Tummel and Rannoch tour - 7th and 8th Feb .

The second week of February, what better time to go for a couple of days cycling and camping in Scotland?

I drove to Pitlochry on a grey cold Tuesday morning and after parking the car, set off on a heavily loaded Long Haul Trucker for the Garry bridge and the North Road along the river Tummel

The weather was actually not too bad, with reasonably dry roads and a midday temperature of around 7°C. There was a slight wind, which of course was right on my nose, but my legs were fresh and I was enjoying the ever expanding views.

The next 38 miles to Rannoch Station were a mix of slow climbs, the very occasional short down hill, quiet villages, and amazing scenery. 

I took a short break at Kinnloch Rannoch, but there was a chill wind blowing down the loch. 

The final climb up to the moor was slow and I was feeling the effort by this point. 

Finally reaching Rannoch Station, I crossed the railway line and set off out onto the track for Glencoe. 

My goal was the little beach at the east end of Loch Laidon. 

The setting couldn't really have been much better. I was the only human there. As the evening progressed  the wind had dropped and the only signs of life were the red deer quietly grazing and watching me. 

The sun was setting by about 5pm and the temperature started to drop. I had given myself an hour of daylight to set up my battered old vango banshee tent. This was just as well as I had somehow managed to bring the poles from another tent. A bit of bodging and cutting and I had a main hoop which I hoped would be enough. There wasn't any heavy rain forecast, but the winds were predicted to get up during the night to a gusty 30+mph. 

Sure enough, it was a blowy night and I was out twice to try to tie the foot end of the tent down. I could here the gusts building across the loch before they hit the tent. The little banshee's weight and tension band system is really worth it on winter nights.  

Morning came and I had my porridge and coffee looking out over a choppy loch. Then with everything packed away and a final check that I'd left no trace of my visit, I started the push and pedal back to the road at the railway crossing. 

A couple of hours of steady cycling and I was back in Kinloch Rannoch. 

Time to warm up with a second breakfast.  

I also knew that there were a couple of brutal climbs coming up. 

As usual the camera doesn't show how steep the road was, but I'm not ashamed to admit I got off and pushed. 

The next stop was at Tummel Bridge, built about 1730. It was built as part of General Wade's 'demilitarisation' of the highlands following the 1715 rebellion. 

These roads brought communication to remote areas but they also brought military occupation and destruction of a way of life. Fifteen years later and it all kicked off again anyway. 

This led me on to the road to Foss and the south road along Clunie and, after another couple of hard climbs, loch Faskally and eventually back to the car in Pitlochry. 

 A great couple of days away. Not that far in actual milage at around 84 miles, but it was a hard cycle for me on a loaded bike.