Return of The Daylight 600?

[John Stonebridge]

I’ve been thinking for a while if it’s possible to resurrect the Daylight 600.  There have been a few posts here lately about riding in/around FT William which kick started me back into life. 

I think I’ve come up with something that retains the essence of the event while avoiding the nasty bits i.e. the A82 between Tyndrum and the Ballachulish Bridge.

It’s intended as a calendar event (no earlier than 2025) but I hope to ride it as a DIY x GPS next year.  In order to seek to avoid the dreaded west highland midges it would be a mid May event.

My preferred start location for the calendar event is Dunning.  Its fairly central and has a couple of railway stations not too far away – Gleneagles & Perth are 10km and 16km respectively.  My DIY would start from Gleneagles. 

In order to find the line of best fit with the Corran Ferry a 2100 start is proposed, this means that fast riders can catch the first ferry west at 0630 and slower riders will still be in time catching the last one east at 2120. 

The new bit features a loop over Langside from Comrie though Dunblane and Dollar before finishing with a ride over Dunning Glen.

An overnight control - possibly with a bag drop - is anticipated at Crianlarich Village Hall around 475km.  One of my main objectives is to have riders use the A85 when its at its quietest.  Given that folk would have to be away from Crianlarich (heading back) by about 5am that strikes me as a decent plan as civil daylight starts about 4am in mid May.  After Comrie its fairly quiet roads other than 2km on the A91 around Yetts o’ Muckhart. 

The downsides appear to be

-   In the absence of an overnight pop up control or suchlike riders will find that the first shop open is at Dunbeg 178km (though there’s a water tap at Tyndrum)

-   475km is fair old trek to the first proper rest

-   It doesn’t feature the Hollywood finish of crossing the Forth a la the Dalmeny version but a hurl down Dunning Glen isn’t to be sniffed at

I’d be interested to hear folks thoughts

The draft route is here -  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44932534

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

I would be up for this in 2025.  I enjoyed the West Highland 1000, which was similar, with detours to Crianlarich and Perth.  Key for me would be a good control at Dunbeg.  That had a 9pm start with the first overnight control at Oban, a fairly similar distance to Crianlarich on this. 

[felstedrider]

Having ridden the Daylight in 97 and 99 I was reminded of it on a short tour this Summer.  I stayed in Crianlarich and passed Dalmeny Village Hall on the route back into Edinburgh.

I would fancy riding the route again.

[hellymedic]

I did the Daylight in 1996 and it was epic.
Can't ride at all now but it's a happy memory...

[citoyen]

I’m in.

The Tyndrum water stop worked well on the WH1K (I’d packed sandwiches, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to get food for a bit).

[IanDG]

 Gonnae no' dae that - I thought when I retired and moved away from Stornoway that these long rides would be  "in the bag" - then along came the PMR 

Let me know if you want helpers. Great thing about audax is you can still feel part of it by helping if you can't ride

[FifeingEejit]

That's a nice adaptation, but it is a long way through the night with nothing.

The most obvious answer to me on the first night is to have the hall in Crianlarich the wee hours of the first morning, or to get on good terms with the Ochils Mountaineering Club who own the Inverdanan "hut" on the way into town, McNasty indicated it had been used before for the Daylight when I mentioned I hadn't long been there.  It's now got a decent sized kitchen/dining area out the back, and 2 bunk rooms. (1 alpine, 1 bunks, 1 members room that I don't know the code to... honest)

It seems a shame not to have the Glen and Muir on it, but unless starting straight out onto it the time range is far too wide to avoid the shit show that it is these days.

I rarely find Dollar to Yetts to be particularly busy, (or more commonly v.v.)

The temporary bridge is still in Dunning Glen which was dissapointing yesterday as it meant I had to scrub off a load of speed to get over it, though I was going the other way (obviously)

[Flâneur]

Intrigued by this.

As Fifeing says, it's a long way from a evening start to the sleep stop. Have done similar on PBP but the West Highlands ain't France, in many ways (both good and bad!). Can't think of many independent accommodation options that would be (a) reasonably priced, and (b) open to weird arrival times.

Depending on rider speed, an open shop might not be passed on route between Acharacle and the sleep stop. Hotel or pub meal could be an option. Ballachulish Coop isn't too far off route for a late opening shop.

On the outward leg - Dunbeg shop won't be open for some riders, will it? Opens at 7 or 8am depending which source one believes.

[John Stonebridge]

That's a nice adaptation, but it is a long way through the night with nothing.

The most obvious answer to me on the first night is to have the hall in Crianlarich the wee hours of the first morning, or to get on good terms with the Ochils Mountaineering Club who own the Inverdanan "hut" on the way into town, McNasty indicated it had been used before for the Daylight when I mentioned I hadn't long been there.  It's now got a decent sized kitchen/dining area out the back, and 2 bunk rooms. (1 alpine, 1 bunks, 1 members room that I don't know the code to... honest)

It seems a shame not to have the Glen and Muir on it, but unless starting straight out onto it the time range is far too wide to avoid the shit show that it is these days.

I rarely find Dollar to Yetts to be particularly busy, (or more commonly v.v.)

The temporary bridge is still in Dunning Glen which was dissapointing yesterday as it meant I had to scrub off a load of speed to get over it, though I was going the other way (obviously)

Of course, Id not twigged that Crianlarich is visited twice - and while Ive never used the hall there for an event, its normally the case that booking for an extended period doesnt add hugely to the cost so using the hall both ways makes sense (and makes a bag drop an even greater benefit to riders) .   

[Pickled Onion]

I did the Daylight in 1996 and it was epic.
Can't ride at all now but it's a happy memory...

I don't remember which year I rode the Daylight, it was one of the later ones, but it's probably my favourite ever ride.

The only thing that I'd say about the planned rejuvenation of it, is that surely the name is because it was at the weekend closest to the solstice? I understand the midge issue, and yes they were a problem when it wasn't raining. I've not looked at how much difference there is in Daylight in May, but one of the magical things was riding through the night and it not ever getting properly dark.

[hellymedic]

Daylight etc graph for Fort William…
https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/uk/fort-william

[iroiromono]

Having ridden the Daylight 600 it its Twilight Perm format I'd agree it is a magical route.

I did it with an August evening start from Inverkeithing and managed to get over to Corran ferry for the first ferry.

I'd say with this timing the concerns on busy roads was fine, however for a calendar event and a more spread field I can understand the risk is greater.

I agree that Solstice related dates are at the heart of the ride.

Good luck with the planning and I hope I can join in 2025.

[John Stonebridge]

I'm not scheduled to be in the UK for more than a handful of days in June 2025

That rather puts a spanner in the works  . 

[FifeingEejit]

TBH I think May is better, same goes for "why would you do a long ride in Scotland in September/October it's dark"
June is the start of Holiday season proper so by having it in May things may be slightly quieter.

When it comes t light, at the start of May 2023 there was a whopping 15hr25 of daylight, and 1hr34 of Night and on the 1st of June its 17hrs17 and none.
The last day of May 2023 there was night time in Crianlarich was the 3rd of May, all 31 minutes of it.

So considering there is plenty more daylight than twilight and infinitley more twilight and daylight than night time, I think the name holds 

[Hibernian Exile]

Now that would be something to rekindle Audaxing
 

[Flâneur]

The North Coast Classic 600 (which probably has an even greater claim to never dark) and Tour of the Borders and Galloway generally fall on the weekends near solstice - think a Scottish 600 away from these in May 25 would be good, especially on a non-Bank Holiday weekend (traffic).

[hellymedic]

Public holidays in Scotland aren't always the same as English ones, though banks follow English Bank Holidays...

[FifeingEejit]

Public holidays in Scotland aren't always the same as English ones, though banks follow English Bank Holidays...

Their equivalent are Local Holidays which indicates the predictability of them 

The Scottish Bank Holidays (Government defined) don't match either and other than the 2nd of december very few could tell you the dates of the other 6 (which considering one of them is StAndrew's day....)

But if you avoid the English Bank Holiday, and the Glasgow/Lanarkshire Local Holidays, you've removed a significant source of extra traffic.

[hellymedic]

Indeed and riders should also know when the Scots are schooled...

[Pingu]

Being in May I think being called Return of the Daylight is quite apt.

[Grandad]

I did the Daylight 600 in 1996 and 2001.  These, together with the 3 ride weekend in 2000 (Half Light 300, Light of Lorn 100 and Port Navigation Light 200) were the highlights of my 27 years of audax riding.

My times for the 600s were 36-57 and 36-55. That's consistency!

The climber's hut at Crianlarich was used in 1996.

This is the 1996 route https://www.plotaroute.com/route/6232

 

[hellymedic]

I think I completed at 39h 40m.

Kind folk at the Ledi Hut fixed my puncture but had no cold drinking water...