Bikepacking the Badger Divide

The Badger Divide is a 340km bikepacking route between Inverness & Glasgow in the Scottish Highlands. Stuart Allan is the brainchild behind it, taking inspiration from the famous Baja Divide in Mexicali.

May is undoubtedly the best time to ride in Scotland, after the cold & wet winter, but before the heat & midge season that is summer. It would appear many others have the same idea; TGO hikers crossing Scotland, GGW & WHW hikers heading north, as well as other bikepackers on the same route.

Whilst there are more challenging routes out there, I chose the Badger Divide as I wanted my first big ride post brain haemorrhage to be ‘easy’ – as in, non-technical, no hike-a-bike & never far from towns. Whilst the world goes crazy for fastest/furthest/craziest feats, it was my intention to do the exact opposite; an SKT attempt.

Logistically the Badger Divide is fairly simple, on paper. A train from Preston to Glasgow Central, dawdle at Riverhill coffee bar & change to Glasgow Queen Street, then another direct train to Inverness. Trains in the UK get a lot of bad press at the moment, I cant comment, I use them very infrequently. Two trains got me Inverness without the stress of driving. From there I could begin my adventure.

In true slowest known time, I didn’t actually start the route immediately. I camped in Inverness at Brunchrew Campsite that night – 6 hours sitting still on a train isn’t exactly ideal preparation for a 340km ride. I’d forgotten about all the nerves & anxious feelings that build up ahead of a multi-day ride; they’re all positive & natural feelings, but remembering how to settle them was an aspect to big rides I hadn’t felt for a while. Really, it was just excitement!

Day 1

Tuesday morning rolled around after a solid 9 hours sleep. It was raining, so I snoozed for another hour. You’ll hear a lot about dawdling in this blog! I packed up and rode into Inverness. It was windy, luckily, it meant I would have a tailwind when heading east. Once more, in SKT fashion, I stopped for coffee & pastry at XOKO Bakehouse before even starting the ride; one pastry to sit in with coffee & one to go is my typical order. (side note, mandarin croissants are amazing!)

The Badger Divide starts with some rather frustrating ‘figure it out yourself’ diversions out of Inverness due to construction works, before following the Great Glen Way down to Fort Augustus. With 3 diversions inside the first half hour, I quickly nicknamed it the Badger Diversion. For a route that’s considered ‘easy’ this is quite a tough first 65km; lots of undulation & some pretty XC-esque terrain in places. All good fun on a hardtail!

I was focused on the Corrieyairack pass as my goal for the first day; I don’t like waking up knowing my first hours of the day will be spent on a big climb – it doesn’t set the day up well. I met quite a lot of riders that morning, all of whom were aiming to stay in Fort Augustus that night – as nice as it was to share the ride with others, I like to ride at my own pace. It turns outs my definition of an SKT at 3.5 days is fast compared to others – riding in groups means committee meetings at every opportunity – I get it, but not my thing. Maybe there is still some ultra-distance nouse left in me!

One thing I was really keen on for this trip was not getting hung up on timings. In an ultra-distance race, discipline is key – making sure you minimize faffing & stopped time. Here, I had to change my mindset. If I was an hour behind schedule, no problem. Well, as long as the café is still open!

The dawdling meant I was leaving Fort Augustus around 4pm, a little later than I’d liked. I did only set off at 10.30am & did have a café stop in Drumnadrochit too. I planned for roughly 3 hours to do Corrieyairack, but knew of the bothy half way up should it get too late or be too much for my brain.

The Corrieyairack pass has a bit of a reputation; it’s featured on pretty much every long-distance ride in Scotland. From Fort Augustus, it’s not difficult – it’s just a long slog. It ramps up a bit in places, but the terrain is all ridable. I did far worse in Switzerland last year. The descent off the otherside is probably harder than the climb, much looser & lumpier in places! I guess when it’s the highest pass of the route, it kinda sticks out a bit. Personally, I prefer one big climb rather than 3 or 4 smaller undulations, I like settling into it and just spinning away for 90mins. The views from the top are majestic, looking back west to all the snowcapped peaks of the highlands. The tailwind over the climb was a welcome boost too.

I was happy as Larry after getting that done; it wasn’t nearly as hard as I remember. XC hardtail was proving to be a very sensible choice for the Badger Divide! Whilst the weather & riding had been really good today, my nutrition choices left something to be desired. In this recovery period I have become quite obsessed about what I eat and my lifestyle choices. Long distance riding can often mean an ‘eat what you can find’ approach, but still, when there is a choice, it pays to make good choices; too much carb & not enough high protein, fibre and fat left me feeling somewhat bloated.

I passed quite a few TGO hikers that evening, all with nice riverside pitches – but somewhat exposed. I opted for a sheltered spot on the shores of Loch Laggan that evening, staying well protected from the high winds forecasted that night. Day 1 was 7 hours riding, covering 105km & 2669m – not bad at all for someone recovering from a brain haemorrhage!

Day 2

After yesterday’s effort to get over the Corrieyairack, I had planned for day 2 of the Badger Divide to be more restorative. One thing I’d been really keeping my eye on was my HR – high HR for extended periods has been one of the major agitators during this brain haemorrhage recovery period. I’ve had to adapt my high cadence style to high power & torque instead – its slower, but keeps my HR down. I managed to keep it between 140-160 for the most part on day 1, the occasional spike on short, steep inclines. But paying close attention to it meant no migraines or headaches later that evening. Sensible.

I met loads of cool people going north on the Great Glen Way & then again going coast to coast across Corrieyairack on TGO. Taking time to stop and hear peoples stories was a welcome break on what can otherwise be quite a lonely, individual adventure. I love those 5 minute passing encounters with likeminded folk.

I spent my second morning on the shores of Loch Laggan just enjoying a coffee & some breakfast. I felt tired last night – which was a refreshing change; exertion isn’t something I’m doing a lot of at the moment. It got pretty cold overnight; the high winds seemed the blow all yesterday’s warm weather away. Bringing a down jacket was one of my smarter ideas.

The forecast for the next few days was grey, overcast & 10% chance of rain. Up north, that translates to: you’re going to get wet at some point, just deal with it!

The second morning started with a beautiful ride though Lochan na h-Earba. It has an aura of wilderness & natural beauty that I’m really fond of; exactly what I came to the highlands for. Yesterdays tailwind became todays headwind; it just meant I was riding more slowly through this breath-taking spot.

From here the Badger Divide route follows the contours of the landscape round to Loch Ossian, it’s the kind of place where distance is irrelevant, the backdrop is just awesome. I rode past my campspot from last year & followed the smooth gravel round to Corrour train station.

Corrour station is welcome spot. In what is the most remote part of the route, a warm shelter with brilliant food, is very inviting! The only downside, re-motivating yourself to get back on the bike afterwards. I felt too relaxed this morning, like riding was an effort – now I had to overcome that again. It’s not my legs, it’s my head. I have to remember I haven’t done this in a long time, both big days and consecutive days.

The Road to the Isles & descent to Bridge of Gaur was such fun; a scenic pedal out of Corrour and then long fast descent for what felt like 10km – probably my highlight of the route. Bike travel is funny; I passed some hikers about 1 km before Corrour before detouring & stopping for an hour, only to then pass them again. They’d travelled 5km in an hour. I’d travelled the same in 15min & had a sit down lunch!

I was a little conflicted what to do here; I’d covered 84.1km & 1291m in less than 5 hours. It was early; I could push on and get more done but equally what’s the rush. I came here not to slow down and enjoy!

Silly me didn’t check the area for campsites, I found a spot next to the river in a sheltered forest environment & started to camp. It was only a few hours later as I set about my tea that I was moved on; conveniently to a campsite across the river. Obviously, my own mistake for not thinking to check! Campsite convenience is underrated, toilets & fresh water on tap; obviously the purists will say its cheating, but if your goal is to get 9/10 hours sleep each night, it makes sense!

Initially I was a bit annoyed about stopping early, but when the heavens opened later that evening, I was glad to be pitched up & getting stuck into my Firepot meal at 7pm rather than getting wet on the bike. I was there on holiday after all!

Day 3

I started day 3 in a very good mood today. Another 9 hours sleep. Another morning to enjoy coffee with the song bird. No rush. I like it. I met another Badger Divide rider that morning, from Holland. Nice to share stories for 5 mins. This slow touring pace was growing on me.

From Loch Rannoch, the first part of the ride in the forest was blissful. Smooth trails & sounds of the river were fantastic.

I skipped breakfast that morning, I’d had enough of high carb dehydrated meals & wanted proper food.  The Glen Lyon tearoom at Bridge of Balgie did not disappoint; it was noticed that I appeared to be rather enjoying a bacon & egg roll! Very good coffee too. To add to my list of encounters, I met a chap from Belgium who is cycle touring for 6 weeks across northern England & Scottish Highlands – he’d done the Great North trail & HT500 and was heading over to the Cairngorms. Chapeau!

The road from Bridge of Balgie up Glen Lyon was long and tedious. Just a tarmac road that goes on for 10km at least. Despite the boring nature of it, it was some fast km’s, until it got steep after the dam. It was the same on the descent to Killin; nice distance gained, just uninteresting – well, apart from the crater sized pot holes in a terribly broken road.

Just as I complained it was all too easy, the path from Lochearnhead to Loch Lubnaig was a toughie. Proper XC climbing rather than easy gravel. It did slow progress down, but nothing my caramel shortbread couldn’t solve. There was one awkward hike-a-bike here, a footpath diversion past a hydro station – its sections like this that remind me why I don’t think I’ll ever ride the HT500. Bikes are for riding, not walking/carrying/pushing. Bike races should be the same.

I’d made good time again, for I planned to divert from the Badger Divide route into Callander for tea, but at 4pm it seemed too early. The forecast said rain that evening & it wasn’t raining at 4pm, so I pushed on. 20km later, after the heavenly three Lochs Forest Drive section, I was in Aberfoyle tucking into a big burger at The Faerie Tree Inn!

Either my endurance legs were coming back to me quicker than expected, or the ride got easier as I got further south into the Trossachs. It felt like the km’s have just been falling effortlessly today. Aberfoyle is pretty close to the finish, but at 7pm, riding into Glasgow with no accommodation & my train not till tomorrow, it seemed pointless to finish. I camped at Drymen camping, thinking I should get a shower so I don’t completely stink the train out tomorrow. Smart Callum, very smart!

Day 3 came to 125.95km & 2198m in 7hours riding. The biggest ride I’d done all year was 125km & 1835m, on a road bike. So to to do this on day 3, whilst insignificant compared to last year, was a very nice milestone on the road to recovery.

It wasn’t a very good sleep that night if I’m honest (or fussy!). The campsite was full of West Highland Way & other groups, all pitched so close together that you could hear other campers and all their rustling noise. I guess everything’s a bad sleep compared to 9hours overall & 5 hours REM/SWS!

Day 4

The last few km’s into Glasgow were arduous. Not because of the terrain, that was easy. It was the volume of people on the West Highland Way – luckily all heading out of Glasgow so could see me coming. Pedestrians have this wonderful habit of taking up the entire path & taking an eternity to move out the way; usually getting annoyed when you have to ring a bell to alert them. If you don’t want to jump out your skin, quite simply; don’t stand in the way! I shouldn’t criticise the Badger Divide for this – I live next to a canal towpath & what should be a trouble-free way of getting about by bike just isn’t.

I rode up to Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum beaming, revelling in that sense of accomplishment. Oh, how I’d been looking forward to this; finishing a big ride & the satisfaction that comes with it!

Kit

Stuart, who works at Shand Cycles, probably won’t be best pleased that I took my Pace hardtail instead of my own Shand up to do his ride! My reasoning being that it was my first ‘big’ multi-day ride post brain haemorrhage, I therefore wanted a wide range drivetrain to make my life as easy as possible! Other plans later this year involve riding my 29er silly distances, so it made sense to get used to it. XC tires are perfect for bikepacking, ‘gravel’ tires are not. Mezcal/Barzo combination went well for this route (they always do!) I like the comfort of higher volume & added puncture protection – where those on skinny tyres would be on the brakes, cautiously slowing down over long & fast descents for fear of puncturing, I could just let it fly.

• Apidura bar bag: Thermarest Vesper UL32, Exped SynMat HL, Montane Prism primaloft smock & additional warm/evening off-bike layers.
• Apidura frame pack: personal hygiene ‘stuff’, first aid kit, battery pack, chain lube.
• Apidura top tube pack: midge net, head torch, cables/plug socket.
• Apidura accessory pack: dehydrated meals x4 & coffee paraphernalia.
• Salomon skin 5; 2l water bladder + water filter, day snacks & pump, Inov8 stormshell waterproof. I ride small frames, so better water storage – for me.
• Tools (pliers, multitool, levers, chain tool, needle/thread, tubeless plugs, tyre boot) will be in a Lezyne Flow bottle cage tool holder thingy.
• Tailfin: Terra Nova Laser Compact 1, Primus Lite+ stove, bike spares (mech hanger, cleats, gear cable, brake pads etc.), additional base layers, socks & undershorts.

My set up was branded ‘light’ by other riders, but I thought it heavy to be honest. It was pretty cold with the wind, so I was glad for layers. I build & maintain my own bikes, therefore tend to be quite over cautious with tools & spares – not because I don’t trust my handiwork, but because I have it & think I’ll be annoyed if I need it and don’t take it!

I planned to wildcamp most nights, the distances at which I had identified were a bit away from towns with pubs/eateries. Therefore a stove and some dehydrated meals were the solution. Taking a stove also meant I could have coffee whenever I wanted; more than good enough reason to carry it!

Thoughts

I took my fitness for granted last year. During 2022 I saw astronomical improvements after a really solid winter of base training at the end of 2021. My goal going into 2023 was to build on this & transition my mindset towards racing to win; obviously that changed after my accident in December. I lost a lot of muscle mass & aerobic fitness, so was quite concerned this might have been a sufferfest. I was concerned about struggling from checkpoint to checkpoint, in need of a rest. These rides are enjoyable when you feel strong & thankfully, it would appear it hasn’t dropped off nearly as much as I thought. Relief!

I mentioned earlier that I’m paying closer attention to my vitals at the moment. It would appear that I’m getting the best night’s sleep when out camping; my HR and bodily stress levels stayed nice & low overnight. Sleeping from 10 till 8, getting very high sleep percentage scores & very solid recovery; my HRV consistently high & RHR consistently low – lower than usual actually, at 39-41bpm. Despite this excellent recovery, the very nature of basic bodily functions plus riding all day, plus camp craft meant I was still overreaching in terms of strain vs recovery.

Whilst it felt easy towards the end as I settled into a rhythm, its clear I’ll still need some recovery time after finishing the Badger Divide. Tracking data is one thing, but understanding & then acting on it is another thing entirely.

It was an excellent confidence booster to know that can still do long distance rides, adapted to suit my higher recovery needs. I felt like I still had plenty in the tank afterwards; which is very good news since I’ve committed to a longer distance event in Italy next month!

I’ve been quite keen to avoid races this year; choosing organized events where more people are travelling together at slower pace. I carried a lot of self-supported kit on this trip, whereas for the next one I’ll be ditching the cooking equipment & traveling a bit lighter.