February 10 2013
Location: Coast between Arnish and Grimshader, Isle of Lewis

Grimshader Loop – Errol, Steve, Slaine and Gavin

Following heavy badgering by the author, Gavin joined the merry band of Errol, Slaine and Steve on the club’s first organised ride of the year – Arnish to Grimshader. As many of us have ridden and walked to Loch Buile Bhig from the Young Pretender’s memorial at Arnish point, we thought it would be a good idea to ride all the way to Grimshader along the coast. (I had ran from Grimshader to Arnish several times over the years and was well aware of how rough some of the ground was - hence my reluctance. I submit the picture below of Errol riding down through knee high heather in evidence! (Gavin)).

Conditions started perfectly with a southerly fresh wind in our faces from the Castle Grounds to Arnish, with sunshine also proving a real morale booster as we hit the trail. The trail to the Soval River was mostly rideable with a couple of foot downs. As shown in the picture below conditions were still good as we rode through the gabions and across the footbridge over the river.

After this point the fun began in earnest with the usual combination of technical riding and sheer grit needed to ride across virgin moorland. This type of riding is sometimes frustrating, but certainly rewards when you clear sections of deep heather, rock slabs and peat hags without touching down. Once past Loch Baile Bhig we had a hike a bike up to get onto the ridge to Grimshader. At this point we took a look around to appreciate the often overlooked rugged beauty of Lewis’s east coast as shown by the shot looking north to Stornoway.

After ascending to the ridge most of the riding, although challenging was rideable, working bike handling skills, stamina and power in equal measure. Following around 40 mins of hard riding we finally came to descent into Grimshader, which was worth the wait. Nice rock slabs, peat hags, and water courses all added to a technical descent in which route planning is essential.

We finally made the cairn overlooking the stunning coastal bay at Grimshader shown below, this was followed by the unavoidable road ride back to Stornoway. The conditions, whilst still dry and bright, had dropped by a few degrees as the wind started to come from the east, leading to a strong headwind on the return.

Top marks go to Slaine, who performed the ride after riding from Coll pre ride and on a jump bike with only one gear available and a saddle at BMX height!    However he added a dash of youth and urban style to combat the MAMIL show. A great day out in good company totalling 16.3 miles  at 6.6 mph including the 7 mile road return leg, with 1200 feet of climbing – stroll on Harris!

Steve