This was another route I’ve been looking at doing for some time, and one that will feature in my forthcoming book. Yesterday I got the train to Newtonmore and headed off towards Laggan, then up and over the Corrieyairack Pass to Fort Augustus.
The cycle to Laggan and on to Melgarve is a beautiful 20-mile cycle ride in itself, then the tough bit started! General Wade’s road is tough going, and there are long stretches where it’s not really possible to ride, especially on the Laggan side.
It’s a spectacular trip though, and you can imagine how wild this place would once have been (especially before the pylons were installed). It’s still pretty remote today, though, and it climbs to over 2,500ft above sea level, so you need to be prepared for a mountain-top adventure.
I decided it would be a good idea to cycle back to Inverness later in the afternoon, on top of doing the pass. When I got home, sometime after darkness fell, I was well and truly exhausted. Thankfully Meg had cooked up a nice roast dinner, which was just what I needed after a long day in the saddle!