Hey, I’m cycling Dalwhinnie to Loch Ossian YH, any advice be great!

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NunoB

New Member
Hey, I’m cycling a couple of days next week in the highlands, a part I don’t know of.
Jumping off the train at dalwhinnie and cycling down to Loch Ossian Youth Hostel, no route determined yet, following google for now that is giving 3.5 hours.
Then next day getting the train at Corrour to Rannoch and cycling there to Pitlochry, again google is giving me 3.5hours.
I’m allowing myself double the time, not sure how well or fast google thinks I can cycle!
Any advice on routes, timings and spots to stop for a view or food be grand!
Thanks
 

andrew_s

Legendary Member
Location
Gloucester
From Dalwhinnie to Ossian SYHA, the route choices are...
a) A889 to Laggan, turn left on A86 to Luiblea, just after Loch Laggan (35 km), then forest/estate roads (unsurfaced) to Ossian (about 24 km).
b) Down the side of Loch Ericht to Ben Alder Lodge, swing right to Loch Pattack and the forest roads on the south side of Loch Laggan, to Luiblea, then the same route to Ossian. Same distance, unsurfaced forest/estate roads all the way.

A lot depends on the state of the unsurfaced roads, and what tyres you are using.
If you take the traffic free option (b), that's 60 km, at speeds that could be 10 - 12 kph, so allowing double google's time seems wise.

From Ossian to Pitlochry.
There an unsurfaced estate road from Ossian to the road a couple of miles east of Rannoch station, via "Corrour Old Lodge (ruin)", that's marked as a path on my Landranger OS. About 14 km. Google/Bing aerials show it as being too rough for a long day, but I'm informed that it's now much improved.
[edit - I checked the aerial photos at work, and they show the new track from the Rannoch end to about 500m before Corrour Old Lodge. If there's obvious good track by Ossian YH (I expect it to head for Peter's Rock), it wiil go right through.]
From Rannoch Station to Pitlochry is 60 km. It's probably worth taking the south side of Loch Rannoch to Kinloch Rannoch, and the south side of Loch Tummel from Tummel Bridge onwards.
Google's 3.5 hours is probably OK for Rannoch station to Pitlochry, with the track from Ossian being an extra 1 or 2 hours if you take it instead of the train.

In terms of food, I should work on the basis that there won't be any, other than what you carry, at least the first day.
There's a cafe at Dalwhinnie (between the station and the A889), a hotel by the A889/A86 junction (if you go that way, but it's a bit soon), a cafe/restaurant at Corrour station, a cafe and hotel at Rannoch station, cafe and hotels at Kinloch Rannoch, hotel at Tummel Bridge, and a couple along the north side of Loch Tummel.
 
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