Glen Kinglass and Loch Dochard

Although I now have little interest in serious mountaineering, I still enjoy being out and about in the wilderness. I have found the remote valleys and glens of Scotland have far fewer walkers than the munro mountain tops, and still offer that feeling of being “totally alone in the world”.

Sometimes I go into these glens by bicycle, as I can penetrate much further in a shorter period of time. Then I will abandon the bike and take to the hills on foot. One of my favourite glens for this kind of expedition is Glen Kinglass. It is possible to cycle from Victoria Bridge on the western edge of Loch Tulla, past Loch Dochard, into Glen Kinglass, down to Loch Etive then onto Taynuilt.

There is a rough land rover track most of the way. This shows it near the start of the route at the Victoria Bridge end.



There are one or two river crossings to make, so don’t try it when the river Abhairn Shira is in spate.



However it is fordable in normal conditions. I have found it best to get a little speed up and just keep pedalling in low gear. Its all a question of balance



Its uphill all the way to the end of Loch Dochard so be prepared for a few rests on the route



Then its downhill and across some huge granite slabs to the old bridge at the start of Glen Kinglass



It can be very atmospheric in this part of the world if the mist is swirling and lifting



Just keep to the land rover track when the mist is down as it can be very wet on the moors



Loch Dochard is a beautiful place that few folks visit. I like to stop for lunch on its rocky shores.




Its full of wild brown trout too. On a calm day they can be seen sucking in the sedges as they break the water surface. They do make a lovely lunch :-D