Stage 3 of 5 · Highland Trail (part)← Stage 2 Stage 4 →

Kinlochewe to Ullapool

73 km gravel route1,552 m climbing6 h 03 minGPX

Kinlochewe, Highland, United Kingdom · Gravel

A mountainous 73 km gravel route from Kinlochewe, Highland to Ullapool through Letterewe, Auchlunachan and Croftown, with 1,552 m of climbing. The first 69 km has no café, shop or water. Mostly unpaved: 80% is mapped as gravel or unpaved, 20% as paved.

Signed route The waymarked Highland Trail (part), traced from OpenStreetMap and measured against the terrain model; no member has recorded it yet. Stage 3 of 5 of the Highland Trail (part). Ridden it? Add your recording and photos.

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At a glance

Best for: Short, climbing-heavy rides for fit, experienced riders
Distance: 72.6 km; Point to point
Elevation gain: 1,552 m; 21 m per km
Riding time: 6 h 03 min; moving time, estimated
Difficulty: Hard
Bike: Gravel or mountain bike; from the mapped surface
Surface: Mostly unpaved; 20% paved · 80% unpaved · 1% no data
Traffic: Mostly minor roads; 11.5 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 10.7 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more
Food & water: Longest gap 69 km; 13 cafés and restaurants · 6 shops · 1 water point · 2 petrol stations · 2 public toilets
Best months: Jun to Aug; Kinlochewe climate, 10 years
Navigation: GPX download; free, no sign-in
Start → finish: Kinlochewe → Ullapool

Shore Street, Ullapool — Photo: Leslie Barrie · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 1,552 m
Distance: 73 km

Route description

Kinlochewe
Letterewekm 14
Auchlunachankm 56
Croftownkm 57
Inverlaelkm 59
Ardcharnichkm 62
Leckmelmkm 64
Braes of Ullapoolkm 68
Ullapoolkm 73

Starting in Kinlochewe at 7 m elevation, the route heads north passing Incheril at 0.9 km and climbs early including a 1.5 km ascent from 4.7 km averaging 6.8% gradient with sections up to 14%. The road reaches Letterewe at 14.4 km, after which a 3.2 km climb averaging 8.7% lifts to 311 m. The highest point at 527 m occurs near 28.3 km, with nearby peaks like Carnan Ban and Ruadh-stac Beag around 26-29 km.

From there the route descends and rises again, including climbs of 4.1 km at 8.3% starting at 22.9 km and 3.7 km at 7.1% starting at 40 km. The road surface is mostly unpaved, with 80% gravel or similar, mixed with paths (59%) and tracks (22%). The longest named road is the A835, ridden for 10.6 km. There are 11.5 km on main roads without cycle lanes, and 10.7 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or greater.

Passing through Auchlunachan, Croftown, Inverlael, Ardcharnich, Leckmelm, and Braes of Ullapool, the route finishes at Ullapool at 7 m. There are no cafes, shops, or water points along the route between km 0.3 and 69.1, so riders must prepare to start with supplies. Both start and finish towns offer multiple cafés, shops, petrol stations, and toilets. Ullapool also provides a bailout point by ferry terminal.

Why ride this route?

Tops out at 527 m, 28.3 km in.

Highlights

Climbs up to 15.3% gradient near Letterewe
Peak elevation of 527 m near Carnan Ban and Ruadh-stac Beag
Longest named road is A835, 10.6 km
Finish at Ullapool ferry terminal

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

Letterewe 14.4 km
Auchlunachan 56.1 km
Croftown 56.7 km
Inverlael 58.5 km
Ardcharnich 62 km
Leckmelm 63.5 km
Braes of Ullapool 67.7 km
Ullapool 69.3 km

Climbs

Climbs in ride order: where each starts, what this ride climbs, and the full named ascent
Climb	Starts at	On this ride	Top on this ride
Unnamed climb	4.7 km	1.5 km · 105 m · 6.8 % · max 14 %	121 m
Unnamed climb	8.4 km	1.8 km · 45 m · 2.5 % · max 4.2 %	93 m
Unnamed climb	14.1 km	3.2 km · 283 m · 8.7 % · max 15.3 %	311 m
Unnamed climb	22.9 km	4.1 km · 342 m · 8.3 % · steepest 500 m 18 %	514 m
Unnamed climb	40 km	3.7 km · 261 m · 7.1 % · max 12.1 %	383 m
Unnamed climb	47.7 km	4.9 km · 319 m · 6.4 % · steepest 500 m 13.6 %	398 m

High point 527 m at 28.3 km; low point 7 m. Passes beneath Carnan Ban, Ruadh-stac Beag, Carn a Bhreabadair.

A point maximum far steeper than the climb’s average is usually an elevation-data spike, so the steepest 500 m of the profile is shown instead (or nothing, where the profile is too coarse).

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Mostly minor roads and streets on the map; 11.5 km is on main roads without a cycle lane.

Roads: 59% path · 22% track · 15% major road · 2% quiet street · 2% other roads and tracks
Main roads: 11.5 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads: 10.7 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Main roads used: A835 (11 km)
Surface: Mostly unpaved: 80% is mapped as gravel or unpaved, 20% as paved.
Gradient: 29% climbing · 31% descending · 39% flat
Steep sections: 12.4 km over 5% · 7.7 km over 8% · 5.1 km over 10% · steepest 500 m averages 19.5% at 26.5 km
Longest descent: 4.9 km from 30.1 km, dropping 420 m

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 69 km, from the start. Along the route: 13 cafés and restaurants, 6 shops, 1 water point, 2 petrol stations and 2 public toilets.

Food, water and shops in ride order

0 kmThe Coffee Shop · café · 140 m off route
0 kmToilets · 80 m off route
0 kmKinlochewe Service Station · petrol station · 130 m off route
0.1 kmKinlochewe Village Stores · convenience store · 40 m off route
0.3 kmDrinking water · 80 m off route
69.1 kmJet · petrol station · 60 m off route
69.3 kmTea by the Sea · café · 150 m off route
69.3 kmUllapool Unpacked · supermarket · 260 m off route
69.3 kmBoots · pharmacy · 280 m off route

Need to bail out?

69.3 km — Ullapool Ferry Terminal (ferry), 330 m off route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Stay after this ride

Brae Guest House · guest house · 20 m from the finish
Argyll Hotel · hotel · 70 m from the finish
Royal Hotel · hotel · 90 m from the finish
Ullapool Youth Hostel · hostel · 100 m from the finish
Creagan Guesthouse B&B · guest house · 110 m from the finish

Start and access

Starts at Kinlochewe. Mapped within a short walk of the start and finish, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start

Food and coffee: The Coffee Shop (140 m), Kinlochewe Hotel (140 m), The Old Hall Cafe (190 m)
Shops: Kinlochewe Village Stores (60 m), Kinlochewe Service Station (140 m)

At the finish

Food and coffee: Ferry Boat Inn (60 m), Tea by the Sea (150 m), Argyll (60 m)
Shops: Ullapool Unpacked (260 m)

Know before you go

No café, shop or water for 68.8 km from km 0.3 to 69.1
11.5 km on main roads without a cycle lane
10.7 km on fast roads with 80 km/h+ speed limits
80% of route on gravel or unpaved surfaces

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

2 photographs from the road

Photo: Leslie Barrie · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Alan Jamieson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Ibn Musa · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stage of

Highland Trail (part)

About this route

Route line: Traced from the waymarked route’s relation in OpenStreetMap.
Elevation: Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services: Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months: Ten years of ERA5 weather for Kinlochewe (Open-Meteo).
GPX: Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added: Thursday 3rd September 2026
Page last updated: Friday 4th September 2026

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Kinlochewe to Ullapool