I replaced the big rucksack with a small running bag, 2L of water, a coat, gloves, a GPS and some food, and then headed on the path along the side of the loch. This would be about 10 or 12 miles of walking one way, and I assumed I could possibly reach the summit in 6 or 7 hours. Ben Alder Day 1 Download to Mobile/Tablet. We set off at about 7am and followed the path. The 4th June (2016) looked to be a perfect day for the attempt. It was the shortest route, but it had an obstacle which I assumed put most people off from taking this route, mainly Loch Ericht. I was thinking that. I loved this route, and that’s with ordinary weather with no great views, so I guess that makes me a fan. I’m still not entirely sure whether anyone has ever climbed Ben Alder from the A9 in any number of days. Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2rio's travel planner. The energy required to constantly be checking the weather, assessing the bad route you’ve chosen, or debating if you’ve got enough water for a round trip is what separates this challenge from all the super hard physical challenges I’ve had. The route starts out easy - down Loch Ericht over and across to Culra, over the Bealach Dubh / Cumhain to Ben Alder … Each route is around 10-12 miles in length, and for scale, the loch to the east of Ben Alder is 14.5 miles long (Loch Ericht). http://www.flickr.com/photos/jocarda1/sets/72157600940047315/. Ben Alder No ratings yet. Is the best route done via the Bealach Cumhann then Bealach Breabag with what looks like a horrendous hikeabike? This has been a great success as the last time i rode it the going was soft and boggy in a lot of paces. Ben Alder has an awesome presence! Has anyone ridden along the shores of Loch Erich to/from Ben Alder cottage as an avoidance of the hikeabike? Not nice to walk even. Stay in the bothy and climb the remaining Ben Alder 2 the next day, I biked back and drove home! Plotted with the plotaroute.com route planner. You’ll pick up a well engineered hill track to Culra, even if it is broken by water bars. Classifieds Rules Each route is around 10-12 miles in length, and for scale, the loch to the east of Ben Alder is 14.5 miles long (Loch Ericht). Other Notes: cairn 15m E at NN 49633 71847 may be as high. From photos it looks like fairly well armoured stalkers paths for the most part. I tried not to think about that, and instead, descended back into the clouds towards Loch Ericht. Ben Alder is a summit in the region or range in Scotland. Route notes: Challenging navigation and steep ground on the descent to the bothy make this route a little more serious in winter than you might expect. Region: Fort William to Loch Ericht: Classification: Corbett Height: 1148m: OS Grid Ref: NN496718: OS Map (25k) 385E 393: OS Map (50k) 42: Lat: 56.813377: Lng -4.465373: My Logs. Walks up Ben Alder Done a few KW routes so used to a carry. Once up the Breabag, you’re handy for a wee walk up to the summit of Beinn Bheoil if you fancy it. John was a great supporter of the project, he was given Membership No1 in recognition of his help in getting Ben Alder started; any questions we had regarding the Highland Railway or the Ben’s was always replied with a full and concise answer. Take the track past white houses on the left to the railway barrier under the railway arch. All the walking routes up Ben Alder on Mud and Routes can be found below. For those interested in the route I took, I manage to track the route via GPS which you can see here: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1198710622. Recently, I’ve been searching for a challenge which would really test me, force me to push a few limits, and take me back a little way to a particular test I’ve dealt with on some Himalayan mountains, namely, self-reliance. The Ben Alder Tour This one has been around in various guide books for a while - it even pre-dates the path work so must have been hard going in those days. The estate road was the first part of the ride heading towards the spectacular Ben Alder Lodge around Loch Ericht. Photo from Bealach Dubh looking down to Ossian, and then looking back, once down towards Ossian, Total and utter ballache, and that was on foot. Munro’s: Aonach Beag (Alder), Beinn Bheoil, Beinn Eibhinn, Ben Alder, Carn Dearg (Loch Pattack), Geal-charn (Alder) Date walked: 06/05/2012. Interstingly I have walked that bit a couple of times and found it no bother at all. Bike in to Culra bothy nr Culra lodge fm Dalwhinnie it takes about 1.5hrs, climb the hills the same day. Detailed route description and map. For John Moore, a 49-year-old geologist, and myself, the railway is the last thread of security before we head east towards Ben Alder, one of the most remote of Scotland's mountains. Introduction. The estate road was the first part of the ride heading towards the spectacular Ben Alder Lodge around Loch Ericht. Since no one has previously documented any attempts, I had nothing to go by. Introduction. So for 2.5 hours, I slogged up the hillside through the non-existent forest, and into the clouds. Covering some 68000 acres stretching from Loch Rannoch to Dalwhinnie. Ben Alder (Highland) weather. I’m still not entirely sure whether anyone has ever climbed Ben Alder … The route I opted for was from the North East (from Drumochter Summit on the A9). Logged Ascents. Ben Alder is 1148 metres high. Crossing Data. With my route chosen, I started to plan things in a little more detail with an Ordinance Survey map. It looks suspiciously like a bogfest! Distance: 52.7km (32.7 miles). Part and parcel of what is an epic ride, ye cannae be mincing round the Lochside and say you’ve done the Ben Alder circuit. Has anyone ridden along the shores of Loch Erich to/from Ben Alder … BEN ALDER is a particularly beautiful and attractive mountain. Forum Rules Ice axe and crampons are required in snowy conditions. Find the right bike route for you through Kirkcaldy, where we've got 51 cycle routes to explore. From there it would be a simple case of walking up to the col, down to the loch, somehow cross the 1km wide, 150m deep loch, walking for 5km along the other side of the loch, then climb up the side of Beinn Bheoil, before taking on the final slopes up to Ben Alder. After 2 hours of walking I reached the top of the col, and for the first time, emerged through a cloud inversion and basked a little in the sun. Belvedere Hotel, West Wemyss Coxtool, United Kingdom View full timetable Go to station. Classic Ben Alder Loop Anti-clockwise. I ruled out the route to the North West from Moy due to the multiple mountains between the road and Ben Alder. The route I opted for was from the North East (from Drumochter Summit on the A9). The Dalwhinnie route has ben resurfaced from above Ben Alder Lodge to the hay feeder. Has anyone ridden along the shores of Loch Erich to/from Ben Alder cottage as an avoidance of the hikeabike? At times it felt like the cloud was going to lift, but it clung on to Ben Alder stubbornly. The Alder Trail is a highly challenging route, with considerable off-trail sections crossing Munros, suitable only for experienced backpackers in the Scottish Highlands. At the top, I finished my last drop from an original 4L of water (which I thought was impressive), and then plodded on for the remainder of the journey with the A9 in sight nearly all the way. Ben Macdui (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Mac Duibh, meaning Mac Duff's Hill) is the second highest mountain in Scotland (and all of the British Isles) after Ben Nevis, and the highest in the Cairngorms National Park.The summit elevation is 1,309 meters (4,295 feet) AMSL. Read the route description . Ben Alder. The route starts from the Tyndrum Village Hall and traverses over the Lyon and Gaur river valleys before a phenomenal 10 mile singletrack around Ben Alder. During packing, I was feeling cautiously pessimistic, and so the first item I put in was a sleeping bag (which seemed to defeat the point of trying to do the climb in a single day). Ticklists. Impossible to ride. Plotted with the plotaroute.com route planner. Newsletter Settings, Cut off date for issue 135 of Singletrack is the 25th January - You need to join us by this date in order to receive the next issue. The route to Ben Alder from Beinn Bheoil Published February 16, 2018 at × in Ben Alder Cottage Feb 2018. In Gaelic, Aonach Beag means "little ridge" despite it being a Munro. 54398 Ben Alder at Dawsholm shed New Build Locomotive Scotland began with the simple realisation; that among all the new builds currently being undertaken across the preservation scene, none of them represent the majesty that was a Scottish Pre-grouping locomotive. Contrary to what people have said on some forums we […] And as a closing remark, I would implore you to go and explore this remote corner of Scotland. The route starts out easy - down Loch Ericht over and across to Culra, over the Bealach Dubh / Cumhain to Ben Alder Cottage. It is getting to the time of year where the weather forecast and conditions on the ground are very important before getting the bike out for this sort of trip. Today. Privacy Then I took a glance over to my left, and started to feel a little sick. Overall I think this is the better route altghough, if you are travelling from the west you will save road miles via Gallovie. Ascent: 2400m. Take the Dalwhinnie exit off of the A9 and follow the road to the petrol station. Choices are naturally limited in the mountains themselves – there are bothies en route (see below), but we rough-camped at a superb site below Ben Alder… From here, head around the plateau edge for a short time before descending the Bealach Breabag to return to Culra, or follow a faint path up Sron Coire na h-lolaire to reach the summit of Beinn Bheoil. It is the 25 th highest Munro and due to its remote location, is one of the less frequently visited. What’s the wider opinion? From the map below, I decided I would park at the A9 and walk along the track through the Dalnaspidal Forest, which had decidedly few trees; none in fact. Ben Alder is 1148m above sea level, and is in the Fort William to Loch Ericht region. Other routes and challenges. Alderwand III . There are 5 ways to get from Edinburgh to Ben Alder Lodge, Lennoxtown by train, bus, taxi or car. In reality, this would be left behind as a carrot to walk quickly back towards. With no one to ask, I did a quick self-assessment, determined I still felt I had enough energy at this point to complete the trip, and then decided to descend via the waterfall based on the fact that I could always bum slide down the grassy slopes to the side if necessary. Ben Alder. I’ve got to Loch Ossian from Ben Alder cottage, but the long way round. It requires an initial walk or bike ride on an off-road track of some nine miles from Dalwhinnie to Culra Bothy. Download or bag Ben Alder (#345) Hill Details + GPS Waypoints: The Archies are all the mountains of Scotland with a summit of 1000m or more also having a 100m Conditions permitting, we’ll climb both. To put this in perspective, here is an overview of the area surrounding Ben Alder. Ben Alder Estate Dalwhinnie Inverness-shire PH19 1AE. But in the mountains there are so many more possibilities. Import Route; Create Route; or Sign up username or email password. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. Please choose your location from the nearest places to : Suggested places. Route map for 'Ben Alder Group' - a 54.6km walking route near Corrour, UK. Ben Alder is the highest mountain between Loch Ericht and Glen Spean. But then the little spark went off, and I realised the challenge that could be had: would it be possible to park the car on one of the 3 public roads near the mountain, and then climb Ben Alder and return to the car in a single day? © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); Matthew Dieumegard-Thornton, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC7h8N3yuxM, https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1198710622, BLM & The Outdoor Industry: We Need Change, The Insta360 ONE 360 Camera: A Comprehensive Review. On his first visit to Ben Alder Cottage in November 1963 Syd and his companion heard a series of “tappings, scratchings, footsteps and groans”. Joseph Buchanan wrote on July 24, 2011 Did all six with my wife we cycled in from Dalwhinnie to Culra which took around 2 hours and camped across from the bothy. Another one that wasn’t too keen on the Bealach Bawbag. To be able to look after yourself in challenging situations is both satisfying and rewarding, but I wanted to find somewhere I could push myself within the confines of Scotland. Search for a place, autocomplete also includes a 'Use my location' option and your recent locations Search. Most people get on their bikes to ride here in the month of April. Walks up Ben Alder From there there is a lovely long and gentle singletrack climb right up to a pass at 727 meteres. This route begins from Culra bothy; the walk in from Dalwhinnie to Culra is described separately. As this point, I took a quick few photos, and then tried to decide on the best way back. I packed on the Wednesday beforehand, making a list of all the food I would need to buy on the way. The top can be identified by the trig point. Find a forecast. Bike in to Culra bothy nr Culra lodge fm Dalwhinnie it takes about 1.5hrs, climb the hills the same day. Find the right bike route for you through Crieff, where we've got 43 cycle routes to explore. Stay in the bothy and climb the remaining Ben Alder 2 the next day, I biked back and drove home! The magnificent Ben Alder Estate is located in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Er ist die höchste Erhebung in der weitgehend menschenleeren und entlegenen Region zwischen Loch Ossian und Loch Ericht nordöstlich des Rannoch Moor und zählt zu den Munros. I’d previously taken it on the rapids of the River Dee (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC7h8N3yuxM), but had never previously crossed a loch before, or even any notable stretch of extended water. Use my current location. This route has been on my bucket list ever since the estate improved the drainage on the trail between Ben Alder Lodge and Ben Alder Cottage. The next morning they were said to have witnessed a packet of biscuits being flung from the mantelpiece to the opposite side of the room. Ben Alder 6 Munros Bike and hike route up the Munros in Alder Forest including Ben Alder, Geal Charn and Beinn Eibhinn One of the finest ways to reach Ben Alder is a cycle down Loch Ericht followed by a circular route from Culra Bothy. Ben Alder has an awesome presence! Basically you carry straight up the hillside behind the cottage (there is a path marked but no single clear line on the ground) until you top out on the Bealach Breabag at 840m. It would be a big task but I felt it was possible. Into the mountains His enthusiasm and knowledge of the old Highland gave us the drive to press on with a new build. In stag stalking season, contact the Ben Alder Estate on 01540 672 000 to enquire about bothy access. Distance: 55 km. I still didn’t know if I would make it to the summit in the day, so I set myself the turnaround time of 12:30 or 1pm depending on how I felt. Lots to encounter - high plateaus, lochans, ridges, fantastic views - all while bagging 6 Munros ! I’m sure there’s some on here would think it was a marvellous day it. Physically, despite not being able to easily walk today (the day after), I didn’t find the day too taxing, save for the final climb which was in 28 degree Celsius heat. I packed two rucksacks. Post Office, West Wemyss Burns Wynd, United Kingdom View full timetable Go to station. The bit between Loch Pattick and Alder Cottage is really good though; great trail and superb scenery. 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