Fat tyre pirates If you re bored with riding or driving to find the best trails, a boat cruise along the Caledonian Canal might be just the freshener you re looking for Words and pics Dan Milner 68 Mountain Biking uk
Bikes, check. Shorts, check. Pirate flag hell yeah! I squint through a tiny windscreen spattered with rain and wind-blown spray, and try to steer my craft through the gale. Right in my line of sight sit four bikes and I peer between grimy chainrings so that I don t inadvertently drive a hundred thousand quid s worth of posh boat onto unforgiving rocks. If we go down, I think, should I save the Mojo HD, or just swim for it? I hope the boat company has good insurance. Our bike roadtrip is a little different. We ve swapped the Costa coffee-and-muffin overload and congestion of the M6 with a sedately paced week-long cruise across Scotland. Sailing the 95km Caledonian Canal from Inverness to the mountain bike mecca of Fort William and back in a week is, according to the boat charter company, challenge enough for any family holiday, but to put ashore to ride too is land-lubber optimism gone mad. It s ambitious but doable I opine, although sedately paced won t come into it. On board are fellow poopdeck swabbers Fraser McNeil, Tadj Henry and Sophie Wardlaw, all hardy locals who laugh in the face of Scottish hoolies, or at least they would if their feet were atop a pair of flats and their helmet peaks pointing down incredibly steep and slippery trails. As we steer out into the open expanse of Loch Ness the UK s largest volume of fresh water and into the full brunt of a force 4 westerly wind that is Mountain Biking uk 69
Having Joe Barnes along was a bonus, but even without him you can find classic trails like this one along the River Arkaig to ride We follow a track that leads us into winding, wet-root strewn singletrack then on to a river crossing 70 Mountain Biking uk
Bike-cruising ploughing the peat-coloured water into frothing white tops, my crew appear noticeably uncomfortable. I seek to quell their looks of early mutiny by telling them I am a fully qualified powerboat skipper. To my dismay, their expressions of angst do not change. Westward ho! Time and tide wait for no man apparently, so we pass up the worthy local trails of Inverness to make good our escape, having picked out a couple of natural trails dotting our OS map towards the western end of Loch Ness. When I conjured up this idea of touring Scotland s rugged but rideable interior by boat, I envisaged mooring up of an evening, sitting on deck enjoying a glass of Pinot Noir while otters play in the loch waters that lap lazily against the boat s hull. By chance, the week that is assigned for our aquatic adventure is in mid-october. Fresh snow caps the lumpy peaks around us and there s not an otter to be seen, leaving me to assume that the The bikes obscure our view through the boat s window a little... Unloading for our first ride along the banks of the Garry gale that drives us to shelter at Drumnadrochit for our first night has blown any fauna flotsam to the loch s edge, where it lies strewn across the shoreline. In the shadow of the 13th century Urquhart Castle, we moor for the night and spread our OS map across the table in the galley. With our bikes ranged on the deck we re already standing out from the other boaters, who are mostly about 40 years our senior. This distinction is cemented by the hoisting of a Jolly Roger by Tadj within 20 minutes of leaving the boat company s marina. The pirate flag and rack of muddy bikes on deck ensure our 12m cruiser becomes the most touristphotographed boat in Scotland. In truth the OS maps are not jam-packed with trails, but a few do stand out. With the storm persisting, we slip our moorings early next morning to steam to Loch Oich, the highest point along the canal. Here we have a short out-and-back lined up along the banks of the River Garry. Sailing while it s stormy lets us save time for longer rides in the better weather that s forecast later. We underestimate the time needed to navigate Fort Augustus impressive staircase of five lock gates, and we amuse ourselves during the 90 minutes it takes the Captain Ahabbearded lock-keeper to see us through with repeated raiding parties to the lock-side We finally find our land legs and then put them to work turning the cranks essentials How, when and how much? Boat charter is easy, with no previous boat handling experience needed (you are given two hours instruction on arrival) and, while winds can be an issue on exposed Loch Ness, there are no tidal waters to navigate. A week-long cruise allows you plenty of time to marvel at the scenery between Inverness and Fort William, letting you get away from the hustle and bustle of life while leaving enough time to ride several trails en route. Inverness-based Caley Cruisers (caleycruisers.com) offer boats suitable for two, four, six or eight people, all of which are fully equipped with fridges, hot showers, on-board heating and bedding. Prices for a one-week charter start at 512 per week for a four-berth boat, plus fuel. The boating period is from the end of March until late October. Summer offers long days (up to 18 hours riding time) but also clouds of midges. April and September can be the perfect balance. Mountain Biking uk 71
bike-cruising A little autumn damp keeps the riding lively, but we always had a warm floating hotel to return to afterwards We pedal up the side of the River Arkaig, mushing our way through boggy sphagnum moss chippy to ward off scurvy. Days are short in October, and by the time we moor up at Invergarry jetty we risk riding into dusk, but none of the crew need persuading to don their riding kit and pedal ashore. We crank up one side of the river, following a track that leads us into winding, wet-root strewn singletrack to a river crossing. Stopping to take in the beauty of the tumbling river, we each sway from the influence of 24 hours on the water. Luckily, as the return leg becomes a rollercoaster ride of steep, slippery drop downs and flowing singletrack, our landlubber balance returns when we begin mashing the cranks. We ride right to the boat and onto the slippery jetty just as the last gasp of daylight is swallowed by darkness, reload our bikes on deck and settle down to some ship s rations, warmed by the glow that only a combination of a fast, wet ride and a shot of ship s booze can instil. Land ahoy! With the weather improving we sail out of Loch Oich, along the narrow two-mile section of Laggan Avenue to reach Gairlochy Locks at the western end of the inventively named Loch Lochy. Here we have arranged to meet local Joe Barnes, who has a couple of rides up his muddy sleeve. Remnants of the first wintry snows convince us that the planned big loop behind the 850m-high Meall na Teanga peak with its hefty descent back down to the loch side might not be ideal, and instead we pedal up the side of the River Arkaig, mushing our way through boggy sphagnum moss and winding up through a beech forest. It s one of the most beautiful trails I have ever seen and the damp that is rapidly edging its way through the seat of my shorts is easily forgotten. We continue by way of the impressive facts and figures The Caledonian Canal Stretching for 100km and linking together five natural lochs, the Caledonian Canal opened in 1822 and took 19 years to construct. Lock gates at each end separate the fresh water from the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean, with the canal draining both east and west from its 35m high point at Loch Oich. Kaig Falls, a tumble of foaming river that slices a three-step set of cliffs, before we grunt up one of the steepest climbs I hope to ever attempt. This is one of our singlespeed challenges, quips Joe, a rider who has way too much ability in all disciplines of mountain It really is this pretty and tranquil For 22 miles the canal is part of the 230m-deep Loch Ness the largest body of fresh water in the UK, holding more fresh water than all the lakes of England and Wales put together. Castles, many of them ruined during the 18th century Jacobite uprising, dot the landscape and peaks rise to 800m on either side of the canal. 72 Mountain Biking uk
bike-cruising We nip onto one of Joe s secret trails, a vertical ribbon of brown carved from a carpet of green moss We found the north face Ben Nevis trail one of the best natural outand-backs in the area biking. I look down at my 22/36t set-up and cry a little inside. At the end of our climb we pop out onto open hillside and into sunshine, where we snack on Clif Bars until the roar of randy rutting stags echoes a bit too close for comfort and we head back to the safety of our ship. Following Joe, we leave the obvious track behind and nip onto one of his secret trails, a vertical ribbon of brown carved out from a carpet of green moss. We rejoin the established singletrack in time to pass Bonnie Prince Charlie s cave his alleged hideout from 18th century English invaders after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden - and roll down switchbacks to the edge of the loch for a pedal back along the road to our mooring at Moy Swing Bridge. It has been a long, tiring day and galley duties are shunned in favour of a flat pedal along the canal side to Fort William and its treasure trove of curry houses. The next day we reach the mighty Neptune s Staircase, a flight of eight locks that dump the western end of the Caledonian Canal into the sea 19m below, and mark the limit of our cruising area. Mooring up at Banavie Locks we set ourselves up for a big day out a beautiful out-and-back ride to the north face of Ben Nevis. The weather is on our side and short sleeves emerge as we pedal up the steep climb that will bring us to the natural trail beneath Britain s highest peak. Water channels dot the outward leg with puncturerisking challenges, but they also add a dozen fun jumps to the return descent. As the trail tightens and spirals impossibly upwards towards Carn Dearg Meadhonach, we stop to take in the view. Behind us is the mighty Ben Nevis, and in front of us the crinkle-edged west coast of Scotland. It s spectacular. We re four days into our odyssey and will manage to squeeze in a couple more short rides on the sail back to Inverness, one of which will see Sophie fall and break her hand. But for the moment we have found our bounty a 10km singletrack descent back to Fort William and the comfort of a posh boat. No traffic jams, no Costa Coffee stops. Sometimes roadtrips just need a fresh approach, I think, and push my right crank forward. c Big open moorland and plenty to play on is what makes this Scotland need to know the canal s best riding Unless you re tackling the Great Glen trail, which parallels the 100km Caledonian Canal end to end, good day rides are to be had along the canal s route. While not exactly mooring at the trailhead, many trails are accessible from the specified boat mooring locations. We rode fun, natural trails shown on OS maps up the River Tarff (Fort Augustus/ Loch Ness), Invergarry (Loch Oich), Gairlochy/Achnacarry (Loch Lochy) and the north face Ben Nevis trail near Torlundy (Fort William/ Bonavie Locks). For a big day, try riding from Gairlochy to Kaig Falls and up behind Meall na Teanga on the north side of Loch Lochy, dropping back down to the loch side and returning via the Great Glenn Way path. There is also riding on the south side of Loch Ness from Foyers via Inverfarigaig (10km loop) and a 9km, 535m climb/descent loop from the Drumnadrochit mooring to the top of Meall Fuar-mhonaidh, the highest peak above Loch Ness on the north shore. Thanks to Scotland s open access policy, you can also check the walker s website (www.walkhighlands.co.uk) for more possibilities. 74 Mountain Biking uk