Ride - Scotland, Rhidorroch, Ullapool
Where
Not sure what number this is now but we’re well into double digits. I rode this woodland the day that Mary and I arrived in Ullapool during our anti-clockwise NC500 holiday. The weather was great and this was a much-needed break from sitting in the car. I only had a couple of hours which wasn’t really long enough to explore the north-facing slopes where most of the mature pines grow. Still a great ride though.
The woods lie along Glen Achall which is very accessible from Ullapool and and easy to ride. The pines are dotted sporadically through the stands of birch which are pretty dense in places along the glen floor. Apparently the deer population is dense enough to prevent natural regeneration except in fenced off areas of which there are three or four in the area. I didn’t see any deer or other wildlife for that matter as I charged along.
Glen Achall was used by drovers as a west-to-east route to market between the 16th and 19th centuries. Cattle were landed at Ullapool from the western isles and led through Glen Achall to Ardgay and from there to the southern markets. To this day the soils remain enriched from the dung of thousands of cattle over the years. The enriched soil supports unusual plant growth.
Gallery
Gear and Nutrition
Nothing to speak of.