Venue: Loch Maree

Photos for Gairloch & Loch Maree

Videos for Gairloch & Loch Maree

Comments and ratings for Gairloch & Loch Maree

Sadly the Tollie path back to Slatterdale has suffered massive water damage making the second half of it nigh on unrideable. It's a shame - you can tell it used to be great, but it's now one of the ma... read whole comment... thinkdrastic gave this trail 2 stars about 2 years ago

Rode this route on Saturday. the First singletrack section between Loch Bad an Scalaig and Gairloch was really good fun. really fast and flowy. Not technical in the slightest, but good fun. Tollie ... read whole comment... charliebonkers gave this trail 1 stars about 2 years ago

Lovely little route. The return leg from Loch Tollaidh to the car park starts off lovely and smooth but things get a lot more technical as you progress. Slow rather than flowing but challenging. Fanta... read whole comment... fink gave this trail 4 stars about 4 years ago

Great ride, best done on a Summer's day! Shame about the on-road Gairloch to Tollaidh stretch, but it's a quiet road and doesn't last long. "Hard" tech grading applies only to the Tollaidh to Slattada... read whole comment... cat89 gave this trail 5 stars about 5 years ago

Gairloch & Loch Maree

This circular route is a great way to enjoy the beautiful varied scenery this corner of Scotland has to offer, from the imposing slendour of Slioch and Beinn Eighe to the simple delights of Gairloch's sandy beaches, with their views of Skye and the Western Isles.

The riding comprises woodland singletrack between Loch Bad an Scalaig and Gairloch, a few miles on the relatively quiet road through Gairloch over towards Poolewe and, finally, a circa 8km stretch of rocky singletrack alongside Loch Maree.

If you have a willing driver, you can omit the road miles by starting at Tollaidh and getting picked up at Slattadale.

NB - reversing this route is not recommended as the Tollaidh-Slattadale section is much better ridden North to South than vice-versa.

The route:

From the FC carpark, head back up towards the main road, taking the turning right (tag 1) up onto the A832, then turning right again towards Gairloch. Continue on the road until you reach the end of Loch Bad an Scalaig, where you should turn off onto the path to your right (tag 2).

Follow this path through the woods and up over the hill to Kerrysdale, then round the back of the buildings (tag 3) to continue along through Kerry Wood to Flowerdale Glen. At the fireroad crossing (tag 4) you have the option of taking the fireroad up the hill for a detour to Flowerdale Falls, or simply continuing down the singletrack to Gairloch. This path conveniently brings you out at The Old Inn (tag 5) which serves good food and ale.

From this point on, take the main road (A832) through the village and follow it round to the right at the North end of the town, heading up over the hill towards Poolewe.

About 1km after Loch Tollaidh and just before a left hand bend, turn right onto the trail marked to Slattadale (tag 6). This path begins with a bit of a climb, but that is rewarded with an excellent technical descent down towards the beautiful Loch Maree. The gradient then levels out a bit for the latter few km of this final leg, but there is still some up-down and also a fair number of water bars to keep you on your toes.

Photos for Poca Buidhe and back

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Comments and ratings for Poca Buidhe and back

Hard going at first, as some uphills are quite steep and loose. A great ride once you get into it though, and out by the loch really does feel like you're in the wilderness! cat89 gave this trail 4 stars about 5 years ago

Poca Buidhe and back

This linear route follows a rough rocky trail and climbs up through forest and open hillside to Loch na h-Oidhche (Loch of the Night) and Poca Buidhe (yellow bothy), set amid a dramatic mountainous background.

This route is shown as starting from the small carpark off the A832 just a few hundred yards East of Loch Bad an Scalaig, but may also be started from the larger Slattadale carpark (4km East).

The route:

PLEASE NOTE: The route mapped, and therefore distance calculated, is for the outward leg only - the ride is about 20km and takes around 4 hours.

From the carpark, cross the road onto the rocky trail with the sign for Loch Bad an Scalaig pinewood. Follow this as it leads over a small bridge (tag 1) and climbs into the hills, ignoring any paths diverging from this trail (tags 2 & 3).

The track climbs round to the right of the hillock of Meall Lochan na Geala before descending slightly and crossing the Abhainn Loch na h-Oidhche using stepping-stones (tag 4). This is usually easy, but if the stream is in spate it may be necessary to turn back here.

Beyond the track climbs gently once more before a first glimpse of Loch na h-Oidche is seen ahead. Continue along the trail as it follows the Eastern shore of the loch, offering views of Baosbheinn across a couple of sandy beaches.

At the far end of the loch, the track climbs slightly to reach Poca Buidhe, a small fishing/shooting hut (locked). Although the path continues beyond this, it just leads to a few small fishing lochs and is not easily passable by bike.

Return by way of the same route. Do not be tempted to take the waymarked path off to the left (tag 3) as an alternative return as this track becomes very boggy and indestinct.

Photos for Torridon highlights

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Comments and ratings for Torridon highlights

I did this route on 24/8/2016 in perfect weather . We started from the layby in Annat. The first 6km took 3 hours with lots of pushing, the fun starts with the descent to Achnaschellach. Take care ... read whole comment... medtheshed gave this trail 5 stars about 11 months ago

A classic, also called the Lollipop route neilneep gave this trail 5 stars about 1 year ago

Torridon highlights

Combination of MBR's top 20 Torridon route and the MBR 2011 trail of the year.

The scenery on this route is spectacular and undoubtedly you'll want to stop frequently to take pictures so factor this into the time.