I biked it solo 3 years ago, i did Conich and the low route up Loch Lomond. Day 1 from Milngavie to Beinglass. Its been said before but nothing, no amount of research or talking to folk prepares you for that section. Another great video 🎉
What a great effort! I remember doing it back in 1997 and the regular self to north direction on a Kona Hardtail with hydraulic rim brakes. Absolutely loved it aside from carrying the bike from Kinlochleven up to the drovers’ road with a hangover from hell 🍺 🤢 and then tackling the quagmire through the forest before Fort Bill. A great few days 👍 Well done 👏
Great video. I walked the WHW many years ago over 8 days and loved it. The walk along the loch was mostly knee deep in mud. It was miserable, so I can’t imagine how tough it would be on a mtb. Well done.
Laura Jane, that was epic! If I was to ask someones opinion of the difficulty of a ride, I would ask you as you tell it like it is and not sugar coated. Thanks for letting us enjoy the W H W from the comfort of my couch!
Fantastic achievement Laura and Gavin! Proper epic ride. Fantastic views as you said with the bluebells out too looked amazing. You must have been exhausted after that.👌👊👊👊🤙😃
Fantastic, so well filmed and narrated, I'm really impressed. Just found your site, so I think I have some catching up on previous adventures to do, Lucky me. ATB Big Dave Scotland
Well done to both of you! Have cycled various sections and can vouch for how rough it can get in bits but worth it for amazing scenery, a great achievement to tick off, congrats! 🎉😁👍
Small world! this randomly popped up on my feed and you guys passed us (4 guys, 3 dogs) on the hike a bike section on loch lomond! you guys were the talk of Beinglas campsite that night!
That is a route I have thought about taking on with my eMTB but looking at certain sections especially along Loch Lomond I think I will give it a miss as carrying my bike is a non starter but the walk function would help on other bits. The scenery in Scotland really is stunning and to see the bits of Scotland only walkers, cyclists and keepers see is really special. Thanks for bringing us along. Well done on completion.
Thanks! If going south-north there is an option to take a ferry across and cycle the worst loch lomond section on the road - not the official WHW but for the sake of a few miles means you can still do 95% of the route. There probably are still some sections before it that would need a bit of carrying though. Absolutely, it's a really nice way to experience a different side of Scotland - I do enjoy touring! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks!
I did this last May on my ebike with my son. He used a conventional hard tail. We did it over 4 days staying b+b , this was to enjoy it instead of slogging it out. It was good to have someone with me to help handle the bike around Loch Lomond. There are ladders to very narrow bridge's over streams and rocky descents where we had to lower the bikes between eachother. My bike weighed about 31kg with luggage on and another 7kg on my back.( Water and battery charger) . Rear suspension locked out because of the luggage. You can't move around the bike with the luggage on so handling is different on descents. Also don't do the whole of the Lock Lomond path as we chose to do use the 6 miles of slightly higher up gravel path or you will be in for 13 miles of hell.
@@denfath5010 Thanks for that advice. To be fair after watching the film I decided that section would not be pleasurable especially after walking part of that section. Even some of the not too difficult parts are above my grade of biking skills maybe in my younger years I would have not thought twice but not on a bike I could have bought a car instead with the money I will not be risking it. There are other routes that look more enjoyable but not so close to home.
I did it last year (heading north). We got to Inversnaid feeling quite smug thinking this Lomond section isn’t that bad, even had a pint at the hotel…5 minutes later we had entered the gates of hell.
I cycled that route 6 years ago, did it over 3 days. That first day traversing loch lomond was awful hahaha. That bit in the vid brought back some nightmares xD
I did it last year from Milngavie to FW. Parts of the ride were truly amazing, parts were absolutely horrendous! I’ll do it again but probably get on the ferry at Inversnaid & get off as far north on the Loch as possible !
Brilliant vid, stunning scenery. I like yer style - camping to do the Devil's Staircase first thing👏Did this about 20 years ago and wished I'd stopped at The Green Welly. Loch Lomond bit still looks hellish. Is your bike for these trips different from your enduro one? With bikepacking stuff it can feel really weird getting the balance right on techy bits. Looking forward to your Deeside Trail vid.
Thanks! Yeah that worked so well to have a nice quiet descent! Green welly is good but I would not recommend the porridge 🤣. Yep I use a short travel 100mm xc bike so it’s about 11kg without the kit on it and pedals well. Great to hear, almost finished editing that one!
This looks brilliant man 🤩 love the way the description has been did on the video and stuff aswell .. quick question for an over nighter like this what’s the most important thing you felt you had took with you? Only if it’s not too personal of a question haha ,feel like I’m ready to do it but still a bit skeptical as I’ll most likely gonny be myself 😂 subscribed 🤘😎🏴
thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Haha well it's doable in a day with the amount of daylight in summer if you wanted to pack light and avoid overnight. If sleeping then just took absolute essentials - tent, mat, sleeping bag. I think, sunglasses, high energy bars/food (take more than you think you need!), a good waterproof jacket (weather can change so fast!), a small first aid kit - although there will be walkers aplenty. There are a few places to fill up water on route but some stretches don't have lots so I opted for carrying about 2l of water. Hope that helps and enjoy!!
Well done! I’ve done it twice myself north to south. Fort bill to bridge of orchy is nice but after that it’s pretty tedious. The east side of Loch Lomond is horrendous at best lol.
Can’t beat a game of uno. Top effort for doing it in two days. Can imagine day two was brutal being in the saddle for that long. I did Torridon lollipop on my e-bike a few weeks ago so know how you feel with the pushing and carrying of the bike. Scenery makes it all worth it though.
@@LauraJaneWeeTamMTB I can imagine it did with the miles you put in on day two. yeah I won’t be in any rush to do the lollipop again, but the scenery was next level, and I bumped into Andrew (mctrail rider) on my final decent, which made my day. Im the one that he chat to in his last vid. Was my first time over in Torridon and won’t be me last for sure, it’s stunning there. Can’t wait to be back up in Scotland in October. Love your vids by the way. 👍
Well done. Great video . Ive always fancied doing the WHW, walking, but ive also wondered if you could do it by bike. I dont know if I would do it as quick as you, Id want to drag it out to take in the scenery. Would you say it is better to do it Fort William to Milngavie on a bike? 👍
Thank you! It's a great route by bike (except for the loch lomond section which can be avoided/rerouted if wished). I personally would say yes - the difficulty/enjoyment is very similar both ways but there's the big advantage of being able to see walkers coming (as most walk north) otherwise you will be constantly stopping and saying excuse me. Would be tiring the whole way!
I've done the whole of the Lock shore path with an ebike. It took about 7/ 8 hours. 😭 But lived to tell the tail ( just) . I would use the gravel path that halves it if I was to do it again.
good effort from you and your bro. enjoyed watching your quality content. id have enjoyed hearing more about your bike setups. is the west highland way possible on a hard tail? or would a full suspension bike be best?
Thanks! I think everyone would have a different view depending on what they ride. For me personally a short travel/light full suspension is the best. It’s pretty rough particularly around kinlochleven and descents for me were best enjoyed with the travel front and back. I used 100mm but would go to 130mm. A full 160mm enduro is a bit overkill and would be very sluggish so my preference is short travel or hardtail if not :)
Used a 100mm xc full sus - for me it was perfect. Anything 100-130mm travel would be my go to for this. More is too sluggish/heavy and overkill for much of it and I would find a hardtail too uncomfortable as it's a rough route. Others may disagree but that's my take :)
Absolutely amazing nice sound. Thanks for sharing your adventure. Guys I recommended you visit the himalayan mountains k2 and Nangaparbat view point from one place moses peak. Add this sound in your bucket list . MosesPeak
Take it from an old Irish guy that’s walked the way a couple times, neither of those were Ben Nevis. You gotta cycle a bit more before can see it. Happy trails.
Thanks, yeah I knew of the alternatives but I wanted to experience the official route as it is with not having done it before. Certainly was an experience 😂
Superb epic MTB ride - well done to you and your Bro. You should have filmed his bleary eyed face at 5am though 😂
Thanks! Hahah next time I won’t be so kind 😂
Amazing, this is on my bucket list. I’ve walked it and need to cycle it!! Well done 👏🏻
Nice! That’ll help that you’ve done it and know what to expect :) thanks!
@@LauraJaneWeeTamMTB but on a bike is a whole different level 🙈😂😂
I biked it solo 3 years ago, i did Conich and the low route up Loch Lomond. Day 1 from Milngavie to Beinglass. Its been said before but nothing, no amount of research or talking to folk prepares you for that section. Another great video 🎉
Nice! It’s such a good route and the brutal parts definitely make it even more memorable 😂. Absolutely agree! Thanks!
Big respect for accomplishing this challenge!
thank you!
New vid, woop!
Scotland looks pretty when it’s raining… but with the sun out it’s on another level. Just stunning!
Absolutely, I hope we get more of it beyond May! Can’t beat Scotland in the sun!
Walked it several times and cycled parts. I've been meaning to cycle it fully for ages but not got round to it. This vid has given me the bug again.
I was similar, thought about it for a while! Great to hear, enjoy when you do it!
What a great effort! I remember doing it back in 1997 and the regular self to north direction on a Kona Hardtail with hydraulic rim brakes. Absolutely loved it aside from carrying the bike from Kinlochleven up to the drovers’ road with a hangover from hell 🍺 🤢 and then tackling the quagmire through the forest before Fort Bill. A great few days 👍 Well done 👏
Oh wow that sounds like some adventure 😂 the kinlochleven climb is long at the best of times 😅. Thanks, loved it!
A great way to see part of Scotland, Great effort.
Totally. Thanks!
Great video. I walked the WHW many years ago over 8 days and loved it. The walk along the loch was mostly knee deep in mud. It was miserable, so I can’t imagine how tough it would be on a mtb. Well done.
Nice, It's some route isn't it. Yes that bit is pretty awful, it was never ending! Thanks!
Laura Jane, that was epic! If I was to ask someones opinion of the difficulty of a ride, I would ask you as you tell it like it is and not sugar coated. Thanks for letting us enjoy the W H W from the comfort of my couch!
Haha I do like keeping it real! Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the adventure. I’m excited to plan the next!
Well done! North to South is definitley the way to go.
thanks! Yes was a bit unsure when planning but so glad we went for that!
Fantastic achievement Laura and Gavin! Proper epic ride. Fantastic views as you said with the bluebells out too looked amazing. You must have been exhausted after that.👌👊👊👊🤙😃
Thanks! It was nice having all the varied scenery and terrain along the way. Definitely haha, enjoyed a nice week out the saddle after it! 😁
Well done 💪 I remember watching Gavin's WHW double vid, bonkers.
Thanks! It is isn't it - I've no idea how he managed it!
Fantastic, so well filmed and narrated, I'm really impressed. Just found your site, so I think I have some catching up on previous adventures to do, Lucky me. ATB Big Dave Scotland
thank you! That's so nice to hear. Hope you enjoy some of my other adventures!
Totally saved me a stressful few days!!!
Haha glad it helped 😂
Well done to both of you! Have cycled various sections and can vouch for how rough it can get in bits but worth it for amazing scenery, a great achievement to tick off, congrats! 🎉😁👍
thanks! I didn't appreciate how rough it would get - thought the legs would get tired but it was the wrists ha! Loved it! 🙌
Small world! this randomly popped up on my feed and you guys passed us (4 guys, 3 dogs) on the hike a bike section on loch lomond! you guys were the talk of Beinglas campsite that night!
ah no way! That's funny haha, it really is a small world! We got a lot of surprised looks with the bikes on that stretch 😂
Cracking good video - and a terrific achievement - well done.
Thank you!
That is a route I have thought about taking on with my eMTB but looking at certain sections especially along Loch Lomond I think I will give it a miss as carrying my bike is a non starter but the walk function would help on other bits. The scenery in Scotland really is stunning and to see the bits of Scotland only walkers, cyclists and keepers see is really special. Thanks for bringing us along. Well done on completion.
Thanks! If going south-north there is an option to take a ferry across and cycle the worst loch lomond section on the road - not the official WHW but for the sake of a few miles means you can still do 95% of the route. There probably are still some sections before it that would need a bit of carrying though. Absolutely, it's a really nice way to experience a different side of Scotland - I do enjoy touring! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks!
I did this last May on my ebike with my son. He used a conventional hard tail. We did it over 4 days staying b+b , this was to enjoy it instead of slogging it out. It was good to have someone with me to help handle the bike around Loch Lomond. There are ladders to very narrow bridge's over streams and rocky descents where we had to lower the bikes between eachother. My bike weighed about 31kg with luggage on and another 7kg on my back.( Water and battery charger) . Rear suspension locked out because of the luggage. You can't move around the bike with the luggage on so handling is different on descents. Also don't do the whole of the Lock Lomond path as we chose to do use the 6 miles of slightly higher up gravel path or you will be in for 13 miles of hell.
@@denfath5010 Thanks for that advice. To be fair after watching the film I decided that section would not be pleasurable especially after walking part of that section. Even some of the not too difficult parts are above my grade of biking skills maybe in my younger years I would have not thought twice but not on a bike I could have bought a car instead with the money I will not be risking it. There are other routes that look more enjoyable but not so close to home.
That was fantastic laura mate n tough x . Good on ya both tho. 💚
Thanks! 🙏 yeah tough one!
I still get cold sweats thinking about that Inversnaid section from 10 years ago, nobody and nothing can prepare you for how brutal that is.
haha I'll be the same for years to come. Absolutely, it's savage!
Deffo harder than expected on that section
I did it last year (heading north). We got to Inversnaid feeling quite smug thinking this Lomond section isn’t that bad, even had a pint at the hotel…5 minutes later we had entered the gates of hell.
Well Done Laura Jane great video
Thanks!
I cycled that route 6 years ago, did it over 3 days. That first day traversing loch lomond was awful hahaha. That bit in the vid brought back some nightmares xD
Nice! Hahah I bet. It’s never ending that section! 😅 so brutal!
I did it last year from Milngavie to FW. Parts of the ride were truly amazing, parts were absolutely horrendous! I’ll do it again but probably get on the ferry at Inversnaid & get off as far north on the Loch as possible !
Sounds about right! It's such a varied route, really enjoyed it. Haha fair, that bit is horrible!!
Well done the both of you 👍
Thank you!
Well done. Great video. Sensible decision to do North to South to get past all the walkers.
Thanks yes made it so much easier on that front!
Well done! Massive mission!
thanks it was!
Brilliant vid, stunning scenery. I like yer style - camping to do the Devil's Staircase first thing👏Did this about 20 years ago and wished I'd stopped at The Green Welly. Loch Lomond bit still looks hellish. Is your bike for these trips different from your enduro one? With bikepacking stuff it can feel really weird getting the balance right on techy bits. Looking forward to your Deeside Trail vid.
Thanks! Yeah that worked so well to have a nice quiet descent! Green welly is good but I would not recommend the porridge 🤣. Yep I use a short travel 100mm xc bike so it’s about 11kg without the kit on it and pedals well. Great to hear, almost finished editing that one!
Well done, looked epic!!
thanks! Such a good adventure!
This looks brilliant man 🤩 love the way the description has been did on the video and stuff aswell .. quick question for an over nighter like this what’s the most important thing you felt you had took with you? Only if it’s not too personal of a question haha ,feel like I’m ready to do it but still a bit skeptical as I’ll most likely gonny be myself 😂 subscribed 🤘😎🏴
thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Haha well it's doable in a day with the amount of daylight in summer if you wanted to pack light and avoid overnight. If sleeping then just took absolute essentials - tent, mat, sleeping bag. I think, sunglasses, high energy bars/food (take more than you think you need!), a good waterproof jacket (weather can change so fast!), a small first aid kit - although there will be walkers aplenty. There are a few places to fill up water on route but some stretches don't have lots so I opted for carrying about 2l of water. Hope that helps and enjoy!!
@@LauraJaneWeeTamMTB a bit of advice from someone who had done it them selfs goes along way 💪 thanks for the reply and enjoy the summer 🚲🤩
Well done! I’ve done it twice myself north to south. Fort bill to bridge of orchy is nice but after that it’s pretty tedious. The east side of Loch Lomond is horrendous at best lol.
Thanks! Nice, yeah that north part was definitely my favourite! Between Loch Lomond and Milngavie there wasn’t anything too memorable!
Can’t beat a game of uno.
Top effort for doing it in two days. Can imagine day two was brutal being in the saddle for that long. I did Torridon lollipop on my e-bike a few weeks ago so know how you feel with the pushing and carrying of the bike. Scenery makes it all worth it though.
Thanks yeah it got pretty uncomfortable towards the end! Nice, absolutely love Torridon. Scenery there is second to none. It is a tough loop!
@@LauraJaneWeeTamMTB I can imagine it did with the miles you put in on day two.
yeah I won’t be in any rush to do the lollipop again, but the scenery was next level, and I bumped into Andrew (mctrail rider) on my final decent, which made my day. Im the one that he chat to in his last vid. Was my first time over in Torridon and won’t be me last for sure, it’s stunning there. Can’t wait to be back up in Scotland in October.
Love your vids by the way. 👍
I enjoyed this, thanks.
great to hear, thanks!
Apologies I made a mistake in previous comment, I just realised you’re travelling North to South, I’ve always started in Milngavie.
👍
Did you go the high road or low road from Inversnaid to Rowardennan?
just the west highland way path along by the loch
Well done. Great video .
Ive always fancied doing the WHW, walking, but ive also wondered if you could do it by bike. I dont know if I would do it as quick as you, Id want to drag it out to take in the scenery.
Would you say it is better to do it Fort William to Milngavie on a bike? 👍
Thank you! It's a great route by bike (except for the loch lomond section which can be avoided/rerouted if wished). I personally would say yes - the difficulty/enjoyment is very similar both ways but there's the big advantage of being able to see walkers coming (as most walk north) otherwise you will be constantly stopping and saying excuse me. Would be tiring the whole way!
@@LauraJaneWeeTamMTB Thanks Laura. Great videos, have fun and enjoy. 👍
Loch shore path .. the worst 3 hours of my life . Well done :)
haha good summary, it's horrible! Thanks!
No seriously I almost threw my bike in the loch after falling from the really steep rocky section..scars for life 😂
I've done the whole of the Lock shore path with an ebike. It took about 7/ 8 hours. 😭 But lived to tell the tail ( just) . I would use the gravel path that halves it if I was to do it again.
good effort from you and your bro. enjoyed watching your quality content. id have enjoyed hearing more about your bike setups. is the west highland way possible on a hard tail? or would a full suspension bike be best?
Thanks! I think everyone would have a different view depending on what they ride. For me personally a short travel/light full suspension is the best. It’s pretty rough particularly around kinlochleven and descents for me were best enjoyed with the travel front and back. I used 100mm but would go to 130mm. A full 160mm enduro is a bit overkill and would be very sluggish so my preference is short travel or hardtail if not :)
You should try the highland 550 , need to get tam involved
that is on the cards for next year maybe! Ha not for him 😂
What bike did you use? Was it the right bike for the job, would you change bike choice?
Used a 100mm xc full sus - for me it was perfect. Anything 100-130mm travel would be my go to for this. More is too sluggish/heavy and overkill for much of it and I would find a hardtail too uncomfortable as it's a rough route. Others may disagree but that's my take :)
Absolutely amazing nice sound. Thanks for sharing your adventure. Guys I recommended you visit the himalayan mountains k2 and Nangaparbat view point from one place moses peak. Add this sound in your bucket list . MosesPeak
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Would love to get to the Himalayas one day, hopefully I do!!
@@LauraJaneWeeTamMTB oops thanks for reply. Me and himalayan sounds always welcome you 😋
I did the WHW on the bike a few years ago. I won't be taking the bike through the bit past inversnaid again
Don’t blame you, it’s pretty gross that section!
Take it from an old Irish guy that’s walked the way a couple times, neither of those were Ben Nevis. You gotta cycle a bit more before can see it. Happy trails.
saw your other comment - yes definitely Ben Nevis as started north from Fort William rather than Milngavie :)
well you picked the walkers route that is harder than the cyclist route on the upper section but well done
Thanks, yeah I knew of the alternatives but I wanted to experience the official route as it is with not having done it before. Certainly was an experience 😂