Oban to Ballachulish

[Newcyclist67]

Hi all

I am considering cycling this route which is on Route 78. Just wondered if anyone has done this route. Is it all off road and fairly flat? Anything else i.e small shops along the way?

Thank you

Stuart

 

[Baldy]

Not done it all, but Connal Bridge to Ballachulish does have a cycle path. It wanders around a bit and crosses the road a couple of times, if memory serves me well.

 

[Newcyclist67]

Cheers, Baldy. I’ve ordered the Sustrans map but looking for some info / details to help me decide 🙂

 

[ColinJ]

I think there might still be one or two short sections where you have to use the A828?

There used to be an on-road section at North Ledaig but an agreement has been reached with the caravan site owner there to allow access through his site to the cycle path beyond.

Benderloch has at least one village shop. The cycle path from there to Barcaldine is very good and flat.

At Barcaldine, you go 'off piste' and climb slightly round the fringes of Barcladine Forest before dropping back towards the road at Sutherland's Grove. Nothing too severe, but definitely not flat for about 3 kms.

You can cross over Creagan Bridge from South Creagan but I liked the diversion inland on a quiet road round the end of Loch Creran. It adds about 8 km to the distance and it does include a stiff little climb before a quick descent to Creagan at the northern end of the bridge.

The path from Creagan to Portnacroish is very good, but I liked the road detour to the left and round to Port Appin. I encountered a surprisingly steep little climb/descent on that road, but it wasn't long, so a short walk if you found it too hard. IIRC there was a hotel with a seafood restaurant there. You can also catch a ferry the short distance across to Lismore. I haven't done that, but when I was sitting at the jetty I saw families getting off the ferry with their bikes, having explored the little island.

From the path at Portnacroish, you get a fine view of Castle Stalker. You have probably seen it on tins of shortbread, or if you are a Monty Python fan, here...

I didn't follow the path any further towards Ballachulish (and it is a few years since I was up there anyway), so I'm not sure if the missing bits of cycle path have been built yet? (At the time, there were negotiations going on with landowners for access, and I think even thoughts of building a cantilever-supported path in places over the loch.)

PS Definitely NOT flat, but a lovely alternative route from Connel is to head east along the shore of Loch Etive towards Bonawe then turn left and head over Gleann Salach and rejoin the cycle path at Barcaldine.

Quite a few of my Scottish ancestors are buried in the cemetery at Ardchattan Priory.

 

[Newcyclist67]

I think there might still be one or two short sections where you have to use the A828?

There used to be an on-road section at North Ledaig but an agreement has been reached with the caravan site owner there to allow access through his site to the cycle path beyond.

Benderloch has at least one village shop. The cycle path from there to Barcaldine is very good and flat.

At Barcaldine, you go 'off piste' and climb slightly round the fringes of Barcladine Forest before dropping back towards the road at Sutherland's Grove. Nothing too severe, but definitely not flat for about 3 kms.

You can cross over Creagan Bridge from South Creagan but I liked the diversion inland on a quiet road round the end of Loch Creran. It adds about 8 km to the distance and it does include a stiff little climb before a quick descent to Creagan at the northern end of the bridge.

The path from Creagan to Portnacroish is very good, but I liked the road detour to the left and round to Port Appin. I encountered a surprisingly steep little climb/descent on that road, but it wasn't long, so a short walk if you found it too hard. IIRC there was a hotel with a seafood restaurant there. You can also catch a ferry the short distance across to Lismore. I haven't done that, but when I was sitting at the jetty I saw families getting off the ferry with their bikes, having explored the little island.

From the path at Portnacroish, you get a fine view of Castle Stalker. You have probably seen it on tins of shortbread, or if you are a Monty Python fan, here...

I didn't follow the path any further towards Ballachulish (and it is a few years since I was up there anyway), so I'm not sure if the missing bits of cycle path have been built yet? (At the time, there were negotiations going on with landowners for access, and I think even thoughts of building a cantilever-supported path in places over the loch.)

PS Definitely NOT flat, but a lovely alternative route from Connel is to head east along the shore of Loch Etive towards Bonawe then turn left and head over Gleann Salach and rejoin the cycle path at Barcaldine.

View attachment 535987

Quite a few of my Scottish ancestors are buried in the cemetery at Ardchattan Priory.

I think there might still be one or two short sections where you have to use the A828?

There used to be an on-road section at North Ledaig but an agreement has been reached with the caravan site owner there to allow access through his site to the cycle path beyond.

Benderloch has at least one village shop. The cycle path from there to Barcaldine is very good and flat.

At Barcaldine, you go 'off piste' and climb slightly round the fringes of Barcladine Forest before dropping back towards the road at Sutherland's Grove. Nothing too severe, but definitely not flat for about 3 kms.

You can cross over Creagan Bridge from South Creagan but I liked the diversion inland on a quiet road round the end of Loch Creran. It adds about 8 km to the distance and it does include a stiff little climb before a quick descent to Creagan at the northern end of the bridge.

The path from Creagan to Portnacroish is very good, but I liked the road detour to the left and round to Port Appin. I encountered a surprisingly steep little climb/descent on that road, but it wasn't long, so a short walk if you found it too hard. IIRC there was a hotel with a seafood restaurant there. You can also catch a ferry the short distance across to Lismore. I haven't done that, but when I was sitting at the jetty I saw families getting off the ferry with their bikes, having explored the little island.

From the path at Portnacroish, you get a fine view of Castle Stalker. You have probably seen it on tins of shortbread, or if you are a Monty Python fan, here...

I didn't follow the path any further towards Ballachulish (and it is a few years since I was up there anyway), so I'm not sure if the missing bits of cycle path have been built yet? (At the time, there were negotiations going on with landowners for access, and I think even thoughts of building a cantilever-supported path in places over the loch.)

PS Definitely NOT flat, but a lovely alternative route from Connel is to head east along the shore of Loch Etive towards Bonawe then turn left and head over Gleann Salach and rejoin the cycle path at Barcaldine.

View attachment 535987

Quite a few of my Scottish ancestors are buried in the cemetery at Ardchattan Priory.

That’s great, thanks Colin

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Have a look at

https://cycle.travel/map?from=Oban&....415695,-5.4734688&toLL=56.6767553,-5.1325011

If you tap on the route it uses geograph and / or street view to pull in photos.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Once you hit A828 there is a wide cycle way on the left . It is separate, I.e. raised rather than just white paint.

 

[HLaB]

Hi all

I am considering cycling this route which is on Route 78. Just wondered if anyone has done this route. Is it all off road and fairly flat? Anything else i.e small shops along the way?

Thank you

Stuart

If you haven't seen it google picks up this it looks braw, enjoy

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIyikKG4yiU

 

[Newcyclist67]

Thanks for the replies.
The scenery looks tremendous!👍🏼

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It is when you can see it 😃

 

[ColinJ]

It is when you can see it 😃

Yes! You need a summer like the one I spent up there in the 1960s, when we had blazing sunshine all day, every day, for 6 weeks. As opposed to the one I spent up there a different year in the 1960s, when we had torrential rain all day, every day, for 6 weeks...

 

[Ajax Bay]

We rode this road both ways on the West Highland 1000. In a fit of enthusiam I tried to follow the cycle path for sections - all tarmacced, afaicr. If you're touring it's fine. If you've got places to go and Corran ferries to catch (or pizzas at Oban to buy/consume) to it starts getting a bit tiresome. But that day (Oban, Creagan, Kinlochleven, Arachle (on Moidart) Lochailort was just the best (via Corran ferry, twice).
Benderloch has a small shop with decent opening hours.
The Creagan Inn is a typical roadside pub.
Portnacroish has the Castle Stalker cafe.
On an end-to-end I sidestepped the A828 by taking the ferry to Mull and then back to the mainland Fishnish>Lochaline and rode via Camasnacroise to catch the Ardgour>Corran ferry.
How about a loop? https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33398236?beta=false
A longer loop could go via Tobermory and the ferry across to Ardnamurchan (Kilchoan).

 

[Newcyclist67]

Thanks for the other replies. Looking like mid September

 

[Ajax Bay]

Midge cream.
https://www.smidgeup.com/midge-forecast/
In mid September '15 they only started 'feeding' north of Oban.

 

[Ajax Bay]

@Newcyclist67
Some pictures on this account of a ride along it all, there and back (and more to start with):
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=97562.msg2525197;topicseen#msg2525197
"Ft William - Kinlocheil - Kinlochleven - Oban - Ballachulish. The final 110km from Ballachulish to Oban and back was almost all on the dedicated cycle path. The only exception was the 2km between the south end of the Connel Bridge and Dunbeg."
View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/53825982