Is a Scottish SR600 possible

[FifeingEejit]

Made some slight tweaks to Robertos route
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10939333

430m short, but I think there's 10km to play with once you've allowed for the ferry distance.

[Phil W]

Bonawe to Taynuilt?
Not been a ferry there since the Calley caved in and allowed vehicles across the Connel Ferry Bridge

Yeah that was the one. Oh well plenty of other options to try.

[FifeingEejit]

Spotted the "TRaffic Free" route into Ardishaig and  a gated road between Lochgilphead and Oban and then tweaked to avoid Oban by using Loch Awe
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10939368

619km - 5km ferry and 276m to find

[willpom gwraudax]

I see you use the cycle track along the A828. That has a noteable amount of extra climb than the main road. You'd be hard pressed to prove people had ridden it even though mandatory. Even with a couple of controls it wouldn't be too hard to access them at a convenient place.

[FifeingEejit]

I see you use the cycle track along the A828. That has a noteable amount of extra climb than the main road. You'd be hard pressed to prove people had ridden it even though mandatory. Even with a couple of controls it wouldn't be too hard to access them at a convenient place.

hm some of that is open runner picking it for an unknown reason, and some of that is shortest route.
Looking at the RWGPS route that's the source of the GPX i loaded into OpenRunner, the only deliberate routing on it is at Barcaldine.

[Ajax Bay]

Spotted the "TRaffic Free" route into Ardishaig and  a gated road between Lochgilphead and Oban and then tweaked to avoid Oban by using Loch Awe
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10939368
619km - 5km ferry and 276m to find

I'd drop down into Oban and climb back out again: that should get some extra climb.
Don't think the 'authority' will like the long out and back down the east side of Kintyre (enjoyed it going south on @bairn again's West Highland 1000). How will you achieve controls (photo with no time) on that?

[Phil W]

Spotted the "TRaffic Free" route into Ardishaig and  a gated road between Lochgilphead and Oban and then tweaked to avoid Oban by using Loch Awe
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10939368

619km - 5km ferry and 276m to find

616km and 9979m of ascent, stand by....

[Phil W]

Here we go

617km and 10,007m of ascent on Open Runner.

I have moved the route off that cycle track onto the A828

 https://www.openrunner.com/r/10940771 

[FifeingEejit]

There's an odd bit on the A830 where it's possibly following the old alignment
and it's still switching on and off the A828/NCN87 but it looks like it's mostly according to shortest route now.

[Phil W]

Adjusted to give a climb figure with more margin

618.9km and 10241m of ascent.
 
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10940797

[FifeingEejit]

Whats the deal with ferry distance?
I.e. is there distance to play with?

Also I note it cuts onto the cycle track at Oban Airport, I've never yet bothered to find that bit of track but suspect its in the woods and suspect it has next to bugger all impact on elevation.

[Phil W]

That's just an artefact of the routing rules I have in my mapping. The rules make trunk roads very low priority (cause down here you wouldn't go near them), so I have to force it onto the trunk roads but occassionally I miss it jumping off onto the nearby roads or tracks it prefers.

Adjusted for airport and that bit of cycle track to Fort William. Yeah bugger all impact, slightly shorter and 1 metre difference in elevation.

https://www.openrunner.com/r/10940834

[Flâneur]

A Skye & NW Highlands possibility; 616km, +10250m. Only one ferry needed. A lot of roads shared with the NW500 so might not be the best riding

https://www.openrunner.com/r/10941429

[FifeingEejit]

Made a tweek to the Mounth route
The loop at Bellabeg replaced with a descent to Clatterin Brig (photo of tearoom) and back up more practical than a summit in a forest!
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10942513

1: Sign at bottom of Ben Lawers Road
2: SSE Dam Sign (It's not Giola that's further north)
3: Kennock - Not much there to get a photo of
4: Bridge of Balgie - OpenRunner routes you back here from Kennock via the Ben Lawers road despite it being 10km longer
5: Top of Glen Quaich - Feck all there
6: Top of Griffin (Highest point on the road is the car park not the loch) info board in Car Park IIRC
7: Top of Errochty - Feck all there
8: Top of Tenandry - Again Open Runner takes the longer route a control on Loch Tummel would do, but then it sends you round the hill to get to the point which adds more distance again, not much there but there is I think a ROW sign on the corner just down the other side from the summit.
9: Gairnshiel Bridge or cottages
10: Glen Muick Ranger Station/Bogs or even car park sign
11: Clattering Brig Tea Room signs or Claterin Brig/Drumtochty Finger Post
12: Clatt or something on the Suie?
13: County March signs on the Cabrach
14: Lost! (Optional?)
15: Top of the BHn - Not much up there
16: Carn Eitidh - Not much up there either
17: Cairngorm Ski Centre

[Phil W]

Excellent so we’ve got three possible contenders with no overlap between them.

[FifeingEejit]

Going to have a proper look over them now for possible control photos I'm not trying to sneak it round work.

[Flâneur]

Some photo controls for mine:

1. Armadale Ferry Terminal sign
2. Tarskavaig road sign
3. Elgol pier
4. Kylerhea ferry/sign
5. Bealach Ratagan viewfinder
6. Need something on the Dornie old road - there's a viewpoint near the top but nothing distinctive
7. Bealach na Bà viewfinder
8. Fearnmore road sign
9. Diabaig pier
10. Kinlochewe (in case anyone objects on the possibility of hike-a-biking to Red Point)
11. Rua Reidh Lighthouse
12. Badrallach campsite sign
13. Stac Pollaidh info board
14. Inverkirkaig bookshop sign
15. Drumbeg Stores
16. Ideally something near Quinag saddle summit. Failing that, A984/B869 junction sign.
17. Ullapool Ferry Terminal sign

[Flâneur]

Made a tweek to the Mounth route
The loop at Bellabeg replaced with a descent to Clatterin Brig (photo of tearoom) and back up more practical than a summit in a forest!
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10942513

1: Sign at bottom of Ben Lawers Road
2: SSE Dam Sign (It's not Giola that's further north)
3: Kennock - Not much there to get a photo of
4: Bridge of Balgie - OpenRunner routes you back here from Kennock via the Ben Lawers road despite it being 10km longer
5: Top of Glen Quaich - Feck all there
6: Top of Griffin (Highest point on the road is the car park not the loch) info board in Car Park IIRC
7: Top of Errochty - Feck all there
8: Top of Tenandry - Again Open Runner takes the longer route a control on Loch Tummel would do, but then it sends you round the hill to get to the point which adds more distance again, not much there but there is I think a ROW sign on the corner just down the other side from the summit.
9: Gairnshiel Bridge or cottages
10: Glen Muick Ranger Station/Bogs or even car park sign
11: Clattering Brig Tea Room signs or Claterin Brig/Drumtochty Finger Post
12: Clatt or something on the Suie?
13: County March signs on the Cabrach
14: Lost! (Optional?)
15: Top of the BHn - Not much up there
16: Carn Eitidh - Not much up there either
17: Cairngorm Ski Centre

If you are going up one side of Kenmore Hill, might as well continue down the other side to the humpback bridge which has a collection of distinctive signs - the reascent might allow one of the other out-and-backs to be avoided...

Think you'd need a control between Tummel Bridge and Tenandry to prevent the less hilly Trinafour-Calvine-Killiecrankie route - Queen's View or something

[FifeingEejit]

Agricola's search for Mons Graupius
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10942513

1: Sign at bottom of Ben Lawers Road - https://goo.gl/maps/NBJUj6e3kbQgxmgY9
2: SSE Lubreoch Dam Sign - https://goo.gl/maps/HRDePMJS1KTsskRV9
3: Kennock - Bridge and gate slightly up the glen - https://goo.gl/maps/hpChxaFXnxwdf2G4A
4: Bridge of Balgie - https://goo.gl/maps/ULCRAZXwEpAWwML5A
5: Top of Glen Quaich - This gate at the summit might do? - https://goo.gl/maps/p3k7kLLvkrK3Rjbm8
6: Top of Griffin - Info board in car park can't rely on the view!) - https://goo.gl/maps/TkSiMyJMcmHwgCUq9
7: Top of Errochty - Just over the top is this gate - https://goo.gl/maps/KgbMV54yUNfunETV9
An alternative would be to descend to either the railway bridge - https://goo.gl/maps/bCBwqXqrdw89vq797
or the A9 - https://goo.gl/maps/5sNmGdBboYUzRauQ8
This would obviously add more distance back on and the later would definitley need an extra control on Loch Tummel as it's downhill all the way to Killiecrankie before the Tenandry road where as Tummel adds more climb
7a: Possible need for a Loch Tummel photo, could use the Queen's View visitor centre, or the Tummel Bridge shop/holiday park.
8: Top of Tenandry - Again Open Runner takes the longer route a control on Loch Tummel would do, but then it sends you round the hill to get to the point which adds more distance again, not much there but there is I think a ROW sign on the corner just down the other side from the summit.
Just over the top when coming from the south is this distinctive junction with a few non-TRGDS signs - https://goo.gl/maps/joA5AsuuiwegQzTn6
9: Gairnshiel - Plenty at the junction - https://goo.gl/maps/wXC9xnusuAGcbmJbA
10: Glen Muick Ranger Station/Bogs or even car park sign (Could go up to the ruin) - https://goo.gl/maps/ckP7Sd4xeJtHUVZx8
11: Clattering Brig Tea Room signs or Claterin Brig/Drumtochty Finger Post - https://goo.gl/maps/B9ayYp36etq3SDvd7
12: Clatt - https://goo.gl/maps/hQCTtr9BgLrgYCxeA
13: County March or road signs on the Cabrach - https://goo.gl/maps/UTTnRCL18iS6pDf76
14: Lost! (Optional?) - https://goo.gl/maps/iwV7xZmrryu93YV99
15: Top of the BHn - Distinctive enough steps? - https://goo.gl/maps/QKEacp7etMExVs8u9
16: Carn Eitidh - Not much up there either - Um? - https://goo.gl/maps/UXTpX9FLv1Zboi697
17: Cairngorm Ski Centre - https://goo.gl/maps/P85mmfZizqgNW7hx9

[FifeingEejit]

If you are going up one side of Kenmore Hill, might as well continue down the other side to the humpback bridge which has a collection of distinctive signs - the reascent might allow one of the other out-and-backs to be avoided...

If you mean going up Glen Quaich Braes of Taymouth, then there's a point at which the shortest route to Griffin is to go to Amulree, in which case the extent of the climb out of Aberfeldy is lost and it'll be under 10k.

Compare 779 google BSMeters: https://goo.gl/maps/ZxQLyvynWax1N77f6
With 605 google BSMeters: https://goo.gl/maps/uNdMr7Mb8PJsKYhY7
That second one has the marker a bahair past the tipping point for the google walking route

Edit: Quaich is the Amulree side, an off road route up from the cottages across from the "fort" on the OS map to Tombuie Cottage is quite good... in a rally car.

Edit2: Yes a control is needed on Loch Tummel; 3 options Tummel Bridge, Strathtummel Hotel, Queens View; all good.

[Flâneur]

If you mean going up Glen Quaich Braes of Taymouth, then there's a point at which the shortest route to Griffin is to go to Amulree, in which case the extent of the climb out of Aberfeldy is lost and it'll be under 10k.

Compare 779 google BSMeters: https://goo.gl/maps/ZxQLyvynWax1N77f6
With 605 google BSMeters: https://goo.gl/maps/uNdMr7Mb8PJsKYhY7
That second one has the marker a bahair past the tipping point for the google walking route

Edit: Quaich is the Amulree side, an off road route up from the cottages across from the "fort" on the OS map to Tombuie Cottage is quite good... in a rally car.

Edit2: Yes a control is needed on Loch Tummel; 3 options Tummel Bridge, Strathtummel Hotel, Queens View; all good.

I make the reascent heading for Kenmore from the Glen Quaich/Loch Freuchie side as 252m on OpenRunner, vs 305m for the Aberfeldy-Griffin climb. You might not need the latter if you do the former - just a thought

I.e. I mean this https://www.openrunner.com/r/10942956

[FifeingEejit]

I make the reascent heading for Kenmore from the Glen Quaich/Loch Freuchie side as 252m on OpenRunner, vs 305m for the Aberfeldy-Griffin climb. You might not need the latter if you do the former - just a thought

hm yeah

Open Runner does this as the route from fEarnan to Coshieville via Amulree as

49.07 km,  743 m
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10943058

If I force it to return from Amulree by the Glen Quaiche Climb

45.604 km,  903 m
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10943071

And as currently mapped
45.216 km,  907
https://www.openrunner.com/r/10943079


So it's losing 150m doing that while also gaining 4km
Edit: Just seen your clarrification, 4m gain lost and 400m shorter, so not bad.
Would riders need to prove they returned by descending the braes of taymouth?

[willpom gwraudax]

My advice, plan in Google Maps Walking (RWGPS). Aim for 11,000m or close to. Export GPX. Upload to OpenRunner. A faff but once you figure out how it is easier than the pig of OR planning.

[willpom gwraudax]

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

[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