Mountain Biking on Mull? Ben MOre ascent/descent

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 peebles boy 18 Aug 2018

Going to have a spare day on Mull end of next week after a DofE exped, anyone know any good mountain biking routes on Mull? Is Ben More possible/good/worth doing? Not scared of pushing/hike a bike if the descent is worth it!

Cheers,

Gordon 

 dovebiker 18 Aug 2018

The walker's path is a steady climb all the way, once you get above the vegetation it gets steeper still - when I did it a few years ago at no point did I think that I'd want to take a bike up there a it would be hike-a-bike almost all the way. The descent is fairly narrow and tight switchbacks - nowhere to really 'run' and you'd be on the brakes most of the way.

I also did some exploring of the forest trails around Glengorm Castle at the north of the island - mainly forest tracks as there's little evidence of any other tracks

 charliesdad 19 Aug 2018
In reply to peebles boy:

There are a few bridleways on Mull, but to be honest they’re not that great; my 10 year old son thought they were “boring”, so you probably won’t feel like you’re pushing the envelope....if you are happy to follow footpaths then it may be a different story. Please report back!

 

1
 DaveHK 19 Aug 2018
In reply to peebles boy:

Never take advice from walkers on what's good / doable on a mountain bike.

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 Strachan 20 Aug 2018
In reply to peebles boy:

I know it isn't what you're after, but if you have a road bike, the road riding on Mull is amazing. The road from Ulva Ferry to Tobermory (or to Glengorm) via Calgary, Dervaig is incredible. The coast roads also amazing, and the tarmac very smooth in general. Tobermory-salen-Ulva Ferry-Calgary-Dervaig-Tobermory is a cracking loop. I don't think the extra effort for the southern part of the island is necessarily worthwhile.

 Chris the Tall 20 Aug 2018
In reply to peebles boy:

Not done Ben More, but cycling the length of Ulva and back is very scenic, with the added fun of the ferry. I had a week in Dervaig and had lots of fun exploring the coast to the north and east of there, but it was very much hardtail/scenic rather than full-suss/technical stuff. And as stated above the road climb out of Dervaig, and the return climb, are great on any sort of bike

 TobyA 20 Aug 2018
In reply to peebles boy:

I walked up Ben More with my kids a few years back. It was good as a first Munro for the kids, but pretty boring walking if you prefer scrambling on the whole although the views are wonderful. In retrospect I suspect it would be an excellent mountain bike ride, or ski tour in exceptional conditions. Go for it!

Edit: look at the last pic here: 

https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/rucksacks/medium/lowe_alpine_airzone_pro_35... doesn't that look fun for biking?

Post edited at 10:28

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