Fort William to Inverness, wild camping - thoughts?

[elioelio]

Hi there,
Just realised there is a camping forum. However, I have more to ask than just about camping. Here goes...

I'm going to be in Glasgow in July and am planning on a 4 day cycle trip. The plan is to first get a train to Fort William.

Day 1. Fort William - Loch Quoich
Day 2. Loch Quoich - Fort Augustus
Day 3. Fort Augustus - Loch Beinn
Day 4. Loch Beinn - Inverness

or

Day 1. Fort William - Loch Arkaig
Day 2. Loch-Arkaig - Loch Quoich
Day 3. Loch Quoich - Fort Augustus
Day 4. Fort Augustus - Inverness

I'm planning on wild camping on the lochs. (and campsite at Fort Augustus). Has anyone wild camped there before? Arkaig, Quoich or Beinn? This is my first cycle tour and the first time wild camping. I'm guessing if I find a secluded spot behind some trees that will be ok? (Apart from the obvious keeping tidy etc). From google maps there looks like a few places that are fairly flat.
And can anyone give me tips to camping if it's raining? Is it a bad idea to camp on the edge of the loch? Are there really marshy areas? I will make sure I have campsite backups just incase (there's campsites at Loch Garry and Cannich).

Also any thoughts on the route? I've looked at the topography and looks ok (!). But are there any really major hills/bad roads?
Also winds. Ok, I know nothing about this but I read about how sometimes its best to do routes a certain way around to avoid winds. Is that the case here?

Thanks, I'm totally new to all this!


(P.S I know there will be midges. I don't care. As I sit here now I'm covered in 200+ bed bug bites and 50+ mosquito bites from a visit to Taiwan last week. So thanks, but it really doesn't bother me.)

[elioelio]

Oh I forgot one, essential question. How busy could I expect these places to be? I assume because they are cul de sacs that they won't be too busy. If I'm wild camping just do it a couple miles from any buildings. the roads seem to run right along the loch - is it ok to camp just a couple metres from the road, behind some trees?

Also, is it safe to use loch water to cook with e.g. to boil pasta
Feels like I'm asking alot of questions but as a newbie I'd love some tips! Thanks again

[irc]

Unless you really want to camp all the time I'd suggest Invermallie bothy for Loch Arkaig. The track in from the road is fine for a tourer. Bothies = more space, no erecting tents, and no midgies. Wins all round.

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/bothy ... thy_id=109

P.S I know there will be midges. I don't care.

Come back and let us know how you got on with the midgies then. It is well worth considering the midie risk when choosing your camp sites.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... _id=103819

[DaleFTW]

(P.S I know there will be midges. I don't care. As I sit here now I'm covered in 200+ bed bug bites and 50+ mosquito bites from a visit to Taiwan last week. So thanks, but it really doesn't bother me.)

Spoken like someone who hasn't met Scottish midge...

[khain]

There are quite a few good spots along Loch Arkaig. Loch Quoich isn't so good but it is possible. I've never heard of Loch Beinn, where is it? I don't think there are many places on the north side of Loch Ness for camping, but there are a few side roads where you might find something. Ask at Fort Augustus if there are any spots suitable. You'll find people are generally quite helpful.

A few tips for wild camping in Scotland:

Avoid camping under trees.
Avoid camping in a hollow: cold air and moisture gather in them.
Avoid camping in very sheltered areas. You want a bit of a breeze.
Avoid camping right next to water, both lakes and rivers. Levels can rise several feet overnight.
Avoid camping at the tops of hills unless you have a very strong tent.

Unfortunately this rules out 99% of potential camp-sites, so you'll have to compromise, but if you think about why these spots aren't ideal it should help find a reasonable spot. Areas that look flat on a map are very often marshy and no good for camping, but some will be ok. Give yourself plenty of time so you don't have to find a spot in the dark. Read up on access rights and responsibilities.

[BeeKeeper]

There is a description of a route from FW to Aberdeen, with camping, here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/13830
Just an alternative, but it is mainly off road so you would need a suitable bike. Read the guestbook of this journal for some good advice on midges.

[pjclinch]

(P.S I know there will be midges. I don't care. As I sit here now I'm covered in 200+ bed bug bites and 50+ mosquito bites from a visit to Taiwan last week. So thanks, but it really doesn't bother me.)

Spoken like someone who hasn't met Scottish midge...

Indeed. I generally don't suffer from the bites (I don't feel the nip and I just get a small red disc that doesn't itch for a day and the goes away), but they're still a work of total evil. The point isn't the bites but that the beasties come in concentrations up to clouds (and that isn't an exaggeration) and are constantly annoying the whole time you are exposed to them. Very thoroughly worth avoiding. And if you do react to the bites you'll have a lot more than you're used to.

Have a midge hood, long sleeves and long trousers. One blessing is they're too wee to bite through most clothes. And aim to camp in the least wind-protected spots you can find unless it's going to be a real blow.

Pete.

[johnonhisbike]

General Wade's Military Road between Fort Augustus and Inverness runs south of Loch Ness. It's much quieter and more pleasant than the A82 on the North side. There's a steady climb for a few miles to start with but the effort is worth it, and the scenery is beautiful. A nice long, rolling descent takes you back to the side of the loch, and there's no shortage of places to camp. (btw ... I second all the advice given by other posters regarding midges - guard against them at all costs; without protection, that way lies madness)

[elioelio]

Hi thanks for your replies.
The wholes midges thing... I put that there just cos I didn't wnt the whole thing to turn into a post on midges. Although tips on where to campt o aviod them are appreciated.

Another question - does anyone know of a good detailed map I can buy of that area of scotland? I've only been looking at googlemaps so far! There looks like there is a road (or pathway) that runs from the A887 east of Loch Cluanie up to the Plodda falls area. I'd really like to know if this would be cycleable. Or if its really hilly! Anyone know where I could find out about this?

Thanks!

[LollyKat]

Midgies - burning a mosquito coil outside the tent door is a great way of keeping them away in the evenings. Available anywhere in the highlands.

Plodda Falls - there is a car park so you should be able to cycle pretty close from the Cannich end, then footpath for the last bit. The track from the A887 looks no more than a steep footpath, judging by this online OS map. The contour lines give you an idea of the gradients. Or go to Bikehike (has OS and OSM as well as googlemaps), plot a route and view the gradient profile.

I think the best maps would be the Nicholson Tourist Map no.1 and no.2 . These are replacements for the discontinued OS Road series at 1/250,000. They have contours and shading and enough detail for road cycling.

[Mark1978]

Day 1 - Fort William to Inverness - 65 miles
Day 2 - Go home

[khain]

I think you need at least 3 Landranger (1:50 000) maps for the whole journey. Yet the OS claims these are suitable for cycle touring round Britain, at least that's how they justify not producing anything at a more useful scale.

The Nicholson maps are ok but miss many small roads, tracks and cycle paths. I've drawn some of these on to mine using Landrangers as reference, but it's time consuming. 1:100 000 maps would be ideal but as far as I know there are none.

Midges don't like sun or wind so avoid shady and sheltered spots. They don't like Avon Skin So Soft either apparently though it never worked for me. Ticks are a more serious problem. I would read up on them before going. Keep your legs and arms covered when around trees or long grass and use insect repellent.

[irc]

Another question - does anyone know of a good detailed map

Road Atlas for the big picture. Print maps from

http://maps.the-hug.net/

for detail in some areas.

[elioelio]

Thanks for the map advice! Although I'm keen to stay off A roads, I'm not sure I'm experienced enough to go off road quite yet. So... alot of the roads I'm on are long with no turnings, so I was thinking to just print out some maps, some large, some detailed, and then compare with a decent map to make sure it's all correct. I'm sure it's impossible to get lost on some of the roads. I figure this will be more compact? Although time consuming...

[matt2matt2002]

Good advice here.
As it happens I am taking the road South of Loch Ness from Inverness to Fort William on Friday.
I have done it x2 before.
Plenty of camping spots but none spring to mind at the moment.
One thing. The hill out of Fort Augustus is brutal. Others have described it a a bit of a slog but I found it a killer.
So much so that on the return to Inverness. I took the main road. It was a Sunday so traffic OK. Not sure about the sense in doing it on any other day of the week.
Matt