Ardverikie Loop

Ardverikie Loop MTB

Route: Ardverikie Loop
Distance: 22.2m / 35.8km
Profile: View
Grade: Moderate
Fitness: High
Time: 6-7 Hours
OS MAP: 34 & 42
Route Data: GPX KML
Riders: Dave Banks, Brian Gray
Date: 24/05/2014


Summary

A mixture of tarmac road, landrover track and single track make this a rewarding mountain bike trek through interesting scenery.

This route requires an extensive bike and hike section lasting over 1.5Hrs as you climb from the river crossing to the high point on the route. Your reward for all this effort are the views back over to Loch Pattack, which makes it all worthwhile.

High levels of fitness are required only due to the extensive bike and hike climb.


Details

Starting at the small car parking area near the gate house to Ardverikie Estate, cycle across the bridge and follow the tarmac road through the trees. The trees soon open up with a grassy area to the right of the road. As the road swings left, sand can be seen through the grass and the small Scots Pine trees, this is the sandy beach of Loch Laggan and a small detour to see the beach is recommended. Back on the tarmac road, continue for a short distance until the forest road appears on the left. A small climb takes you up to some estate buildings used for their forestry operations, before the track descends down towards the river and open ground. As you approach some trees, don't take the first track on the right, but continue a little further through the gate and turn right up the hill towards Gallovie. This climb is rough in places and a bit on the steep side, especially on the hairpin bends, but soon levels off as you reach Gallovie.

As the track climbs away from Gallovie and levels off, a sign post can be seen for the Falls of Pattack. They are just a few hundred metres from the forest road, so a detour to see the falls is recommended. Back on the forest track again, you come to a locked gate, the pedestrian access gate to the side of this is a tight squeeze, but you can get the bike through after some careful negotiation.

The track heads out into open countryside and follows the course of the river, crossing it before and after the Linn of Pattack. The surface varies from being quite firm, to soft, to loose stones, but in general progress is good as it gently climbs up towards Loch Pattack. After another set of falls, the track heads out into open countryside again and as you get near Loch Pattack, it gets increasingly boggy and progress can be slow. As you reach the stone pillars, the track becomes a proper track again. Take the turn off to the right and head down to Loch Pattack and the footbridge. Stopping for lunch at this point, we were visited by one of the wild ponies that roam this area, it crossed the river at the ford and started mooching off us. Crossing the shoogly footbridge, we left it behind as we followed the track along the beach of Loch Pattack. Depending on water levels, the amount of track under water varies, but it is all easily manageable. The track soon climbs away from the beach where a fork on the right can be seen. Take the fork, which climbs more steeply up the hill before descending and turning into a singletrack following the river.

Looking at the map, it shows a track crossing the river and climbing up the hillside. Assuming the track is similar to the singletrack you are on, the point where you need to cross the river is very easily missed, as no such track is visible. In fact, this is the second time we have done this run. We attempted this run 4 weeks earlier and we missed the crossing point as we followed tyre tracks along the singletrack, assuming the crossing point was further up the track than it actually was. By the time we realised we had passed the crossing point, time was an issue, so we just continued round to Lochan na h-Earba before re-joining our original route again, missing out the long climb and downhill section. This is why the photos in the Photo Gallery show differences in the greenery and Brian's clothing.

After studying the map and the photos taken on our first trip, we identified the crossing point and saw the track was just a line in the grass on the opposite bank. To help others following this route, we gathered some of the loose stones in the area of the crossing point and built a small cairn about 6 feet to the right of the track where you need to leave the singletrack to cross the river. Any additional stones on the cairn to make it bigger and more visible to other mountain bikers would be appreciated. There aren't any stepping stones, so you will get your feet wet. The next 1Hr 40Min is basically just pushing the bike uphill, the gradient varies in places, as does the state of the track, varying from firm to boggy. When we did it, we had to contend with the remains of the winter snow and an avalanche debris field. The views back to Loch Pattack and Allt Loch a' Bhealaich Leamhain make it all worthwhile.

The descent from the summit is rapid, the track varies from firm stony ground to loose stones in places and is only interrupted by one water crossing that is easily managed. In 25 minutes, you are off the hillside and at the head of Lochan na h-Earba. Follow the landrover track as it undulates, steeply in some short sections, as it follows Lochan na h-Earba and eventually comes to a gate as you enter the forest again. At the junction, keep straight ahead and follow the track as it descends down to Ardverikie Lodge. The descent is fast and you quickly reach Ardverikie Lodge where Monarch of the Glen was filmed. At this point, swing right and join the tarmac road again as you follow the shore of Loch Laggan back to the gate house.


Photo Gallery

Car parking area

Bridge at gate house

Forest opens up near beach

Laggan beach

Car parking area

 

Bridge at gate house

 

Forest opens up near beach

 

Laggan beach

Forest road on left

Forest road to estate buildings

Estate buildings

Do not take this track on right

Forest road on left

 

Forest road to estate buildings

 

Estate buildings

 

Do not take this track on right

Track to Gallovie

Approaching Gallovie

Leaving Gallovie

Heading to Falls of Pattack

Track to Gallovie

 

Approaching Gallovie

 

Leaving Gallovie

 

Heading to Falls of Pattack

Path down to Falls of Pattack

Marker post for Falls of Pattack

Falls of Pattack

Falls of Pattack

Path down to Falls of Pattack

 

Marker post for Falls of Pattack

 

Falls of Pattack

 

Falls of Pattack

Back on forest track

Negotiating pedestrian access gate

Heading out into open countryside

Track follows course of river

Back on forest track

 

Negotiating pedestrian access gate

 

Heading out into open countryside

 

Track follows course of river

Bridge over River Pattack

View from bridge

Track surface loose in places

Keep to the left here

Bridge over River Pattack

 

View from bridge

 

Track surface loose in places

 

Keep to the left here

Track continues to follow river

Track softer here

Looking back

Looking back

Track continues to follow river

 

Track softer here

 

Looking back

 

Looking back

Track continues to follow river

Approaching more waterfalls

Track climbs alongside waterfalls

Track levels off

Track continues to follow river

 

Approaching more waterfalls

 

Track climbs alongside waterfalls

 

Track levels off

Track heads out into open moorland

Old wooden bridge

Track starts to get boggy

Track gets very boggy

Track heads out into open moorland

 

Old wooden bridge

 

Track starts to get boggy

 

Track gets very boggy

Track becomes firm again

Turn right here

Loch Pattack ahead

Shoogly bridge from ford crossing

Track becomes firm again

 

Turn right here

 

Loch Pattack ahead

 

Shoogly bridge from ford crossing

Wild pony

Pony crossing river

Deep water doesn

Pony says hello

Wild pony

 

Pony crossing river

 

Deep water doesn't stop it

 

Pony says hello

Pony starts mooching

Brian feeding pony

Looking for more

Leaving pony behind

Pony starts mooching

 

Brian feeding pony

 

Looking for more

 

Leaving pony behind

Brian crossing shoogly bridge

Track along beach

Peat bog and lichens

Coloured stones in the peat

Brian crossing shoogly bridge

 

Track along beach

 

Peat bog and lichens

 

Coloured stones in the peat

Track submerged in places

Looking back at beach track

Track leaves Loch Pattack

Distant mountains

Track submerged in places

 

Looking back at beach track

 

Track leaves Loch Pattack

 

Distant mountains

Turn right here

Looking back to Loch Pattack

Singletrack after bridge

Singletrack follows river

Turn right here

 

Looking back to Loch Pattack

 

Singletrack after bridge

 

Singletrack follows river

Small cairn marks crossing point

Wet feet here

Track is just line in the grass

The pushing starts

Small cairn marks crossing point

 

Wet feet here

 

Track is just line in the grass

 

The pushing starts

Looking back to river crossing

Pushing continues

Track rougher in places

The view ahead

Looking back to river crossing

 

Pushing continues

 

Track rougher in places

 

The view ahead

Water crossing ahead

Track continues to climb

Looking back to Loch Pattack

The view ahead

Water crossing ahead

 

Track continues to climb

 

Looking back to Loch Pattack

 

The view ahead

Brian taking a rest

Looking back to Loch Pattack

Track levels off

Looking back to Loch Pattack

Brian taking a rest

 

Looking back to Loch Pattack

 

Track levels off

 

Looking back to Loch Pattack

The view ahead

Avalanche debris on track ahead

Looking back to Loch Pattack

Snowfield

The view ahead

 

Avalanche debris on track ahead

 

Looking back to Loch Pattack

 

Snowfield

More snow ahead

Brian crossing snowfield

Avalanche debris

Allt Loch a Bhealaich

More snow ahead

 

Brian crossing snowfield

 

Avalanche debris

 

Allt Loch a Bhealaich

Start of the final climb

Avalanche debris

Avalanche debris

The last steep climb

Start of the final climb

 

Avalanche debris

 

Avalanche debris

 

The last steep climb

Allt Loch a Bhealaich

Summit ahead

Start of the descent

Descent grassy to start off with

Allt Loch a Bhealaich

 

Summit ahead

 

Start of the descent

 

Descent grassy to start off with

Loch Laggan

Descent turn to firm stone

Descent continues

Descent continues

Loch Laggan

 

Descent turn to firm stone

 

Descent continues

 

Descent continues

Water crossing

Easily managed

Lochan na h-Earba

Final descent

Water crossing

 

Easily managed

 

Lochan na h-Earba

 

Final descent

Landrover track and Lochan na h-Earba

Landrover track and Lochan na h-Earba

Landrover track and Lochan na h-Earba

Straight ahead here

Landrover track and Lochan na h-Earba

 

Landrover track and Lochan na h-Earba

 

Landrover track and Lochan na h-Earba

 

Straight ahead here

Ardverikie Lodge

Swing right here

Tarmac road to gate house

Ardverikie Lodge

 

Swing right here

 

Tarmac road to gate house