No Cycling Roads in Scotland

Gravel biking Scotland's Strangest Glen and the Parallel Roads of Upper Glen Roy, the roads you can't ride.
Komoot route: www.komoot.com/tour/958545780
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[@stan9636]

These Videos are as good as a TV network, Just love the content

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Thank you Stan!

[@MrJx4000]

Geological features in the landscapes are always nice to explore and investigate. Seeing a 500-million year old rock formation is pretty incredible. That's the whole purpose of bike touring right there.

[@jimmyjohnstone5878]

I have done mountain bike trips up Glen Roy and over the pass, then into Fort Augustus. Once we had a few technical problems with bikes and ended up using head torches to get through to the finish. That trip taught me the importance of having extra clothing and food. The stops were chilly in just a thin thermal top and waterproof jacket. A spare mid later would have greatly added to comfort. We also only had a few lunch items with us. No extra energy bars. I now pack energy bars on every trip. It is a spectacular route. Raised beaches occur along the coast near where I live in Aberdeenshire too. Evidence of changes in sea level at various stages in ice ages. The lines cannot be cycled unless you like pushing 90%. I hate bothies unless I can get use of it just for me/friends. Too many bad experiences of drunk/drug parties. I must get there again soon.

[@thedaftestnameicouldthinko8233]

Thank goodness they’ve changed the bolt on Luib Chonnal. I came close to being bolted inside a bothy by someone who didn’t know I was in. There’s another parallel road on the north side of the Coireyairack, above the Great Glen, which I find intriguing. That’s a beautiful glen and your video shows it off well.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

There’s another one in Glen Spean too but I don’t know where!

[@steveconway11]

Simon if you decide to put together a tour of Scotland’s great cycling roads, I’m in!

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Thanks Steve - good idea.

[@davewatt8840]

Fabulous video as always and stunning views, looked a great day out for you and your wife 😀

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Crikey that was quick - thanks Dave!

[@jonathangreen7111]

Absolutely fabulous! Cheers

[@Cannulae]

Thanks for sharing, so beautiful.

[@vincerunnerretrobikevince4212]

I always enjoy your videos. Very professionally made.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Thank you - I’m pleased you enjoy them

[@ianyoung5064]

Very interesting video, Simon, keep them coming. I look forward to all your videos. Good to see the missus joining you on this one 👍🏻

[@martinwarner1178]

Just like to say that I love the channel, only found it yesterday. Peace be unto you.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Thank you Martin - and you

[@ACTIVEPAIR]

Have walked a bit there in past. We're up from Dunoon dogsitting in Feb so will have a ride out👍🏼

[@Grandadgreyhair]

Wow, I have canoed this river from high up right down to the road many times over the years and it is a classic white water run when the river is high, we have also used mountain bikes and cycled up the way you went then over the the top and down along Glen Gloy which we also kayaked. It is lovely glen and we rarely saw other people on our annual trip. If you like strange mushrooms the woods near the main road seem to contain more varieties than I have seen before.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Quite a few play boats around on the two occasions we were up there.

[@paulaspinall919]

I’ve done some good stuff through my life and returned to cycling two years ago when 65, although not so able nowadays. Love my cycling. Watching your videos is always fun and the beauty of some of the places you go is a great tonic. I might yet summon the energy! Thank you.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Great to offer some encouragement Paul

[@rob-c.]

Stumbled across your channel the other week and really loved the video but forgot to subscribe 😱 Luckily for me the algorithm gods came up trumps and I am back and now subscribed. Really love your presenting style and of course the mix of amazing scenery and cycling footage with really interesting and engaging information. Love the look of this Glen - maybe one day I’ll pay it a visit on your recommendation 👍

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Glad you’re enjoying the videos.

[@PhilTang5083]

loving your content

[@PuddledPete]

Thanks for reminding me Simon, we used to walk in that area "way back when".

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

It's not an area I'd explored until recently but it connects some great backpacking routes

[@johnakyle5908]

It was nice to see that Bothy again , must be 20 years since I last stayed there. Must get the bike out and go for a day visit sometime soon.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

It'll be there John. I paid a visit to a bothy recently (in a video coming soon) I hadn't visited in 26 years. It's great to see them improved.

[@RHJ-29-6]

Topper. It’s on my agenda for next spring. Like so many others in that part of the world.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Perhaps these might boost the agenda too 😁 www.komoot.com/collection/982369/-gravel-off-road-in-scotland

[@b.scott1989]

Great video......Loving the videos on your channel after watching this.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

That’s great to hear. Thank you.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

That’s great to hear. Thank you.

[@chrisconnors7418]

Beautiful area. It's been 35 years since I was in Scotland/UK. I was always getting off the trains and hiking into the glens, or up the side of some mountain. My first impression of the lines were old lake shoreline. That's because I live alongside an escarpment that has old lake shorelines on it so my automatic assumption is other places have the same (basically I had a lucky guess--if I'd lived along raised beaches, I'd have thought the same as Darwin).

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Thanks Chris

[@MAURITS_METERSMAKER]

Hi Simon, What a great video again. Your videos make people happy for sure. I just found your channel a few weeks ago and I am really happy about that. Thank you for the good vibes. Cheers, Maurits.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Great to hear Maurits - thanks for the vibes 😁

[@quarryfield]

Brilliant. Every day is a school day :-)

[@SwampyDuckRidesAgain3636]

Although I’ve stopped at Roybridge a few times I never really gave it a thought to cycle up there. Cooks be a nice one to do from Fort William.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Good through the forest or up the towpath from FW but makes it a long ride, esp with the initial climb into Glen Roy.

[@SwampyDuckRidesAgain3636]

@@alwaysanotheradventure long rides are my thing I like to be out all day early in the morning to catch the deer etc. Earlier this year I should have been doing Etape Loch Ness but took a brainstorm and went and stayed up Glen Nevis. From there I did the towpath and continued on to Fort Augustus had my raid bike so it was a bit interesting doing the gravel along Loch Locky which had been mangled by forestry traffic but while the weather was crap in Inverness it was wonderful in FW cold, windy but sunny! Did some brilliant routes visiting my favourite childhood places and memories. Got more planed for this coming year.

[@christopherhood9241]

super video, as always. Funny - wife is a milestone b/day next year and has asked to try bike packing or should i say c/card packing (don't want to put her off on her first trip) after she has watched this & a few of your films. Still, you have inspired her to 'push the envelope' shall we say & with the sleeper services to Scotland i'm sure i can come up with something for her to acumplish.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Great to hear Christopher. Sadly, the old 'Bargain berths' of £28 on the sleeper are long gone. We were looking today and it costs hundreds now.

[@christopherhood9241]

@@alwaysanotheradventure Agreed. And to add insult to injury the new coaches are NOT as comfortable as the previous ones. The price of progress i guess.

[@danielreynolds5012]

Are they the redshift kitchen sink bars? I remember your review of them last year I think you said they were quite heavy. How are you liking them?

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

They are. Firstly, i love the bar shape. I preferred the ones without the loop out front for most rides (Brilliant bikepacking gravel bars | Kitchen sink by Redshift Sports kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3usqX-IirCEkK8) But bikepacking in France in March i could see where the loop would be handy. So I got a set and used them on the Torino Nice Rally (see the playlist). The loop is extremely useful when carrying a bag up front so I just left those on. The new Redshift bag fits inside the loop perfectly and beats a regular food pouch. All in all I don’t mind the extra 100g.

[@HughDWallace]

I, for one, am very glad you ignored Liz and shared this glen! I find OS's mapping of these features as tracks bizarre.

[@HughDWallace]

@@interpolpirate Maybe true if you are looking at these features for the first time. But OS have remapped the features multiple times now & they're very well known for what they are. To be depicted on a current map using the symbol for a track is just a glaring error. It is just as wrong as depicting an erratic boulder as a building because it is a large rectangular object in the middle of a field.

[@HughDWallace]

@@interpolpirate true, true. Probably one of this situations where everyone looking at the map says, 'This is ridiculous! Someone should tell OS about it. In fact, it is so ridiculous that no doubt someone has already done so'...

[@leqin]

Darwin's been alright so far - he's scored eight goals, with a brace yesterday against Southampton, and he's shaping up well plus he's obviously a great prospect for the future.... oh sorry I was stuck in LFC mode then and your gravel biking... sorry... YNWA

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

😃

[@topaz_climber]

When I first saw the ‘parallel roads’ marked on the map as actual roads, I was very confused… in a way it’s strange that they’re even marked!

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Agreed - and it's really weird when you're scanning quickly for a rideable route. You'll also find them in Glen Spean where they look like a great off-road route avoiding the main road.

[@bendenisereedy7865]

Nice video thanks, I've seen the roads but never cycled up there. My Nigerian friend would tell you all of that was created in six days "about tree tousand years ago" but we know better thanks to scientists.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

😂

[@KoreaRides]

What did Darwin get right? Not much! Great video! May I suggest wider tyres. They look very narrow!

[@terencemichaels]

Evolution. Much!

[@KoreaRides]

@@terencemichaels Much. If you believe in fairytales!

[@keithmaclure9101]

Really embarrassing that I lived 5 miles west in Spean Bridge for a decade and only went part way up Glen Roy to visit pals- never properly explored! 🤦

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

😂

[@johnbronze8630]

I'm coming up to Scotland for my first gravel visit next year. Have saved this route as it looks great for a half day ride (optimistic ?)

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Hi John - this collection might be helpful too www.komoot.com/collection/982369/-gravel-off-road-in-scotland

[@johnbronze8630]

@@alwaysanotheradventure Much obliged Simon. I'm probably based in Aberfoyle so will check these out.

[@andrewmcewan8081]

if ur going to b checking aberfoyle out u might find callander cheaper with acess t omuch of the same gravel and a lot more also . national cycleroute to fort william goes through it also . just for if ur going to b coming back north

[@andrewmcewan8081]

if ur going to b checking aberfoyle out u might find callander cheaper with acess t omuch of the same gravel and a lot more also . national cycleroute to fort william goes through it also . just for if ur going to b coming back north

[@PhilTang5083]

is this route on komoot?

[@PhilTang5083]

nevermind found the link ;)

[@phililpb]

you sound very much like john craven

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

It has been said. I don’t hear it myself.

[@thermalitodiversion]

Darwin was wrong about a lot more than that lol

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Not really. He pretty much nailed evolution by natural selection.

[@donaldtank]

It is not possible way that I will ever see or bicycle that area because I don't have I haven't ever loved my country or going to ever leave my country

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Er, ok. I think 🤔

[@weeringjohnny]

Darwin was wrong about the beds and Einstein should never have slipped his cosmological constant into his Special Theory of Relativity, while some believe 24-spoke wheels and aero gravel bikes are the future of bikepacking. Both Darwin and Einstein can be forgiven on account of the unparalleled contribution they made to the advancement of human knowledge.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Agreed

[@tednruth453]

Glacial lakes....or lochs? 🤓

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

😄 Well given it’s a geological term for a feature, not the name of a specific place, and given there were no humans there at the time I think we’re fine with “lake”

[@welshpaddler]

Good spelling error which pops up to advertise your merchandise! "T Shits"

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Whoops! Thank you - fixed