Was wondering if anyone has any experience of cycling/mountain biking the Glen, which i assume is called Glencanisp between Suilven and Canisp mountains, and if it is possible to bike to Suileag Bothy below Suilven from Lochinver/Glencanisp Lodge. I've been up Suilven twice, once from the north via Glencanisp Lodge (many years ago), and once from Inverkirkaig more recently. Thinking of a Suilven winter trip this year, and thinking the track may prove to be too boggy and muddy. Let me know if you have ever cycled this route to Suilven, how hard it was and how far you got, cheers.
They're not a very inviting lot that Glencanisp Lodge crowd, no car parking at the end of the road, and no cycling! It's probably owned by a southern English toff rather than a local Scottish landowner, if any of them still exist.
The Lodge and the surrounding estates were bought from the Vesty family (southern Englidh toffs) by the Assynt Foundation - a community organisation - in 2005; one of the first under the Scottish Land Reform Act 2003.
Oh right, cheers for the update. Shame that the Assynt Foundation haven't yet opened a car park at the end of the Glencanisp Lodge road then. I would pay a pound for that. I did hear that teh Lodge is undergoing redevelopment at the moment. Any thoughts on the cycling towards Suileag?
I was there earlier this year and walked into Suilven along that track - can't see a problem cycling it, though it is quite undulating. Winter conditions might make it harder though - it's only about 4km of walking to get to the bothy from Glencanisp Lodge, so hardly worth taking a bike I would have thought. There is a car park a couple of hundred metres before Glencanisp Lodge, so you can drive a fair way.
I have been along this route on foot on two occasions and never had any problems with the Estate. As ALS says there is a free car park west of Glencanisp Lodge and a signposted route round the Lodge. The path shown on the map is actually a vehicle track, a bit rough in places and with a mountain bike you could cycle as far as Loch na Gainimh. Beyond that it is more of a path, quite rough in places. I stopped off at the bothy on one of these occaions, just for a cuppa, and it seemed to be in reasonable condition as far as I can recall.
Just found this while looking for info on the bothy. For reference, the 'No Cycling' sign (now illegal) has gone, and the track from Lochinver to the bothy is very rideable (apart from one steep, loose uphill). The spur heading north to the road past the bothy, however, is not. The continuing track from Suileag to Elphin, which I've only ever walked, is in that halfway house - I wouldn't set out deliberately to ride it, but it's not so awful that I'd exclude it as a connection on a longer ride.The bothy is in good nick, but a bit draughty, and spindrift can get in through the roof.
It's probably owned by a southern English toff rather than a local Scottish landowner, if any of them still exist.
