My friend Cath and I enjoyed a bike-and-hike adventure to the remote Scottish estate of Corrour. We bagged two Munros, Sgòr Gaibhre and Càrn Dearg, and the Corbett, Meall na Meoig – Beinn Pharlagain.
Bikepacking, wild camping – and dinner at a restaurant
Cath and I left a vehicle beside the B846, opposite a track end signposted “Public Footpath to Ft William by Corrour”. This is a couple of kilometres shy of Rannoch Station.
We rode our bikes on a rough track to Corrour Station. The distance was almost 16km and 380m of ascent.
We had all the kit we would need to camp and then walk the mountains the next day packed into bags, bike-packs and in rucksacks. See kit list below.
This is not an easy bike ride, especially when carrying all your own kit, because there is quite a bit of climb. However, it is easy to navigate.
The views are also beautiful. It takes only minutes to feel like you are in a very remote landscape.
Towards the end of the ride, I wondered if we were ever going to see Loch Ossian, which is at the heart of Corrour. Finally, as we crested the last hill, we saw the beautiful waters below us.
Loch Ossian Youth Hostel is located at the end of the loch but it was fully booked.
We rode along a short section of the southern shore of the loch, heading west and towards our evening meal.
Meeting friends for dinner at Corrour
My friend Myrid had booked a night at the Signal Box accommodation with her son Rowan. She had suggested I meet her and Ro for an evening meal at Corrour Station Restaurant. This gave Cath and I an excellent reason to cycle to Corrour. Two more of Myrid’s friends, Lindsay and Kirsten, joined us.
Myrid, Ro and her friends had used the West Highland Line train service to access Corrour.
We enjoyed a superb meal and drink – the food is excellent and the staff are great – before Cath and I retired to our tents. We are fortunate in Scotland to be able to wild camp and the only challenge was finding a flat and soft area of ground for two tents that was not wet and boggy.
Cycle, plus two Munros and a Corbett
I had long had my eye on a route on foot to complete two Munros, Sgòr Gaibhre and Càrn Dearg, and the Corbett, Meall na Meoig – Beinn Pharlagain. While I’d previously walked the two Munros as part of my first Munro round, I had not bagged the Corbett.
Cath was new to all three summits and since she is training for the Dragon’s Back Race this year, she was keen to get some elevation in her legs.
We awoke to a bright and sunny day. Overnight temperatures had dipped below zero and we had frost on our tents.
After a camp breakfast, we packed up our camping kit and reattached it to our bikes. Saying goodbye to Myrid, we headed back along the track towards Rannoch. Some 4km before reaching the road, we stopped, parked our bikes and headed uphill on foot towards the mountain summits.
The route took us in a clockwise direction to Càrn Dearg first, then Sgòr Gaibhre and on to the Corbett, Meall na Meoig on the Beinn Pharlagain ridge.
We thoroughly enjoyed the route with fabulous views. Cath is great company and she never complains about the distance or the rugged route. You need a companion like this when taking on a challenging adventure.
After reclaiming our bikes, we rode joyfully downhill back to my van.
One thing I did note is that while the gravel bike is excellent for uphills and on the flat, eve on rough and rugged tracks, when going downhill I miss the suspension of a mountain bike. My arms and shoulders were pretty jarred and sore by the end of the ride.
Kit list for Corrour bike and hike
Gravel bike or mountain bike: The track is rough and steep in places.
I have a Liv Devote Advanced 1 gravel bike.
Bike packs, bags attached to a pannier rack and/or rucksack.
I use Alpkit’s excellent bike packs. I have a Koala 13l and a handlebar bag. I also carried kit in an Osprey Talon Earth 22 rucksack.
Lightweight tent: I thought about a bivvy bag, such as the Outdoor Research Helium Bivy (weights 450g) but I wasn’t keen on a bivvy bag in very cold tempertures.
Instead, I took my old one-person Mountain Hardwear tent that weighs around 800g. They don’t make this model one anymore.
Take a look at my posts:
Sleeping bag: I took a Therm-a-rest Hyperion™ 20F/-6C Sleeping Bag. Weighs 580g. It is a lovely bag that feels lightweight and fluffed up when inside the bag. I was just warm enough (I also wore a lightweight down jacket overnight) for temperatures that dipped below zero at Corrour. I see one for sale on Amazon.
Inflatable mattress: Sea To Summit Ether Light XT Mat. This is lightweight and really comfortable.
Pillow: Cath took a Sea to Summit inflatable pillow. I simply stuffed a small dry bag with excess clothes.
Cooking system: MSR windburner stove and coffee press kit. Plus a small gas canister, lighter, foldable plastic cup and spork.
I decided to have fresh coffee for breakfast, plus granola and a squeezy yoghurt. Cath went to townwith two boiled eggs and pre-made toast soldiers. My coffee press addition to the MSR stove worked a treat.
Lots of food and snacks for the cycling and hiking.
Two soft flasks of water. It was easy to find fresh water at Corrour.
Clothes:
Cycling kit: Padded shorts, t-shirt, baselayer, lightweight waterproof jacket (Montane Spine Gore-tex jacket), long-fingered cycling gloves, bike helmet, trail shoes for cycling and hiking.
Plus puncture repair kit, spare inner tube, bike pump.
Hiking kit: Skort, tights, fresh t-shirt, insulated jacket, extra gloves, waterproof trousers, buff, Ultimate Direction Adventure Vest 5 pack. I see the pack is for sale on Wiggle.
Other stuff: I also had Silva Trail Runner Free H head torch, map, compass, iphone with routes loaded on to OS Maps app, sunglasses, cash, ear-plugs, small pot of moisteriser (doubles as sun lotion), toothbrush and toothpaste, wet wipes, toilet paper, small bag for toileting (we we fortunate to be able to use the Corrour station toilets) and emergency bivvy bag. Cath carried a small first aid kit and bike lock as well.
Corbetts bagged: 112
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