Knoydart ...( we were so far ahead of the game !)

Not a million miles from me. Will have to check this out. Thanks for sharing

Not sure how long it's been out Glynn...I picked it up in Tesco ...

That part of Scotland is another stunning area i'll have to get back to, love it

The trails we rode are as follows...
Having arrived at Inverie and dumped our gear at the lodge it was about 4.00pm and having travelled up from the North East with a very early morning start to get to Mallaig in time for the ferry ..and having booked in to The Old Forge for dinner at 8.30 pm in advance of the trip for both nights ..we were limited for time .
We decided to ride on our chosen trail for 2 hours ...then turn back irrespective of how far we had got ..which gave us time to shower before dinner ..
We chose to visit Mam Li...a track which petered out anyway but was flanked by some impressive peaks and large waterfalls ..we also knew that a local rider had built a red route in the woodland above Inverie from the research we had done beforehand .
Both the natural and man-made didn't disappoint ...but his idea of a red was a little extreme .
We found out later that this guy was world renowned and was currently in South America building trails ..he was the son of Ian Wilson( can't remember his first name)..the owner of the boat we had chartered for day 3.
The second day after the aforementioned breakfast..the idea was to cross over to Barisdale and back and while there take a look up the Glen .
This is a well travelled path being the only way other than by sea that you can access the Knoydart Peninsula ..there is no access at all by vehicle .
The plan came to an abrupt halt part way up Mam Barisdale ..when there was mutiny in the ranks !
With the trail getting gnarlier and no riding having been done for the last 30 mins...just pushing and carrying plus we were getting pissed on by a storm which was almost tropical in strength ..Ian suddenly announced that he hadn't come all this way just to take his bike for a walk and suggested we turn back to follow a trail up another Glen which we had spotted earlier and looked a lot more promising .
Having researched the trail I knew that things would improve ..and must admit that I spit the dummy out a bit..but as Ian was pretty adamant and Colin also thought it a good idea ..went along with the majority .
As it turned out it was absolutely the right call ...the track which we had struggled up made for a fantastic descent and by the time we had crossed over
the bridge into Glen Meadail..the sun was out and it was the perfect spot to have our packed lunch while hanging out some layers of clothing to dry while we ate ..the river was in flood too and made for some great pics .
This trail is the one which is described in Singletrack magazine as a fantastic descent ..and it certainly is ..they however had been set down by boat at Sourlies the other side of the col..we were having to climb it to the high point from the opposite side before turning around.
I think we got the better deal as a good chunk of it was rideable whereas the route up from Sourlies was described as a push for an hour ..which I would take with a pinch of salt and say it would be closer to two!
The last couple of hundred metres or so were unrideable but determined to see the view we dumped the bikes to the side of the trail and walked to the high point ..which was a particular challenge for myself as being the only one with cleats on my shoes I was like bambi on ice!
Worth it though..the view was fantastic !
What goes up must come down and the descent was every bit as good as the magazine has described..
Upon returning Colin & myself couldn't resist an early evening pint outside the Old Forge ..the views across the water were fantastic ..Ian decided he hadn't done enough riding ( the mad fool) and set off to explore a coastal route which he later described as being totally chilled ..and I must admit we both felt a pang of envy for not having joined him .
That evening was notable for joining in the fun with a group of young ladies who were on a hen party trip from the Isle of Skye..and we were invited to join them on their high speed water taxi when it arrived at 9.30pm to take them back to Skye ..but thankfully common sense prevailed ...it's a long swim back !
Great fun though!
The last day was as described in my original thread ...
This to me is what the best mountain bike trips are all about ..spending time looking at a map..and having the balls to go out and do it ..not necessarily going where others have gone before ..
The opportunities to do this on our small Isle are getting harder as the popularity of our sport increases year by year..and the chance to find something undiscovered / unreported are less likely but when it works boy does it feel good ...
My pics from this trip are "locked " in my laptop..and try as I might I can't access a good few years worth ..if I ever work it out I will add to this post in the future !