed for adventure tourism were it only for a wee bit more investment. Trust all is well with you. ATB, Dave and Mo.

[@colinwellman9480]

Thumbs up to Mo for climbing those hills.👍 As I know you have legs of steel it was never a doubt about you getting up. Shame about the rain but at least you hadn't decided to camp. Many thanks for a nice video, did you say what species of fish they were?

[@mo9981]

Thanks. Colin!😊

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Colin, glad you enjoyed the vid. It was a fun trip despite the weather. The fish we caught were pollock, which is most commonly eaten in the likes of fish cakes and fish fingers. They make a great shore meal when served as battered fish-bites. Mo and I hope to film some more bike tours, especially as this vid seems to have be well received. Trust all is well with you ATB, Dave and Mo

[@smoggiewalks578]

Epic trip Dave and Mo. Thank you for sharing. ATB Martin ps did Mo get her coffee ☕

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Martin. The trip was a wee bit of a taster, to see if Mo would enjoy the longer cycle tours. And, to see how I felt about 'credit card touring', where we paid for accommodation along they was rather than carrying the tent. Despite the weather, we both enjoyed the trip and are keen to try a few more routes, especially in continental Europe. Personally, I'd like to carry some basic camping gear, to give us a bit of flexibility and freedom, particularly if we opt to tour in remoter areas. Thus far, the vid has been pretty well received, so this 'new' approach to outdoor adventuring might be a welcome addition to the channel. Mo did indeed get her coffee. On the very wet and long day, we happened across a snack shack beside a canal lock. We sheltered under the awning, enjoying lashings of steaming hot coffee and hot filled rolls, reflecting on how lucky we were to stumble upon a shack in 'the middle of nowhere'. The Ness Cafe in Dores (great name) provided us with coffee and cake on our final day of cycling. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@user-sb5ke7ou6u]

I can feel your pain going on those diversions, on gravel roads. Mai make a friendly suggestion for the future. I think it is interesting to know what the approximate degree of incline when you all are going uphill. Thanks and safe travels.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Sincere apologies for the delay in replying. I didn’t see your comment until prompted by Mo. You make a good point about the degree of incline. The camera tends to ‘flatten the view’ making it difficult to determine just how steep some of the climbs actually are. We are out on the bikes again now (with the cameras) and hope to get a new video out soon. Thanks for commenting, very much appreciated and apologies again for my tardiness. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@tonypaddler]

Another great video Dave and Mo 🚴‍♂️ 🚴‍♀️ Is this a recent trip, as I might be incorporating the GGW into a road cycle tour later this month and may have to change my lightweight 37mm tyres to something heavy duty if that detour is still in place? Mo seemed to handle the "torture" diversion quite well 🤬😃 Cheers 👍 Edit; Sustrans website ... Route 78/Caledonia Way: South Laggan - Cullochy Loch: long-term complete closure from 8th December 2022 - December 2024. Alternative route due to open Spring 2023 but it will not be of NCN standard. Route 78/Great Glen Way: SSE Coire Glas - Loch Lochy: signposted, long-term diversion in place until June 2029 to facilitate exploratory works at the hydro scheme. Oh dear 😯

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Tony, glad you enjoyed the video. We completed this trip about 3 weeks ago. The "Diversions" were problematic because of the big climbs to get from the usual route to the higher level tracks that are offered as an alternative. We were running a 1x10 setup with a wide gear ratio, so were able to cycle most of the route but Mo didn't like the technical sections, so we were forced to hike those. The surfaces were generally ok and certainly doable on narrow(er) tyres (we were on 29x2.5's). Interestingly, the recently resurfaced sections of the forest tracks (presumably to make the diversions more cycle friendly) were the worst to cycle as the surface comprised loose stone (Type 1 hardcore, if you are familiar with landscape and construction aggregates). I'm guessing you are running on 700c's? I'd probably go for a tyre with some sidewall protection and the ability to run at medium pressure (for the rougher sections). I'd also consider mixing up your route (as we did) by taking a break from the GGW and using some parts of NCN 78. We opted for the fairly brutal climb out of Fort Augustus on NCN 78 and were rewarded with some fine views from the summit. I'm glad we opted for the road, which was pretty quiet. We did this because we had already put in a long day and, more significantly, our accomodation was in Foyers. I do plan to cycle the Loch Ness section of the GGW at some point though. A final point on the diversions; they could be very challenging in winter, as the diverted route climbs to a fair altitude. Hope this helps. Ride safely. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@mo9981]

🤣🤣🤣 I am indeed quite proud of how I handled myself during the 'torture' sections.

[@mo9981]

You forgot to mention we are on Surly Ogres.😊

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

I mentioned it in the text at the end, where I spelt drivetrain incorrectly! Sad you missed the former and glad you missed the latter :)

[@johnling2919]

I loved how new those tyres looked at the start of the journey!! Nice vid. Good trip. But you do seem to have found the most unfriendly ‘cycling’ cycle route.. and Mo.. I have empathy for how cheerful Dave can be when all one wants to say is ‘don’t you ever get out of breathe or tired Dave…’ 😂 in fact I am sure I might have said once something similar to you Mo at 1hr 10…or at least thought it!

[@mo9981]

I think I might have said worse things that Dave edited out!😂😂😂

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi John, the tyres are Surly ExtraTerrestrials and I can thoroughly recommend them for road and easy trail riding. And, they look pretty good too. I'm sure you could rig your Trek with 29x2.5's if the mood took you. But then again, you could just buy a Surly :) I was really pleased with the way the bikes handled the mixed terrain. Route 78 should have been a pretty easy intro' to longer distance bike-touring for Mo. However, as you rightly point out, it was a pretty unfriendly route at times. Our (my) plan was always to mix it up a little and to forgo the SusTrans route in favour of the more challenging Great Glen Way (and a few trails that I am familiar with). As you saw in the film, a considerable portion of the SusTrans route was diverted onto the Great Glen Way, using crazy-steep switchbacks between the two trails. It was the switchbacks that proved difficult for Mo. Interestingly, we encountered few cyclists on these sections and my best guess is that they opted to take their chances on the public road. I was out of breath yesterday, and in pretty poor humour when I paid the bill for some new spectacles. Apparently, spending money on non-mountain related 'essentials' is not good for my wellbeing :) Trust all is well with you guys. ATB, Dave