Day off yesterday, so after dropping the wee man at nursery it was a quick trip back to the house to pack the bike in the back of the car and off to Dunkeld.
Been thinking about an alternative Bawbags route for an autumn meet and wanted to do some exploring. Turns out, I almost wish I hadn't.
Generally we go up to Loch Ordie then take the right fork at the end of the loch and loop clockwise round Deuchary hill. Looking at the maps the left fork heads north up to Lochan Oisinneach Mor and Lochan Oisinneach, loops round Capel Hill and come back to the start of Loch Ordie. Despite showing 100% battery when I packed, my garmin died after 2 mile, leaving me with the back up map on my phone. Map shows a mix of doubletrack and footpath but as OS veterans know, on Scottish maps most of the lines are a wild guess and can be anything from a motorway estate road to a track a rabbit went down once 100 years ago! Path started nicely enough, lovely and scenic, but soon started to get a bit wetter. It then deteriorated into boggy sections and soon just a plain bog. After a mile or so it improved and I can to a gate. Just as I got through a gate I met a couple coming the other way, who said the path was really boggy higher up and unrideable, although they'd just walked around the edges. They also told me that the gate at the far end was locked but I'd be able to carry the bike over. I pointed out to them that's easier said than done with a 25kg e-bike! On the map the was another path which cut round the back of Capel hill and would miss this boggy section and the top part of the loop, so I continued anyway. Big mistake. The path got worse as I'd been told and even with motor assistance turned up, I was off and squelching. The weird thing was the sections in between were bone dry, almost dusty then all of a sudden you'd have 20-30m of sheer bog. Predictable, when I came to the right area for the turn off, I could not see a track. Maybe if the garmin had been working I'd have found it, but from the looks of the terrain, the ground was even wetter than the path I was on. At least the main path was visible if not very pleasant. I'd not been the only one to attempt it by bike as they were recent Ritchey Z Max tyre prints, very retro! As I neared the top Lochan the track improved from boggy to just plain wet, but at least the ground underneath was a bit firmer. Thankfully the locked gate was just a standard gate and not a deer fence, so a good heft and the bike was over. Disappointingly the track around the Lochan got boggy again, but once on the anti-clockwise track to the north of it, things turned firmer again, wet but still rideable. As this track went on it entered sheep country and improved into a nicer landrover track and thankfully easier to ride. I was able to start to enjoy it again and started to find reassuring path markers for the Atholl estate. When I got nearer to Loch Ordie I had plenty of battery left and decided to take a path heading towards Guay. A fantastic decent followed and then a climb back up to the house with the bark dogs that you pass on the way out. From there it was just the reverse of the outward loop and an easy scoot back to the car.
Took 4 hours altogether including a bit of back tracking when I went the wrong way after Ordie on the way out, but this was with only a couple of stops and electric assistance.
Still a possible summer Bawbag route, but only after a good dry spell. No way a Baltic Bawbag route.
Here's some photos in no particular order.
Untitled by Steven Clubb, on Flickr
Untitled by Steven Clubb, on Flickr
Untitled by Steven Clubb, on Flickr
Untitled by Steven Clubb, on Flickr
Been thinking about an alternative Bawbags route for an autumn meet and wanted to do some exploring. Turns out, I almost wish I hadn't.
Generally we go up to Loch Ordie then take the right fork at the end of the loch and loop clockwise round Deuchary hill. Looking at the maps the left fork heads north up to Lochan Oisinneach Mor and Lochan Oisinneach, loops round Capel Hill and come back to the start of Loch Ordie. Despite showing 100% battery when I packed, my garmin died after 2 mile, leaving me with the back up map on my phone. Map shows a mix of doubletrack and footpath but as OS veterans know, on Scottish maps most of the lines are a wild guess and can be anything from a motorway estate road to a track a rabbit went down once 100 years ago! Path started nicely enough, lovely and scenic, but soon started to get a bit wetter. It then deteriorated into boggy sections and soon just a plain bog. After a mile or so it improved and I can to a gate. Just as I got through a gate I met a couple coming the other way, who said the path was really boggy higher up and unrideable, although they'd just walked around the edges. They also told me that the gate at the far end was locked but I'd be able to carry the bike over. I pointed out to them that's easier said than done with a 25kg e-bike! On the map the was another path which cut round the back of Capel hill and would miss this boggy section and the top part of the loop, so I continued anyway. Big mistake. The path got worse as I'd been told and even with motor assistance turned up, I was off and squelching. The weird thing was the sections in between were bone dry, almost dusty then all of a sudden you'd have 20-30m of sheer bog. Predictable, when I came to the right area for the turn off, I could not see a track. Maybe if the garmin had been working I'd have found it, but from the looks of the terrain, the ground was even wetter than the path I was on. At least the main path was visible if not very pleasant. I'd not been the only one to attempt it by bike as they were recent Ritchey Z Max tyre prints, very retro! As I neared the top Lochan the track improved from boggy to just plain wet, but at least the ground underneath was a bit firmer. Thankfully the locked gate was just a standard gate and not a deer fence, so a good heft and the bike was over. Disappointingly the track around the Lochan got boggy again, but once on the anti-clockwise track to the north of it, things turned firmer again, wet but still rideable. As this track went on it entered sheep country and improved into a nicer landrover track and thankfully easier to ride. I was able to start to enjoy it again and started to find reassuring path markers for the Atholl estate. When I got nearer to Loch Ordie I had plenty of battery left and decided to take a path heading towards Guay. A fantastic decent followed and then a climb back up to the house with the bark dogs that you pass on the way out. From there it was just the reverse of the outward loop and an easy scoot back to the car.
Took 4 hours altogether including a bit of back tracking when I went the wrong way after Ordie on the way out, but this was with only a couple of stops and electric assistance.
Still a possible summer Bawbag route, but only after a good dry spell. No way a Baltic Bawbag route.
Here's some photos in no particular order.
Untitled by Steven Clubb, on FlickrUntitled by Steven Clubb, on FlickrUntitled by Steven Clubb, on FlickrUntitled by Steven Clubb, on Flickr
