2023-11 | Fat bike and packraft | Loch Laidon | Rannoch Moor

Join me for a bike and boat trip to the wilds of Rannoch Moor.

[@CoolGrandpa]

Another grand trip. What a work you put into these videos !

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Ron, thanks for the lovely comment, very much appreciated. Glad you are enjoying the videos. It makes the work worthwhile when folk get enjoyment from watching these wee adventures unfold. ATB, Dave

[@onedogherman2926]

Fantastic video as per usual , thoroughly enjoyed it .

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Sandy, glad you enjoyed the vid and thanks for the lovely comment. ATB, Dave

[@RHJ-29-6]

Keep on rollin’ in the free world. 👍

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Mr J, thanks for commenting, very much appreciated. I plan to keep rollin' as long as I possibly can. ATB, Dave

[@graham_ozzy]

Great video again Dave thanks for sharing it with us All the best graham

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Graham, glad you enjoyed it. Trust all is well with you guys. ATB, Dave

[@mo9981]

Great video. Clearly you’ve put a lot more effort into filming this than our trip together!😂😂😂

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

It was a big effort with the cameras on this trip; lots of back and forth, on and off the bike and in and out the boat. Makes for slow progress but filming from the tripod is still, in my opinion, the best. I need to get some drone practice in over the next few weeks.

[@garyb8528]

Glad to see you back. I enjoyed this video. I believe your videography skills are super. Be well and keep the blue side up

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Gary. Hope all is well with my good friends in NY. I still haven't found the time to practice flying my drone yet. I could do with a tutorial from you! Hopefully, I'll be able to add some aerial footage to future videos. Keep the blue side up and give my regards to your lovely family. ATB, Dave

[@hikebikescotland9121]

Fantastic video as always Dave... My kinda adventure - can't beat a bit of Scottish bog-trotting!! - excellent shots from the pack raft and the typical summer weather left me wanting back out again... soon I hope... a great way for us to start our Sunday evening... ATB Tom

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Tom, great to hear from you. I have a couple of your videos to catch up on. Mo and I are having such a busy summer, there has been little time for filming or watching KZbin. It was good to get out for a mini-adventure. The midges were bad in the early morning but manageable by the time I was breaking camp. I'm looking forward to the onset of autumn! Hope you guys manage to get out soon. ATB, Dave

[@Jennifer.4]

Lovely views of the loch, what a lot of effort this must have taken.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Jennifer, glad you enjoyed the views. This vid took a bit more time to film, especially the tripod work. It was good fun though. My original plan was to do a much longer route, involving a train journey westwards and then wind my way back through the hills. In the end I opted for the shorter route, mostly because the train journey would not have been straightforward with the bike, and the midge forecast was pretty horrendous. I thoroughly enjoyed this wee adventure though. ATB, Dave

[@robertchappellsnr.5872]

Another wee belter o a trip...!! Yer fit as a fiddle lad.. 🚲🏕️⛵😂 Keep up da guid work.. 🙏

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Robert. Thanks for the lovely comments, glad you enjoyed the video. I’m grounded for the next wee while, hosting visitors and tidying up the garden, but I have an idea in my head for another wee adventure soon. ATB, Dave

[@robertchappellsnr.5872]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854... With some fishing mibbe.?!!!! 🎣....

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@robertchappellsnr.5872 Ah, now that could possibly work, Robert. The trip I'm thinking about skirts a sea-loch for a wee bit. Hmm, you've got me thinking!

[@robertchappellsnr.5872]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 🤣🙏🤣

[@argyllexplorer1946]

Great video Dave, you have certainly lightened the load and can't believe your eating dehydrated food 😂👍

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, glad you enjoyed the video and good to hear from you. Yes, definitely travelling lighter these days. No wellies or 'real' food. I was eating Exped Meals, which were introduced to me by a friend. After my years of expeditioning and plant hunting in the Himalaya, where I was on a regular diet of dehydrated and freeze dried food, I vowed never to eat another packet meal again. Then I was introduced to the Exped Meals. I actually enjoy them! And, the list of ingredients doesn't read like the inventory of a chemist shop. No comparison with a decent meal cooked over the fire or on the wood stove though, so they won't be featuring in my winter hot tent vids :) ATB, Dave

[@mo9981]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 It's called 'EXPEDITION FOODS' *NOT SPONSORED*🤣🤣🤣

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@mo9981 Thanks Mo.

[@smoggiewalks578]

As the night shift ends, Dave you pop up, on another adventure. So coffee and a biscuit. Walked to the loch from Kingshouse in March. No midges thankfully. I do like Rannoch Mor area. Thanks for sharing ATB Martin ☕👍

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Martin, glad I was able to join you for your morning coffee and biscuit :) I always seem to gravitate back to that moor for mini-adventures. It is a relatively short drive for me and the area is accessible yet remote. And, the views can be stunning. The midges were not too bad but I am looking forward to the first frosts and the end of bug season. ATB, Dave

[@smoggiewalks578]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 planning my next trip for September around Ullapool at moment. Hopefully good weather take care as always Martin

[@johnling2919]

Nice vid. That track up to the moor is one of our weekend walks now. How l originally met you online was researching before we cycled Glencoe-rannoch-Corrour and back in the same day. That moor is a bit buggy and boggy! Hope it was a day the station cafe was open for your return…

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, John and apologies for the late reply. Mo and I were out and about last night, listening to Peat and Diesel at the Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick. The section of track between the end of the trees and Black Corries has become more obvious in recent years. When I first traversed the moor, the track was barely discernible. Indeed, the good track from Glencoe stopped at the lodge in those days. It is still a tough crossing for a bike though, and, as you rightly say, it is pretty buggy. I glimpsed a solitary raptor above the trees..... eagle or buzzard? I think the cafe was closed but didn't have time to pop in anyway as I had to get home for a family reunion. I felt bad about driving past your place without stopping to say hello but I was cutting it fine with my timings. Please do pop into for coffee if you are passing our way. ATB, Dave

[@lifesahobby]

Dave , thanks for this . When I was a mountain biker back in the 90s ever summer I would attach the rack to the rear of my bike and pack my bags for adventure camping on my bike . The look of you trundling down those oaths brought a tear to my eye . It's not easy , and make a film at the same time . Much love brother

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Glad you enjoyed the video. I'm guessing you are a new viewer to my channel? Welcome, and thank you so much for viewing and commenting, it really is much appreciated. When I set out to film a trip, I just have to accept that there will be lots of time spent setting up camera angles and walking back and forth to retrieve the cameras. It just becomes part of the fun in the outdoors, although I do enjoy a number of trips each year, where I make a decision to leave the cameras behind. I guess I film somewhere in the region of 50% of my trips. Hope you stay tuned for more adventures in the outdoors. ATB, Dave

[@lifesahobby]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 I'm sure I found you somehow through a comment you left somewhere . And glad I did . Great work

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@lifesahobby Thank you so much. ATB, Dave

[@karenmacleod6816]

Hoping all is well with you folks!

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Karen and Kit, great to hear from you. Sincerest apologies for not being in touch in such a long while. The channel is overdue an update and I'm sure a few of the regular viewers will be wondering where we are. We are both fine. We have had a busy and fairly eventful summer with a few ups and downs. We are hoping for a more peaceful autumn and winter. Despite a forecast for some pretty stormy weather, I'm hoping to get out with the cameras later this week. and possibly get a short video up at some point over the weekend. Thank you so much for reaching out, very much appreciated. Hope all is well with you guys too. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@lifesahobby]

Did you just paddle a bike across a lake ? You're some man

[@mo9981]

😂😂😂

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Putting my bike on that wee boat does look a bit odd :) All good fun though :)

[@lifesahobby]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 odd isn't really a good work for it . Unique

[@johnling2919]

He also swears by plastic pedals, for some reason 😂 pssssssssst

[@peterharris3096]

Brilliant bit of filming. Do you think the dry bags would keep you buoyant if the packraft sprung a leak? 😄

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Peter, thanks for the lovely comment about the filming, very much appreciated. I’m pretty sure I’d be in the water quite quickly if the pack raft sprung a leak. These wee boats have a single air chamber, so any puncture is going to be catastrophic. Interestingly, the fat bike wheels have a fair degree of buoyancy, but not enough to float the boat. The trapped air in the panniers might also give a bit of buoyancy but I suspect the boat would sink pretty fast. I’ve pondered using buoyancy bags (canoe style) but I doubt they would be much use for recovery. Best plan is to reduce the risk of a puncture to the absolute minimum by loading the bike carefully and keeping to deep water, away from submerged rocks. Crossing a wide stretch of water is definitely a risky business and I wouldn’t recommend it (even although I sometimes do it!). ATB, Dave

[@lifesahobby]

How did you do that wearing clothing ?

[@mo9981]

😂😂😂

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi, I wear relatively quick-dry clothing and, although my shoes were not waterproof, my feet remained dry because I was wearing waterproof socks. For some of my adventures on the water, I use a drysuit, which is important for safety during the colder months or where I need to wade parts of the route. ATB, Dave

[@outdoorscotland3010]

Dave, I've just repeated this trip. I'm just about to upload the video. I mention your video and I'll put a link to yours. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

I’m looking forward to viewing your video tonight. Glad you found inspiration and thank you so much for mentioning my vid. Hope you are staying safe during this spell of wild weather. ATB, Dave

[@outdoorscotland3010]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 I'm in Kirriemuir right in the red zone. Staying put.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@outdoorscotland3010 Stay safe