Two overnighters, either side of The Summer Equinox.

My friend Ian is a busy man with a young family and a bike shop to run.  I only told him about my idea of an Equinox trip with a week or so to go.  We agreed on a campsite but I left the route entirely up to Ian.   After a chilled departure from his place taking a route that will forever now be known as ‘The Darnaway Divide Trail’!

Ian bikepacking on The Darnaway Divide Trail beside The Findhorn River.

We rode quiet backroads, forest tracks and some beautiful singletrack by the river.  Some exploration took us into twilight, at one point we negotiated a section of fallen trees whilst listening to the thundering of horses hooves!. Our dinner of local produce was cooked over the firepit later that night.

Cooking local venison, tatties and broccoli on the firepit.

A climb from the river warmed us up in the morning before a swooping ride through Darnaway Forest.  Back at Ian’s we enjoyed ‘A Breakfast of King’s’ with his family!

Looking back on the climb to Darnaway Forest.

The Gaelic name for Applecross in Wester Ross is ‘The Sanctuary’.  No guests of rideawaybikepacking had booked on my weekend trip so Eoghain and I headed back for our own mini-break.  The Kenmore track cuts across remote hillsides and past many lochs with some steep climbs on its way to Applecross.

Eoghain confidently riding one of the technical climbs on The Kenmore Track to ‘The Sanctuary’.

In our barbags we carried sleeping bags and overnight kit.  Our backpacks were filled with the usual day riding equipment along with some emergency gear should the conditions deteriorate, or one of us have an accident.  This set up meant that our full suspension bikes could still work properly.

Nanny’s in Shieldaig, one of the local places we ate well at.

All our meals were taken at local pubs and cafes in Shieldaig, Applecross and Lochcarron.  More than ever it is important to support these places if you can.

Jim about to start the exhilarating descent back to Kenmore.