What Glen Coe offered in technical riding and views, Skye matched in a slightly different way.

Day 4 we had ridden trail centres, and I am not going to go into them.

Day 5 was the long trek north to ride Sligachan trail on Skye. This route includes a fair bit of road, a 3 mile boggy singletrack which is hard work, a grassy rutted dh and a long off road climb followed by a boulder strewn descent.

It's the Sligachan Trail though that really stands out and unusually for mtbing and Scotland it was barely a hill.

Just over the water from Skye we headed up a slow road to ride in the epic mountains around Torridon. After having good weather all week it was about time we got soaked. Andy got excited about having a true epic and it looked like we might.

Scotland Day 2.

After a gentle walk the previous day we went up to Tyndrum below Ranoch Moor just north of loch lomond. Todays ride was a simple route from a guide book. Ride from Tyndrum north, to Bridge of Orchy and follow the Glen out towards Oban. When reaching Loch Etive follow the gravel roads around the loch to Taynuilt where the train could be caught back.

We were joined in Glen Coe YHA by Adam Fabulous Ward in time for a beer and a single malt to prepare us for one of the best days riding done by any of us ever the following day. Andy was getting a bit tired and wanted to go back and stroll around Ikea but we talked him round.

We put this route together from internet sites, MBR and word of mouth. Starting near the Glen Coe Ski station on the main road at the foot of the devils staircase followed a 7 hour day of riding with about 1 mile on the road. About 5 miles of it was flat but so tech we were doing walking speed. The rest was straight up or down.