Caledonia Way 2, Sustrans cycle route 78 Oban to Fort William bikepacking touring

Bikepacking the Caledonia Way, Sustrans cycle route 78 from Oban to Fort William including advice on the tricky section around Corran Ferry.

If you’d like to support this channel hit the JOIN button below any video or from the home page
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuSEN52fnqKmD99JkfexTGA/join
Or buy me a Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/sunartmedia

00:00 Intro
00:29 Routes out of Oban
01:33 Connel
02:32 Castle Stalker
02:52 New cycleway section through Highland Titles nature reserve
04:51 How to tackle the trick section into Fort William

Section 1 – Campbeltown to Oban: https://youtu.be/im0q9S6LZI8

Section 2 – Oban to Fort William: https://youtu.be/KUdso_PQBro
Section 3 – Fort William to Inverness: https://youtu.be/i4KOQwHQDGQ

RESOURCES
Useful info: https://www.alwaysanotheradventure.com/resources
Download info sheet: https://tinyurl.com/AAA-CalWayInfo

MAPPING
Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/collection/991093/-the-caledonia-way
RideWithGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/69362381
Direct GPX Download: https://tinyurl.com/AAA-GPX-CalWay

SUPPORT
Join the Crew: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuSEN52fnqKmD99JkfexTGA/join
Buy me a Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/sunartmedia

FOLLOW
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/always_another_adventure/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlwaysAnotherAdventure
Maps & rides on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/user/alwaysanotheradventure
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/1231296

MY VIDEO KIT https://tinyurl.com/myvideokit

MY CYCLING & CAMPING KIT https://tinyurl.com/mycyclingkit

[Music] this video is the new cycle route from urban to fort william it’s the second section of the caledonia way including advice on tackling the tricky bit around current ferry this is the second caledonia away video the first took us from campbelltown to oban and the next will take us from fort william to inverness and as i mentioned in the first video there are two ways out of oban the official route 78 out of oben goes back to the main caledonia way up a steep uphill i came in this way but if you don’t mind a very short road section i prefer an alternative easier departure the route i suggest follows the coast out of town then picks up a local cycleway i ride this often and i shot it over a few rides this first bit was in cooler weather which explains the jacket there’s a lovely beach at ganoven there’s a park run here on saturdays and then we turn onto the sustrans alternative route a lot of locals use this for cycling and dog walking so you’ll probably have company as it leads to and through a housing estate just outside the town the signs here get moved about but you can hear the road you’re heading for this is the only downside of this way out of urban but at least it’s over quickly that was one and a half miles of quite busy road riding but i still think it’s a better way out of open and the two routes come together here the connell bridge over the spectacular falls of laura on the right tide this is a playground for skilled kayakers and i always marvel at the sheer power of the water that pours out of locative urban airport is suitably small it’s easier to reach open by train we’re now on cycleway all the way to the corrin ferry like so many of sustran’s routes much of this is along old railway lines and there’s evidence of this everywhere yet a lot has had to be purpose-built switching sides of the main road as needed sometimes skirting very close at other better times breaking away completely i’ve ridden this over the years and seen these protected sections grow it used to be the case this was a road ride with bits of cycleway now it’s the other way around it’s mainly cycleway and a good one at that the coast is always close and offers great views including castle stalker but the best lies just ahead well as you can clearly see my jacket has changed and that’s because we’ve sprung forward in time and we are now on the new for 2020 section of the caledonia way route 78 so new that in summer 2020 the finishing touches were still being added in an inspired idea the route now goes into a nature reserve run by a business called highland titles the surface is superb the climbs have been graded gently to make the reserve accessible to wheelchairs and there are all sorts of things here some you can get close to others you have to keep well away this is lads wood and it’s owned by highland titles and the reason those names go together is because you can buy a square foot of this nature reserve now you might think why would anybody want to buy a square foot of scotland for a vanity title but it’s much more than that because it contributes to the upkeep of this beautiful nature reserve and in that sense it’s a pretty good idea [Music] i think this could very well be one of the nicest sections of cycleway i have ever been on cutting through a nature reserve it’s just such a fantastic idea and it’s so it’s so beautiful here it’s such a change to the old route which wasn’t long it was only two miles but it was on quite a busy road you couldn’t avoid it for a while and if you had a log laureate behind you well i could get a slightly intimidating this however this is fantastic [Music] back on the original caledonia way cutting from the coast to inland glancing at a watch working out how to deal with a section that lies just ahead we’re now at the busy a82 and it’s easy to miss but there’s an important sign over here because you’re going to have to make a decision soon which way you go and here you will find the ferry timetables that are all important to that decision are four ways to fort william the fastest is up the main a82 and depending on ferry times you may have no choice but it is very very busy there’s a segregated cycle way as far as the current ferry but after that you’re on a busy winding road that’s how windy it gets when one of those lorries passes there is a back way but some of it involves pushing and it can be boggy although it’s a great ride it might not be a nice end to a day’s touring by far the nicest way involves two ferries the first is the current ferry which takes you onto quiet single track roads this is how it looks on the map the current ferry is here the single track runs up the opposite side of loculini to the main a82 and at the top is a small passenger-only kamisnagal [Music] this is a lovely ride i’ve done it in other videos and this is where sustrans 78 caledonia way officially goes but there’s a snag the small ferry does not run on sundays and only four sailings are listed on other days however on those days it will make a crossing for two or more passengers its facebook page seems to be updated more regularly than its website if you cross using the current ferry and miss the small kamisner gold ferry you can still cycle around lockheel adding 22 miles to the journey routes and advice can be found on the resources page of our website just before we finish if you found this helpful and you haven’t yet subscribed to my channel please do so i make adventure cycling videos and i also have a series of tips and advice for new and returning cyclists covering stuff many cyclists take for granted [Music] here in fort william there are two great bike shops and if you are continuing north you have a fantastic ride ahead of you sustrans route 78 the caledonia way now becomes the great glenn way and i’ve done a video of that which you can find here the round button is to subscribe to my channel and it’d be fantastic if you would do that and also take a look around you might find something that you like until next time bye