After hearing my mum and dad were planning a holiday to Loch Lomond in Scotland, I instantly thought of taking my mountain bike.

We stayed in a beautiful log cabin by the edge of the Loch in a place called Ardlui. On arrival we got talking to a guy who worked at the resort and he told us about a ferry that goes across from the resort to the opposite side of the loch, from there you can get onto the West Highland Way. He had taken a couple of mountain bikers across and they said it was completely impassible.

The Challenge

This sounded like a challenge to me, and I wanted to check it out for myself. I had the idea of cycling around the Loch and ending up on the West Highland Way.

The Day Arrives

I filled up water bottles and packed up all the necessary food for the journey. The weather was good so I didn't have to worry about it raining. I set off down the A82 which is a main road down the left hand edge of the Loch. The road is 24 miles long and takes you to the bottom edge of Loch Lomond. From there I would stop and have dinner. The journey down was relatively quick and I managed it within 2 hours. I stopped in a town called Balloch for some dinner and filled on sweets to keep my energy up.

The next leg of the journey I cycled towards Drymen. From their I took a road which led up the opposite side of the Loch. This ended in a place called Balmaha (picture at top was taken in Balmaha a couple of days later). From their I got onto the West Highland Way. I was now almost 3/4 of the way round and so far it had taken over 4 hours.

West Highland Way

I joined the West Highland Way which weeved in and out of forests onto flat plains and back into forests. The going was like a bridle-way, and I began to think this is easy. As I entered Ross Wood the path started to become a bit more rugged, and narrower. The path was becoming more mountainous, so much so that it wasn't really a path at all. On stretches it was impossible to cycle and I had to carry my bike, this led to other problems in the fact that the path just blended into the surrounding landscape, so actually navigating became a challenge.

As I got half way up the opposite side of the Loch I was carrying my bike more and more, It was now impossible to cycle, and carrying the bike was becoming a real burden. I was increasingly frustrated as my bike bounced of rocks and boulders. I thought it couldn't possibly be like this all the way back.

I plodded on walking, at one stage the path led right to the edge of a cliff over the Loch, This was extremely hazardous and summed up the West Highland Way to me. The path was now totally gone and was just big boulders and rocks. Time was now ticking, it was taking ages to walk and carry my bike over huge obstructions. I started to think if I would make it back before it went dark.

What the Hell????

The path became to reappear but I was still walking, It began to wind up and around to a bridge over a ravine. I crossed and the path then led down to a hotel of all things. By this point I was really frustrated and I couldn't believe their was a hotel in-front of me. I had been walking for at least 3 hours and I looked like I had been to hell and back.

The thought of not actually making it back before dark was becoming more real. I had to press on faster, I began to think I could always catch the ferry that leaves from Ardlui (where I set off from), but this stopped operating at 9pm. The time was now 5pm so I had 4 hours to reach the ferry port.

The last stretch

I managed to jump on my bike for 200 yards then it was back onto the West Highland Way. It was back on foot again, and I was becoming more weak due to carrying my bike. The West Highland Way didn't get any easier I thought it mite ease of and I would be able to cycle a stretch. This was not the case. I eventually made it to the ferry port, by this point i'd had enough and it was now becoming dark, the time was now 8pm. I walked over to the ferry and realised that it wasn't running. I had got my times wrong, it runs till 9pm in summer and had finished at 7pm.

I stood at the end of the pier looking out across the Loch to Ardlui, I had no energy left and I had missed the last ferry.

Ship Ahoi.

As I stood at the end of the pier a man shouted from a sailing boat confirming I had missed the last ferry. He slowly sailed over to where I was stood and offered to give me a lift across. I couldn't believe it. He helped me place my bike in the boat then we hoisted up the sail and set off. The whole journey was worth it just for this experience, it was so calming sailing back across the Loch especially after a day of huge frustrations.