The Highlands, Glens & Western Isles - Monday, July 21st 2014

[Jaded]

Smear yourself with Marmite.

[Pingu]

I remember TTTing on the Mull of Kintyre 600 a couple of years ago, not to avoid the wind but to get shelter from the midges 

I remember your photo from the C+ Torridon hostel weekend

IMG_0044 by The Pingus, on Flickr

[crowriver]

Are Midges a Problem?
Midges can be a problem at certain times of year, usually from June until August. The culprits are the pregnant females seeking blood in order to produce their eggs. You should carry a midge repellant with you just in case.

http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/ww_faq.asp#q18

[eeymsmo]

I have started planning some route options and there is some issues with overnight sleeping.The problem with sleeping options for my planned schedule is at the end of day 2. Gairloch has some options and some options between there and Ullapool - but not many. The real constraint on the route is the ferry from Oban. http://www.calmac.co.uk/timetables/summer-timetables.htm?id=summer-mull--oban-craignure.png shows the last ferry at 18:00 and the first the following morning at 07:45. Then there is 600 km to the lodge that Mr Blacksheep has booked.

I intend to ride this as a tour rather than a non-stop Audax and try to rest every night. The distances are long between watering holes in that part of the world and there is an almost total lack of 24 services of any kind. Riding through the night would involve filling water bottles as late as possible and buying food and been self sufficient until somewhere was found for breakfast.

Day 1 210 km - Sleep in Oban
Day 2 277 km - Gairloch 
Day 3 322 km - Sleep in the Trantlebeg lodge that I understand Mr Blacksheep has booked.
Day 4 303 km - Glencoe - SYHA with recpetion open untim 10:30pm
Day 5 186km - To finish

This is just what I have sketched out at the moment and is very much an initial idea. The 186 km on the last day leaves plenty of time to finish in 108 hours as this is 23:15 on the Friday.

Oh I am getting all excited
BB

Which splits the climbing out as follows:

Day 1 - 2928m of Climbing:


Day 2 - 3858m of climbing


Day 3 - 5360m of climbing


Day 4 - 3645m of climbing


Day 5 - 1807m of climbing


Profiles from GoogleMap Cuesheet so probably not perfect. But the overall amount of climbing works out very close to the advertised figure

[Hillbilly]

I remember TTTing on the Mull of Kintyre 600 a couple of years ago, not to avoid the wind but to get shelter from the midges 

I remember your photo from the C+ Torridon hostel weekend

IMG_0044 by The Pingus, on Flickr

Heh.  Remembers summer holidays in a caravan and shudders at the horror, the horror.

Looks like they are having a siesta after a heavy session bingeing on human flesh.

[I love how the internet gives people the opportunity to get overly excitable about what they will encounter on an event that is just under 12 months away.  As an aside, organisers can look at the planner and get an insight into some interesting developments on the 1000km events front.  Act in haste....]

[ian_oli]

Day 4 - 3645m of climbing


Day 5 - 1807m of climbing


Profiles from GoogleMap Cuesheet so probably not perfect. But the overall amount of climbing works out very close to the advertised figure

I think the climb figures are somewhat too high.

Last year I followed the most of day 4's ride on my LEJOG looking at my ride tracks, the stretch Glencoe village-Syre was 1982 meters downhill (ie climb the other way), using ridewithGPS.com to plot a route Trantlebeg-Syre I get 428m, which gives a total of 2410 meters versus 3645.  The plot is from my Etrex 30 which I reckon is accurate to a few (<10) percent.

The only bits I recall as hard on that stretch were the climb away from Loch Ness and the one after Dingwall, otherwise it was a good deal easier than the average Audax - ie less than the typical 1% or so norm.

[mattc]

Profiles from GoogleMap Cuesheet

er ... from what?

(Google keep adding stuff behind my back ... )

[BlackSheep]

............. (Google keep adding stuff behind my back ... )

What worries me is the 150' (or so) below sea level at about 16 miles (stage 1), again at about 92 miles on day 2. 

Were these measurements made by Google-boat or submarine

[eeymsmo]

Not an official Google tool, but very handy for quickly getting a gpx and profile out of a google map - http://www.winthefight.org/cuegle/

I'm guessing the -ve height is because it's using satellite mapped ground height, and at that point we'll be floating on a boat 150' above the ground.

That said apparently I dropped to 80 foot below sea level on Mille Alba last year dropping from the Cairngorm Snow Lodge down to Perth. I knew it was a long descent, but not that long....

[BlackSheep]

As of now, event now closed to entries - although I'm sure a waiting list will start early next year.

Everyone should have received an initial acknowledement e-mail - which will have gone to the rider's e-mail.

So if you bought this as a surprise retirement gift, get onto their PC, or pray their spam filter was a bit harsh.

[mds101]

Day 4 - 3645m of climbing


Profiles from GoogleMap Cuesheet so probably not perfect. But the overall amount of climbing works out very close to the advertised figure

for one brief moment I was worried about what I'd signed up for, then i realised that the metres were feet

[Panoramix]

I am late to the party, I should read yacf more often!

[Jonah]

Would this ride count towards a Brevet 2,500?

[Reg.T]

Do you mean the Brevet 25,000?

If so, then AIUI it could count as the 1300, 1000 part of one of the SRs, or the other points towards the 250 total. In other words, it isn't PBP, LEL or an Arrow! (As it's an AUK award, longer rides than the nominated distances can be used)

[Edit: originally typed 1200 instead of 1300]

[Jonah]

Sorry, yes 25,000

I've just read the rules and it says you have to ride a 13,000K (I did PBP last time and have the Arrow and a 1,000 in the bag)

[simonp]

Sorry, yes 25,000

I've just read the rules and it says you have to ride a 13,000K (I did PBP last time and have the Arrow and a 1,000 in the bag)

 

[Jonah]

Do you mean the Brevet 25,000?

If so, then AIUI it could count as the 1300, 1000 part of one of the SRs, or the other points towards the 250 total. In other words, it isn't PBP, LEL or an Arrow! (As it's an AUK award, longer rides than the nominated distances can be used)

[Edit: originally typed 1200 instead of 1300]

Thanks Reg

[dasmi]

Day 4 - 3645m of climbing


Profiles from GoogleMap Cuesheet so probably not perfect. But the overall amount of climbing works out very close to the advertised figure

for one brief moment I was worried about what I'd signed up for, then i realised that the metres were feet

The metres look scary enough......guess whose name won't be on the waiting list

ENJOY

dave

[Bianchi Boy]

Just booked my holiday for next year and managed to organise so I can make this ride with one day to spare. Almost had a LEL 2013 moment but managed to avoid it with a little negotiation.

 

Really looking forward to this. Going back to Scotland  love it and hope for good weather.

Now have to get fit as I think this is a bit harder than PBP.

BB

[Smee]

Just been looking at the the route for this one.  Not really sure that riding along the A82 for long stretches in daylight during peak silly season is the best idea.  What are people's thoughts on alternative routes or riding that section at night?

[marcusjb]

Not looked at the route at all, don't know the A82, but I have faith in the org that he has chosen the best roads for the circumstances. If you have local knowledge and know a better route, then drop him a line.

[Smee]

Aye - that's the problem - there aren't many routes that go from Dingwall to Tyndrum.  One safer alternative would be the road south of Loch Ness, and to go round the coast from Ballachullish to Taynuilt rather than over Rannoch Moor.

[Veloman]

Aye - that's the problem - there aren't many routes that go from Dingwall to Tyndrum.  One safer alternative would be the road south of Loch Ness, and to go round the coast from Ballachullish to Taynuilt rather than over Rannoch Moor.

Surely that would impact on height climbed and therefore AAA points.

[Revolution9]

its more the ferry times i'm concerned about

[marcusjb]

Have they published their 2014 summer timetables yet?

The only concerns I have for this ride currently are whether I will get the miles in over winter and spring to make for an enjoyable summer campaign.

Ferries, roads, places to sleep - that's all the fun stuff and nothing to worry about.