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Bikepacking Scotland | Tyndrum to Taynuilt via Glen Kinglass, May 2019
We left Hamish at Taynuilt and took the train back to Tyndrum. You'll need to book your bikes on the train, its free though! We found that the trains bike hooks aren't big enough to fit fatty wheels, take a sling with you for each bike and you can strap your bike to the hook. Thankfully the train attendant was very helpful. The distance of the route is around 33m / 54km, get ready for a great trip. It can be done in a day but why rush it!
Okay, so we are far from being experienced bikepackers but we are all over this outdoorsy life stuff so its not difficult to quickly adapt to the minimalistic way of covering large distances with minimal kit and equipment. We have been gradually working up to our first proper bikepacking adventure and having seen some really inspirational photos from Nick Tryon we decided to make the Tyndrum to Taynuilt via Glen Kinglass route our first real bikepacking adventure.
We had just spent a week in Torridon climbing the delights that this awesome area has to offer. On the way up we dropped our bikes off at Bothy Bikes in Aviemore to have them serviced and converted to a tubeless tyre setup on the fatty’s. The plan was to pick them up again on the way back down, then head to Taynuilt. We did also pop into Backcountry Scotland to pick up some kit we had ordered from Andy Toop. We had ordered some Revelate Designs bikepacking kit after Andy had kindly loaned us some demo kit to try out a few weeks earlier. Whilst we were in Aviemore we also took the opportunity to book the train tickets and bike places for the Taynuilt to Tyndrum train. The bikes were free to book and the tickets were just a few pennies, you can check the details and timings on the ScotRrail website.
After being in Torridon for the week we needed to get some admin done. Aviemore was the perfect place to get everything stocked up. Now that we had gotten all our admin done which included some shopping and a nice breakfast at the Mountain Café, Aviemore we headed down the A86 towards Fort Bill and then made our way to Taynuilt. It took us around 3 hours at a nice relaxed pace.. we weren't in a hurry as we weren't getting the train until the following morning.
We had found a nice little quiet area to park up and get the kit sorted for the morning, we wanted to avoid staying in Hamish at the train station. It was a short distance from Taynuilt so wouldn’t take us long to get there in the morning. We had a good nights sleep and got up early to ensure we could get a space at the train station for Hamish. The bikes were offloaded and we fitted the kit to the bikes. While I was preparing the bikes Lisa was making breakfast in Hamish. As always, space is at a premium when bikepacking and its important to keep the weight down on the bike. I would later find out why its so important to minimise weight and get it distributed around the bike properly. I could smell the welcoming waft of breakfast, the bikes were ready to go, so I headed in for something to eat. Now, I have to say this was a great wee breakfast! I say this because Lisa has a tendency to cook food to within an inch of its life. She had done well and the scrambled eggs would only bounce once on the plate! Fuelled up and ready to go.
Day One - Tyndrum to Camp
The train was booked for 0920hrs and would take 48mins along a lovely route between Taynuilt to Tyndrum Lower. The train arrived on time and we made our way to the end carriage where the bikes would be taken onboard. Top tip, if you have a Fat Bike, take a short climbing sling, the bike hanging hooks on the train aren't big enough to take a fat wheel. The guard was really helpful and we were able to keep the bike tucked out the way of the exit. Thankfully there were not many bikes on the train already or this could have been a problem. ScotRail get a really harsh time of it when it comes to service but every time we’ve used them they have been brilliant!
Lets get started
We soon arrived at Tyndrum Lower train station, dragged the bikes off and thanked the guard for his help. Nice guy that! We slung the legs over and began the ride. It was only a few minutes and we were at the Green Wellie, time for a quick pee before hitting the short hill out of Tyndrum. This is where we joined the West Highland Way (WHW) and all its hikers. There’s always a nice bunch of people doing the WHW, most are very friendly. I remember doing this quite a few years ago, what sticks in my mind was the banter we had with other walkers. We reached a gate and held it open for the next walkers, it was at that point I remembered, we weren't really helping, we just put pressure on the walker to speed up. I quickly shouted, “just take your time” it came out sounding sarcastic, I really didn't mean it to! They arrived at the gate and grunted a “thank you” in a foreign accent, well I think it was thank you!
The route stretched out along the WHW with stunning views of Beinn Dorain above Bridge of Orchy, our next unofficial check point. The going on the bikes was very easy, some really good long down hill stretches. We always slowed down when we approached walkers and waited until they heard us behind them. I always think ringing the bike bell is very rude, yes we have a bell between us! What I will say though is that some people think the route is for walkers only and every now and again we’d get a look of disapproval. On one occasion a woman voiced something towards us that wasn't complimentary going by her manner, didn't actually hear what she said. Can’t please everyone! Anyway, we cracked on at a good speed whilst respecting the other users of the route.
Dropping under the railway at the Bridge of Orchy Station
We dropped into Bridge of Orchy and didn't stop, we continued on up the hill, still on the WHW. The going was a little tougher but great, we pushed a little but in the main it was ridable. Passing through some lovely forest we arrived at the high point. I had a quick check of the kit to make sure everything was still tight and in place. It was then time for a nice, but rough descent down to the Inveroran Hotel. We were carrying a little extra weight on the bikes and had to remind ourselves that we needed to take it easy on the downs. There were a few tail squiggles as we braked at times but stayed upright, a great bit of fun. We abruptly arrived at the hotel where we had some lunch. It’s nice to put a little back into local businesses where we can. The staff were really friendly and the place had a nice little oldy, worldly feel. Need to visit again on a night time for a drink!
Once we had finished our lunch we relaxed for a short time, there wasn’t any rush to get moving as we were doing this over two days. That was plenty of time to take everything in slow time. We’ve learned to take the foot off the gas and enjoy shorter adventures, taking in more and actually finding that point where you do relax, no pressure!
It was after the hotel we turned off the WHW and headed along into Glen Kinglass. We were being treated to some great weather all be it “Scottish Weather” meaning that we were treated to four seasons in one day! It’s from here that we were to disappear into some very remote corners of our wonderful highlands. Single and landrover track made for some good riding in this section. Over the next 24hours we wouldn't see a signal person along this part of the route.
As we moved on we crossed the river on a number of occasions but never once got our feet wet. Taking this on in winter and during period of prolonged wet weather will undoubtedly make some of these crossings either very tricky or potentially unpassable, one to keep in mind for when you are planning your adventure.
Home for the night, camping time
We had travelled through some lovely wilderness, we were buzzing with joy and were firmly in the chilled zone. Just us and the scenery, the WHW hikers were a distant memory. I wouldn't say that we were cycle fit but that didn't matter, the slow pace was ideal for us. We had travelled further than we had planned but it was important to find a nice little location to peel a slightly tender rear end from the saddle and to pitch up for the evening. It was still reasonably early so we had plenty time to relax and have a laugh.
After Loch Dochard we gained a little height again. At the crest and top of another nice downhill we could see a potential campsite in the far distance. We carefully rode down the track until we arrived at some rock slab which provided a little smooth riding. Our pitch came closer and it was ideal. It was located on a slight bend on the river Kinglass. The pitch was potentially in a location that may have flooded if the river levels had increased, very unlikely so we pitched up, the weather wasn't that bad.
We had a brew and Summit to Eat to recharge the energy levels. The weather had cooled down so we got into our sleeping bags and relaxed. There’s a nice moment when your body decides to go into power nap mode, that moment when you are all cosy, your eyes close and your mind drifts into neutral. We both ended up in the land of nod for a few minutes and awakened with a new energy.
Day Two - Camp to Taynuilt, the painful way!
We had a good sleep after a long day in the saddle and woke up to some lovely weather. We unzipped the tent to allow the sun to join us! Makes a nice change to have warm sun during those first, difficult moments of the dreaded sleeping bag exit. Again, we weren't in a rush to get going so we had coffee and breakfast. I checked the bikes to make sure there were no issues with the tubeless set up that had been done by Bothy Bikes a couple of days ago. The tyres had bedded in and sealed nicely, the little air that was escaping when we first picked up the bikes was no longer an issue.
We eventually packed up and made sure there was no trace left behind. As always, a really important part of preserving our outdoors for the next person behind us to enjoy. By the way, we still hadn't seen anyone!
The route from here was going to provide us with even more incredible views. We passed through the glen and stopped off at the waterfalls and relaxed a while. Looking out from the top of the glen down was quite a special moment, it just felt like we were totally in the hands of the great outdoors and nature. I remember seeing the bridge on many photos it was now our turn to cross it. We could have actually crossed the dry river with now issues but what the hell, it was more fun and good for the film to cross the bridge with the bikes. With quite a bit of down hill during the first half of day two we found ourselves eating up the km’s until we reached Loch Etive. It was here the route becomes a little uppy, doony! Still superb views across Loch Etive and surrounding area it has to be said though.
Crashing at the last hurdle
Cycle helmets are for winners! With a couple of km’s to go, it happened! What actually happened, i’m not really sure. Because we were nearly finished I probably stopped concentrating and pushed a tad to hard. Whatever your thoughts on helmets, I found out why its so important to wear one when cycling, even at relatively slow speeds, but crucially when you’re tired and almost at the end of your route! I also think the extra weight helped bring me off my bike after hitting a pothole. This little mishap sent us home a couple of days early with some cracked ribs, a ton of bruising and a little (lot) gravel rash! Even though I was out cold for a short time my helmet certainly saved my napper from a serious pounding! Glad to also have a great adventure buddy with me, MrsO!
A mixture of landrover and single track make this a really rewarding adventure in the middle of some exceptional scenery. Okay, we were, for the most part very lucky with the weather. I’m sure this could be a different story in wetter and windier conditions. There are very little negative points worth mentioning about the route.
If you are into climbing hills you could turn this adventure into a multi day trip taking in a number of mountains from a basecamp. There are numerous mountains stretching along the glens northern side.
We loved this route and can’t wait to get back on the trails… for now I’m away to let my ribs repair!
THE END….
Route Map
Now that you’ve read it all, you can watch our wee film here..
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