Earlier this year, I found inspiration through a blog post on Real Cycling (link below) – the 22 mile cul-de-sac from Invergarry to Kinloch Hourn. Prior to reading the article, I had been scanning both Google & OS maps working out how to get to Portree from Fort William via Kylerhea. The problem is, Google directions takes you up the A82 and along the A87, cutting any sort of coastal route to Skye, which would be soul destroying. If you happened to follow the blog link, you’ll have noticed that there are two alternatives to the writer’s route – one being a ferry taxi from Corran to Kinloch Hourn (which they took) and the other a pony track connecting the two villages. This is where my thinking began… How bad could the pony track be! After some research, I didn’t find much information apart from another short article describing the steep climb out from Kinloch Hourn (also linked). So, I thought why not – it seemed logical at the time.
I’ll say now that we were lucky to have had good weather. Not only was this beneficial for the views but without that sunny day we would have struggled to follow the track. It was definitely worth the effort pushing a steel vintage (with tent & panniers) up steep gravel tracks, however, if I were doing it again I would seriously reconsider what gear I was taking. I recommend studying an OS map of the area very carefully as this is how we managed to guess-work the direction we needed to take in order to follow some sort of track or even footprints at certain points.
Nevertheless, we got through the rough and the trip was dreamy. The road from Invergarry to Kinloch Hourn, in particular, was breathtaking. Arriving on the Isle of Skye into Kylerhea from Glenelg was also special, a very different feel to taking the Skye bridge. The climb out of Kylerhea is rewarding at the top. On the Isle of Skye, it’s a shame that the A87 is the only way to get to Portree from Broadford/Kyle of Lochalsh because it is heaving in August/September with motor-tourists and transport lorries. I wonder if there’s talk of building a cycle route at all…
http://realcycling.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/22-mile-cul-de-sac-britains-oddest-road.html
http://www.britishwalks.org/walks/2003/503.php
The route
Fort William – Caledonian Canal cycle path – Invergarry – Kinloch Hourn – Corran – Glenelg – Kylerhea – Broadford – Portree – Kyle of Lochalsh
(Directions for the pony track from Kinloch Hourn to Corran are described neatly in the 2nd weblink above. The track is very steep coming from the campsite at KH, follow the power lines roughly at the start. There’s no other way but to walk up and push the bike – something we had to do for 2/3rds of the journey to Corran. Shortly after the initial uphill there are two paths that bifurcate, one higher than the other that eventually peels off to the right – take the lower path that dips slightly down the valley. From there, it’s guesswork half-guided by the power lines until you reach the river that’ll take you to coast.)
the baker's bicycle blog 