FULL CIRCLE

We stop to point, grin and marvel at our homeland’s great fault line

My riding partner, Alan, and I had been riding in the mist since breakfast – and we’d just had lunch. We were in need of a view as our soup and sandwich combo repeated on us on the sharp ascent out of Fort Augustus, at the southernmost tip of Loch Ness. Much climbing still remained, but we were all out of gears.

Then, finally, we were blessed with a cloud inversion, a scene you can never tire of. Cycling above the clouds revealed the, until now, hidden beauty of this most scenic of rides in a no-moreiconic Scottish location, at the summit of the new Loch Ness 360˚ trail above Loch Tarff. We stop to point, grin, gaze and marvel. Our homeland’s great fault line was now on display, at least partially, still buried in the mist below that only added to the splendour of it all.

Circle of life

This recently launched 129km, off-road trail is a perfect challenge for your gravel bike and offers a memorable circumnavigation