Fatbiking to Munros

Munro: a Scottish hill over 3000ft (915m). We’d been climbing them off and on for the past decade and, having acquired a habit of cycling to peaks in the Andes, thought we’d give it a whirl in Scotland on newly acquired Genesis Caribou fatbikes. Fully expecting the weather to be lousy we foresaw cutting the trip short when it became too miserable, but after the wettest summer in years we got lucky – just the 1 hour of drizzle in 12 days. Cue some fantastic off-road biking and hiking in some wild, unspoilt landscapes.

Assembling the bikes at Lairg trainstation

Assembling bikes by torchlight at Lairg station.

A Highlands A-road

Highlands A-road.

En route to Ben Hope

En route to Ben Hope, the second of the trip’s eleven Munros.

Gazing at Ben Hope

Sizing up Ben Hope, and working out where to stash the fatties as we trotted up the hill on foot.

Ruins near Ben Hope

The luggage setup revolved around dry bags and podsac straps. Not the quickest or most convenient way to store kit, but it was cheap, waterproof and worked pretty well.

En route to Ben Hope

About to head off-road into Glen Golly.

Anti-midge tactics in Glen Golly

The ferocity of the midges took us by surprise and meant camping was not the relaxing experience it normally is. Until we were able to get our hands on some midge nets, the face buff was the best protection.

Shortcut to Arkle

A fun little shortcut to Arkle.

Shortcut to Arkle

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En route to Arkle

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Arkle campsite, near the bealach

Our Arkle campsite, complete with Foinavon views.

Foinavon on the walk up Arkle

Foinavon, on the walk up Arkle.

On top of Arkle

Near the top of Arkle.

Descending to Loch Stack

Descending from Arkle to Loch Stack.

Descending from Arkle

Nearing the paving after the descent from Arkle.

Offroad near Ben Stack

Off-road near Ben Stack.

Checking we're on-track, near Ben Stack

Checking we’re on-track, near Ben Stack.

Descending to Kylestrome

Descending to Kylestrome.

Ben More Assynt

Ben More Assynt.

On Ben More Assynt

On Ben More Assynt.

On Ben More Assynt

Still on Ben More Assynt.

On Ben More Assynt

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Lochinver sunset

Sunset in Lochinver. We detoured to the coast on day 5 for the only well stocked shops of the 12 day trip.

Bothy home for the night

Our bothy home for the night, complete with dartboard.

Descending a windy Suilven

Descending a windy Suilven.

Offroading to Ledmore Junction

Taking the rough route to Ledmore Junction.

By Cam Loch

By Cam Loch, getting to the end of a good few hours of pushing.

Cycling along the shores of Cam Loch

Riding along the shores of Cam Loch.

In Strathcarron

Heading upvalley on the deserted road in Strathcarron.

Wildlife in Gleann Mor

Some impassive wildlife in Gleann Mor.

Riding up Gleann Mor

Riding up Gleann Mor.

In Gleann Mor

Some nice 4WD tracks in Gleann Mor.

In Gleann Mor

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Looking west from Am Faochagach

Looking west from the summit of Am Faochagach.

Looking north-west from Am Faochagach

…and the view north-west.

Checking out the long-term forecast on Meall nan Ceapraichean

With phone reception hard to come by the Munro tops were the most reliable bet. Neil managed to organise a job interview in a gale on Suilven; here’s Haz checking the long term weather forecast.

Looking out from Glenbeg bothy at the deer

Looking out from Glenbeg bothy at the deer.

Escaping the bogs in Gleann Beag

Escaping the bogs in Gleann Beag. Not much riding was done up there…

What happens when you use your leg to catch the pan of boiling water that's falling off your camp stove

A nice calf shot to finish. This is what happens when you use your leg to catch the pan of boiling water that’s falling off your camp stove…

3 thoughts on “Fatbiking to Munros

    1. Harriet and Neil Post author

      There is a bit of HAB but you’ll be lighter loaded than us and are stronger so you’ll cycle more. Can get you stats on amount of HAB if you like. Also have coffee shop waymarked etc that we can share

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