Scotland - best 600km?

[Bairn Again]

Prompted by the thread on Reiver Fever, it's clear that we're blessed with some cracking 300km events in Scotland (Reiver Fever itself, Snow Roads, Tayside Transgression, Steve's 300s [Drumbeg / Durness] and a new event that took place on 9th April from Oban to mention a few).

Our 600's are in contrast er "functional".  The 2 PBP qualifiers this year can hardly be described as exciting and my other 600 is basically a DIY to Campeltown and back masquerading as a calendar event.  And before you think Ive forgotten it, I'd also suggest that the Daylight has had its day (at least in the traditional 6am Saturday start format) on the basis that the A82 on a summer Saturday afternoon is not the place for 50+ cyclists.     

So, what would be your Alba dream 600?           

Im thinking no repetition (eg not 2 loops of the Snow Roads), no out-and-back and no 400+200 softie based antics.

Graeme

[Pingu]

Bicycle Path - Hilly 600 at Bikely.com ?

[MercuryKev]

no 400+200 softie based antics.

So what's wrong with a 600 where it's cleverly designed to allow a sleep stop after 400km?  To me that's a good route.

Anyway back to your original question, my personal preference is for a route that steers clear of more substantial A roads, has a fair bit of nice rolling countryside and also takes in some decent scenery (doesn't have to be stupidly hilly though). 

The Cullen Skink 600 that we rode a few years ago could be made into a really good 600 with a bit of tweaking.  The first 400km Forfar > Banchory > Dufftown > Banff > Fraserburgh > Aberdeen > Forfar was a nice route that managed to use a few different roads to the Snow Roads to get to Dufftown.  The back 200 (or 220 to be more accurate) took in some nice roads but could do with some tweaking to allow you to miss out Dundee and trim some KMs off it.

Pingu's route is no bad though.

[sg37409]

What about a coast to coast in the borders ? Something like Wigton to Seahouses or soemthing. Allows a 400+200 softies approach, some doubling up of controls if they were to be manned, some great roads and more accessable to southerners than one in the highlands.

[simonp]

that the A82 on a summer Saturday afternoon is not the place for 50+ cyclists.     

It’s such a shame that such a lovely route over Rannoch Moor is spoiled by excessive traffic.

[dasmoth]

no 400+200 softie based antics.

So what's wrong with a 600 where it's cleverly designed to allow a sleep stop after 400km?  To me that's a good route.

Sleep-stop == good if feasible, but IMO return-to-base is bad from a motivational point of view.  The longer the ride, the more keen I am to have and out-and-back or circular route.  Several rides (BCM comes to mind) do manage an official sleep stop without returning to base.

[Bairn Again]

no 400+200 softie based antics.

So what's wrong with a 600 where it's cleverly designed to allow a sleep stop after 400km?  To me that's a good route.

Sleep-stop == good if feasible, but IMO return-to-base is bad from a motivational point of view.  The longer the ride, the more keen I am to have and out-and-back or circular route.  Several rides (BCM comes to mind) do manage an official sleep stop without returning to base.

I enjoy a sleep stop around 350km - 400km as much as anybody but for me some of the appeal of a 600km event is lost when it returns to the start part way through the ride.  Once that happens it’s really no different to riding separate 400 and 200 events. 

Wont stop me entering Only For Softies, but there’s a clue in the name. 

[Hedgebanger]

Yes, but it'll have to start in Longtown! This was a planned DIY 600 I'd hoped to do but as usual never got round to it.
Lontown, Galashiels,Abington services (sorry ), Dumfries Tesco (24hrs), Dalbeattie, Newton stewart, Ayr, Newton stewart, Dumfries, Johnston Bridge services ,Langholm , Newcastleton, Longtown. I'd planned a 9pm start.
Any thoughts ?

[EdinburghFixed]

I think something which gets away from the central belt, Comrie and Longtown has to be off to a bit of a winner.

Mull-it-over has definitely got me thinking about some sort of north-west/island routes. You could do the full circumnavigation of Mull to get the ferry from Portree and a quick visit to Ardnamurchan. Then up to Mallaig for the ferry to Armadale, lap Skye and then come back via Invergarry?

There has to be a whole lot of savage terrain out there to make a classic 600?

[MercuryKev]

no 400+200 softie based antics.

So what's wrong with a 600 where it's cleverly designed to allow a sleep stop after 400km?  To me that's a good route.

Sleep-stop == good if feasible, but IMO return-to-base is bad from a motivational point of view.  The longer the ride, the more keen I am to have and out-and-back or circular route.  Several rides (BCM comes to mind) do manage an official sleep stop without returning to base.

I enjoy a sleep stop around 350km - 400km as much as anybody but for me some of the appeal of a 600km event is lost when it returns to the start part way through the ride.  Once that happens it’s really no different to riding separate 400 and 200 events. 

Wont stop me entering Only For Softies, but there’s a clue in the name. 

You want it tough? Try dragging yourself out of your own cosy bed at 7am, after 3 hours sleep and a tough 400, to go and ride another 200km in the rain.  That's mind over matter.

[αdαmsκι]

Something like this? or across Skye instead? Having the HQ in Crianlarich, with it's accommodation & public transport options, would allow an early start and riders can be across Rannoch Moor before traffic is a problem. Sleeping options in Inverness or Grantown-on-Spey.

[valkyrie]

Kev's Cullen Skink had the makings of a great 600, it was only the weather and my own stupid decision to start from Kirrie instead of Forfar that made it seem very long and hard.

[EdinburghFixed]

This might make it logistically challenging for a calendar event, but using the railway between Fersit and Rannoch Station really opens it up to a Highland-spanning quest of legend...

Perhaps two ferries and a train ride make this a bit of an ask?

[eck]

that the A82 on a summer Saturday afternoon is not the place for 50+ cyclists.     

It’s such a shame that such a lovely route over Rannoch Moor is spoiled by excessive traffic.

The Rannoch Moor road can be scary but, tbh, any I'd vote for any route that avoids that horrible stretch of the A85 between Crianlarich and Lix Toll, which you get to cover on the Daylight in both directons. 

[Exit Stage Left]

that the A82 on a summer Saturday afternoon is not the place for 50+ cyclists.     

It’s such a shame that such a lovely route over Rannoch Moor is spoiled by excessive traffic.

The Rannoch Moor road can be scary but, tbh, any I'd vote for any route that avoids that horrible stretch of the A85 between Crianlarich and Lix Toll, which you get to cover on the Daylight in both directons. 

I never found that to be a problem, and I quite like the A82 from Crianlarich to Glencoe. The bit I always found scary was between the Duke's Pass and Lochearnhead. I always seemed to hit that bit at peak caravan time, with 20 riders behind me, so by the time they passed me they were leaving about 18 inches gap. It was never dangerous, but you had to keep a very consistent line.
Surely the man to ask about a Scottish 600 is George Berwick.

[Deano]

Doing something like this twice would be kinda fun (and would probably please Windy):

Google Maps

(Just sketched in as I don't know where you'd get controls, apart from Stornoway and the ferries).

[salar55]

Campelltown is good you could start Glasgow , 2 ferries to Tarbet down west and up east then hug the coast to Oban and Ballachulish . Inland to Bridge of Orchy, Inveraray Arrochar,Loch long , Balloch and Glasgow.

[salar55]

Just checked distance 601 not bad for a rough guess.

[Paul D]

We rode our dream 600 last year:

Fort William - Kyle of lochalsh - Bealach na ba/applecross pennisula - Kinlochewe - Muir of Ord - Inverness - Ullapool - Scourie - Lairg - Inverness

Take out Fort William and start at Inverness on day 1 and you've got a perfect ride: hills and fast road all with amazing scenery.

Wanna see some photos?

[innesh]

What about a coast to coast in the borders ? Something like Wigton to Seahouses or soemthing. Allows a 400+200 softies approach, some doubling up of controls if they were to be manned, some great roads and more accessable to southerners than one in the highlands.

Good shout - I always thought it would make a good 600 but I thought more like Girvan to Berwick.  Even the A roads are quiet, scenic but not too scenic, lots of small towns and villages etc.  I wouldn't get lost 

Graeme, PM me for a control idea.  Ah'm awa' tae ma bed.

[recumbentim]

Blairgowrie, Oban, Loch Boisdale,Stornaway, Ullapool, Blairgowrie.
Must be thursday ferries and you get about 3 hrs to get from ullapool to Inverness???

[Wothill]

Beast of the East: Edinburgh (Corstorphine) St Andrews, Arbroath, Brechin, Banchory, Banff, Ballater, Kirriemuir (possible overnight if we speak very nicely to Eck?) Crieff, Edinburgh. 609km according to Google. Kirrie is actually at about 450, so Braemar might be better if there was anywhere suitable.

[Billy Weir]

Beast of the East: Edinburgh (Corstorphine) St Andrews, Arbroath, Brechin, Banchory, Banff, Ballater, Kirriemuir (possible overnight if we speak very nicely to Eck?) Crieff, Edinburgh. 609km according to Google. Kirrie is actually at about 450, so Braemar might be better if there was anywhere suitable.

Couldn't this be based upon ancient seats of the Kingdom of Scotland parliament.  Will go through (or pass by) Dundee, Scone, Dunfermline etc?

[Billy Weir]

On occasion, I toy with the idea of a DIY that combines the Snow Roads and the Tayside Transgression.  It comes to 550km (effectively Snow Roads to Braemar than the Straloch road to Pitlochry, picking up the TT route round to Invergowrie, then divert to Kirrie rather than Alloa).  There'd be a bit of jiggery pokery to get it up to 600km, which in my mind was either going to be venturing further north towards Grantown or westwards into the Trossachs.  I suspect that, being from the east coast and for nostalgic reasons, it would be my dream Scotland 600.  Albeit bastard hard and no obvious "night stage" (by which I mean a flat bit that allows one to cruise on easy to navigate A roads).

Another idea I had, albeit not as pretty was an out and back from Dundee to Ullapool.  But it doesn't meet the criteria of YLG's "no repitition".

Lastly, a route similar to those mentioned in relation to the North West.  Essentially an extended version of the Pushme Poolewe event that was run out of Ardgay.  Extended either out towards Skye (or possibly event distorted so that it ventures over into Skye) or so that it sticks to the west and north coasts (visiting Cape Wrath).  I've not really plotted it out, but it struck me that anything over that way would be an awesome ride, albeit difficult to organise due to the lack of control possibilities. (yes, I really should do the Durness rides that Steve now organises....)

[Bairn Again]

Beast of the East: Edinburgh (Corstorphine) St Andrews, Arbroath, Brechin, Banchory, Banff, Ballater, Kirriemuir (possible overnight if we speak very nicely to Eck?) Crieff, Edinburgh. 609km according to Google. Kirrie is actually at about 450, so Braemar might be better if there was anywhere suitable.

Couldn't this be based upon ancient seats of the Kingdom of Scotland parliament.  Will go through (or pass by) Dundee, Scone, Dunfermline etc?

+ the Declaration at Arbroath = "FFS its windy"