Fort Augustus to Kingussie

Fort Augustus, Highland, United KingdomGravel

Signed route The waymarked Scotland Trail (regional route), traced from OpenStreetMap and measured against the terrain model; no member has recorded it yet. Stage 3 of 6 of the Scotland Trail. Ridden it? Add your recording and photos.

57 km
Distance: 928 m
Elevation gain: Moderate
Difficulty: Mixed
Surface

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Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus — Photo: John Myers · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 928 m
Distance: 57 km

Route overview

Suitable for experienced cyclists who can handle 57 km with 928 m climbing on mixed paved and gravel roads.

Stage 3 of 6 of the Scotland Trail: 56.9 km from Fort Augustus to Kingussie with 928 m of climbing, on the signed route.

Starting from Fort Augustus at 20 m elevation, the route immediately begins climbing at 2.5 km with a 5.2 km ascent gaining 288 m at an average gradient of 5.6%, reaching 344 m height. After a descent, a harder climb of 4.4 km starts at 11.5 km, gaining 398 m at 9% average gradient to the highest point of 765 m at 15.9 km. This steep section has a maximum gradient of 11.7% measured over 500 m. The route surface is 65% paved and 35% gravel or unpaved. Road types include 33% track, 32% minor roads, 24% major roads, 5% cycle path, and small shares of paths, quiet streets, and main roads. Notably, it includes 13.6 km of the A86 and 12.9 km along General Wade's Military Road. There are 14.5 km on main roads without cycle lanes, and 30.6 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or more. Facilities are limited for a long distance: there is no café, shop or water for 39 km from 0.4 to 39.4 km. At the start in Fort Augustus there are several cafés, a convenience store, petrol station and drinking water. The first café and toilets after the start are at the 39.4 km mark in Laggan. Further cafés, shops, and petrol stations appear near Newtonmore from 51 km onward. Kingussie at 56.3 km has bike shops, a station, cafés and shops for refuelling or bail out.

Highlights

Two sustained climbs reaching up to 765 m altitude
A86 and General Wade's Military Road sections
Long stretch without café, shop or water for 39 km
Peaks near route: Meallan Odhar, Dùn-da-Lamh, Creag Bheag Uvie

Along the route

Measured from the recorded track and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

Crathie 35.8 km
Dalchully 36.7 km
Gergask 39.2 km
Laggan 39.4 km
Balgowan 41.5 km
Newtonmore 51.9 km

Climbs

Climb	Starts at	Length	Gain	Average	Max	Top
—	2.5 km	5.2 km	288 m	5.6 %	11.6 %	344 m
—	11.5 km	4.4 km	398 m	9 %	11.7 %	765 m

High point 765 m at 15.9 km; low point 20 m. Passes beneath Meallan Odhar, Meallan Odhar Meadhon, Meallan Odhar Beag.

What this ride is like

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Roads: 33% track · 32% minor road · 24% major road · 5% cycle path
Main roads: 14.5 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads: 30.6 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths: 2.8 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used: A86 (14 km), General Wade's Military Road (13 km)
Surface: 65% paved · 35% gravel or unpaved
Gradient: 26% climbing · 24% descending · 50% flat
Steep sections: 7.1 km over 5% · 5.3 km over 8% · 3.7 km over 10% · steepest 500 m averages 11.7% at 15.2 km
Longest descent: 6.7 km from 16.4 km, dropping 423 m