MacRetro chat and rides thread

old_coyote_pedaller":s3hbszpp said:

mikee said "not bikeable by the sane."

Can I just say "you're mental"

Admittedly it's years ago since a mate and I did the Skye Ridge in one go (over 2 days, with bivvy on ridge ) but there's no way I'd like to take a bike along path to Sgurr nan Eag. We walked further to foot of scree slopes rising to Gars-bheinn at 895m, the Bealach a Garbh-Coire must be around same height or slightly lower, I was ready for topping myself with just a rucksac on my back climbing up to Gars-bheinn.
On the other hand if you have got the determination to climb over the bealach with a bike, finding your way down An Garbh-Coire should be well within your capabilities.

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why thank you.. but

the climb up from the end of the marked path (on the map) to the coire ghrunnda is more challenging due to the size of the boulders, it's a right threat to the ankles.. The climb from the tarn / coire itself to the bealach a Garbh choire is an easy and enjoyable scramble (and I'm not the most confident in exposed climbs), confident that you could get a bike up there. Can't remember how possible it would be to get down the other side, will need to look out my pic's from the last few visits to that part of the ridge.

It's just a pity there's no talked off coast paths south of the hills around to coruisk.. although will need to check how the fella did in skye365 (i think it was called) the tale of walking the entire coast around skye..

I don't doubt it's possible, as my Dad used to say, "Time and perseverance pished a hole in a stane".

If you manage to climb to the bealach you should be OK on other side, care at top where it is steep then easier as gradient lessens.

I've done a fair few things that others have thought "Why?", like 2 mates and I abseiling into a gorge, with our canoes, to paddle river at foot of gorge. The 3 of us made it out but with only 2 canoes, I escaped with my life but my canoe died.

When you've done it we who've been up there on foot will know just what you've done.

Important point troops is an epic for the National event has to be within the capabilities of a broad spectrum of rider abilities right down to not very good. Also it needs to be rideable on retro kit and as riding a bike as opposed to walking/scrambling/climbing whilst carrying a bike is the main point of a bike trip some suggestions are getting a wee bit mad

velo, don't think Skye was being put forward as a venue for National event.
It was just a parallel discussion to the others that go on here.


And by the way, who did you have in mind as to the "not very good" rider?

Why me of course

However with a national meet you dont know the ability of who'll show up !

Also if its not a national i'm not showing up to a porter a bike up a cliff face meet, I didn't join retroclimb

velomaniac":l6dbrm4u said:

I didn't join retroclimb

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Have I mentioned my collection of 1970s and 1980s ice axes?

gmac - the carry over that bealach could be, well, well dangerous (d'ya see what I did there?) but I'd be interested to explore further. I've no plans for Skye in the immediate future though unfortunately, unless a window of dry clear weather over xmas/new year....... :twisted:


TBH I've enough difficulty keeping a clear head up those hills without thinking about a bike

sorry velo, wasn't suggesting my harebrained Skye route for the national, it's just something I'd been thinking about for while that I've found myself recently getting carried away with. :?

for the national, still keen on the the cairngorms, always fancied the route in singletrack,however I've never climbed any hills or spent much time in the area to make any insightful or valuable suggestions

http://singletrackworld.com/trailguide/ ... airngorms/

back to my harebrained plan,

old_coyote_pedaller":2f9gwn9m said:

I don't doubt it's possible, as my Dad used to say, "Time and perseverance pished a hole in a stane".

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- I think that's just become the moto for this plan

Mr Panda":2f9gwn9m said:

gmac - the carry over that bealach could be, well, well dangerous (d'ya see what I did there?) but I'd be interested to explore further. I've no plans for Skye in the immediate future though unfortunately, unless a window of dry clear weather over xmas/new year....... :twisted:

TBH I've enough difficulty keeping a clear head up those hills without thinking about a bike

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the carry up to the coire is from memory more difficult (with a bike) than the sramble up to the bealach

investigate more I thinks, as humphing up a hill is ok to be rewarded by an enjoyable decent on the other side, which is unlikely to be the case down a pathless coire...

original idea was to find a route route the black hills, not over the black hills. slig to glenbrittle is fine, coruisk to slig is fine, it's just the glenbrittle to coruisk that needs working out.

bought a cheap 2nd hand copy of the Skye 360, tale of a fella that walked all 360 miles of skyes coast line, so it'll be interesting to see how he did it. i've spent an evening onboard a boat moored SE of Ghars Bheinn and it very rough terrain

it's defo' a spring mission during the dry season on skye

ocp/panda - also meant to say thanks for the cautionary tones, as should be on any hill, and perhaps more so in these hills

Graham - I have a book which describes a VERY rough path from C. Grunnda around to the south and east of Gars-Bheinn up to approx 1000ft ASL, then lowering near The Mad Burn :shock: to Coruisk......GULP.

Description starts off:

This is a very difficult walk by normal standards and should only be attempted by those with good scrambling and navigation abilities who are fit and have the sense to retreat if necessary.


It then goes on to describe wild river crossings, points of retreat, and routes along a shelf :shock:

Errrr (on the side of caution) - could be interesting whilst carrying a bike, as that's probably what would be required most of the time

I'll try to scan it and post up tonight.

yip, having seen it from the sea, it doesn't look readily pass-able, certainly not whilst shouldering a bike... there's about 5 burns heading to sea, some via cliff section.

was thinking it'll be like the Idrigal loop in the NW of skye, where you're happily pedalling along the cliff tops, then encounter a gorged burn and have to head various distances inland to safe place to cross and carry on... only alot more rocky and dangerous...

plan C is now, contact bella jane boat trips in elgol and see if they'll pick you up in glenbrittle and take you to coruisk. downside - it'll need numbers to mitigate costs, and weather (as always)