Is a Scottish SR600 possible

[FifeingEejit]

And start at a bottom of a hill, finish at the top of another...

Aye, didn't take me long to figure that out!
Removing shallow distance made a huge difference,

[IanDG]

And start at a bottom of a hill, finish at the top of another...

The opposite of a fast TT course.

[Phil W]

My first attempt at a circular in the Borders/Galloway. Over distance (638km) and just topping 8,000 metres.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31837529

Open runner has it as 7,900m.

I tweaked it a bit and it's now 625km and 8270m of ascent.  But looking at options on OS mapping I think it'll be quite a struggle to get to 10,000 but let's see.

 https://www.openrunner.com/r/10954208

[Phil W]

The way I did the Cairngorms one was I started by labelling the highest road passes / cols.  Then I tried to join them together.

I have a zip of GPX with all the cols in GB but some are off road so you'd need to look on a map to find the ones that might be options.

[willpom gwraudax]

Are they <wpt> in GPX?

You can import that into RWGPS then edit, think you need to start a track for it to save properly iirc.

[IanDG]

My first attempt at a circular in the Borders/Galloway. Over distance (638km) and just topping 8,000 metres.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31837529

Open runner has it as 7,900m.

I tweaked it a bit and it's now 625km and 8270m of ascent.  But looking at options on OS mapping I think it'll be quite a struggle to get to 10,000 but let's see.

 https://www.openrunner.com/r/10954208

Too many gaps from one group of hill to another? I'll keep working on it but now looking at a coast to coast from Stranraer/Girvan to Dunbar/St Abbs - A Southern Upland Way on the road.

[Phil W]

Yep you’ve got long stretches not adding much elevation at all.

[Ajax Bay]

My advice, plan in Google Maps Walking (RWGPS). Aim for 11,000m or close to. Export GPX. Upload to OpenRunner.

This ^^^. Works well. Interesting the different effects on RwGPS climb and OR climb assessments on different types of terrain (eg the glens and passes of Scotland, the scenery of mid and north Wales, and the scenic moors and myriad of small valleys in the West Country). Others on here will know the detailed reasons for that.
In Wales Cambrian 6C - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29823510
608.7 kilometers · +10,766 m (RwGPS)
609.9 km, 10289 m in OR

[IanDG]

Yep you’ve got long stretches not adding much elevation at all.

Aye, currently looking at how to avoid those areas.

[Phil W]

Are they <wpt> in GPX?

You can import that into RWGPS then edit, think you need to start a track for it to save properly iirc.

You can if you have a paid account, free account ignores WPT

[IanDG]

Yep you’ve got long stretches not adding much elevation at all.

The Southern Uplands looked promising but too many roads following valleys rather than going over tops.

[Flâneur]

Aye, currently looking at how to avoid those areas.

There are a few places you could cut distance and/or add ascent. Cut the corner between Enterkinfoot & Durisdeer on the back road, take the moor road between Newcastleton & Langholm, go a different way near Creetown to take in the top of Cambret Hill. Great Dun Fell is on one of the English SR600s so Lowther Hill should be fine.

[IanDG]

Aye, currently looking at how to avoid those areas.

There are a few places you could cut distance and/or add ascent. Cut the corner between Enterkinfoot & Durisdeer on the back road, take the moor road between Newcastleton & Langholm, go a different way near Creetown to take in the top of Cambret Hill. Great Dun Fell is on one of the English SR600s so Lowther Hill should be fine.

Thanks - only been down here for 6 months and still exploring the area.

[FifeingEejit]

The way I did the Cairngorms one was I started by labelling the highest road passes / cols.  Then I tried to join them together.

I have a zip of GPX with all the cols in GB but some are off road so you'd need to look on a map to find the ones that might be options.

Phil, IroIroMono and I are going to have a good sniff around this one and see if we can make it work properly, geographically speaking between us it's in our back gardens.
The biggest downside of it for me at least is the route passes my parents caravan far too early to be a sleep stop of a 3x200 route exploration.

There is a few tweaks that will need to be made of course.
Ideally I'd get the start down by the loch there's a couple of small developments that lead down to the loch right next door but both have rather loose roads.
I'm also aware of a route through Errochty forest to Ailean forest, but I've only ever been through when it's been snowy and icy so not sure of the surface.

[Phil W]

Excellent.

If I actually lived close to it I’d pursue making it work as an SR600.

Good luck, hope it can be made to work according to the rules!

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

My advice, plan in Google Maps Walking (RWGPS). Aim for 11,000m or close to. Export GPX. Upload to OpenRunner.

This ^^^. Works well. Interesting the different effects on RwGPS climb and OR climb assessments on different types of terrain (eg the glens and passes of Scotland, the scenery of mid and north Wales, and the scenic moors and myriad of small valleys in the West Country). Others on here will know the detailed reasons for that.
In Wales Cambrian 6C - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29823510
608.7 kilometers · +10,766 m (RwGPS)
609.9 km, 10289 m in OR

I've also done a detailed contour count - which comes out at 11,200 to 11,300m ascent.  Feedback from riders is that GPS devices on the actual event record between 11,500 and 12,000m.  I do warn people that OR and contour count figures are usually 10 - 15% lower than what a Garmin will actually record in the Uk.

[IanDG]

Best I'm getting in the Southern Uplands is around 9000 metres. The climbs/descents are not brutal enough - too long at gentle gradients. I have found short stretches that are promising but proving too difficult to link them together.

Had a go with tracklogs so I could see the contours and thought I'd cracked it - then found out tracklogs overestimates elevation.

[Phil W]

Post a link 9,000 m route, it sounds promising and someone might be able to find the extra.

[IanDG]

Post a link 9,000 m route, it sounds promising and someone might be able to find the extra.

Southern Uplands/Borders Coast to Coast

RWGPS 603km, 9220m^


https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31863038

I'm sure there must be someone out there with a better knowledge of the area than me who can tweek it.

[Ajax Bay]

Post a link 9,000 m route, it sounds promising and someone might be able to find the extra.

Southern Uplands/Borders Coast to Coast
RWGPS 603km, 9220m^
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31863038
I'm sure there must be someone out there with a better knowledge of the area than me who can tweek it.

Loads up in OR as 602km, 8941m: https://www.openrunner.com/r/7053883

[tonyh]

Ivan's AAA Analyser gives it 9237m, 601.5km.

[Deano]

Ooh, a C2C is a great idea.

[IanDG]

Ooh, a C2C is a great idea.

I'm sure someone with more knowledge of the area could tweek the route, it's almost there