Our Cookie Policy

We use cookies, as described in our Cookies Policy, to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.
If you continue to use our website without changing your cookie settings, you agree to our use of cookies. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookie settings at any time by following the steps set out in our Cookie Policy.

Best of Backyard Laura Martin, Fort William

07.09.2020
 

You know you’ve been into the wilds of Scotland when Fort William seems like you’ve travelled some way south, but that’s where we pick up the latest instalment of Best of Backyard and we’re at Nevis Range to go for a lap of the trails with Laura Martin.
We’ll get it out of the way early, but Laura’s backyard in Mallaig isn’t littered with the best mountain biking out there. While the mountains aren’t far away, it’s far enough to go to get a mid-lockdown slap on the wrist, made even worse by the arrival of a shiny new HB130.

Nevis Range is where Laura rides the most, however, and the mix of lift-assisted and off-piste trails you’ll have to find yourself make it a pretty obvious choice as you can pick what you feel like riding on the day. Even before we meet, the sun is making itself known and it’s definitely going to be a scorcher.
While the gondola wasn’t running during lockdown, it seems rude to pedal into the woods with so much easy altitude on offer. We pile into the gondola for a lap, with plans to take in a lap of what the woods have to offer after lunch. Whatever happens, it’s going to be hot, dry and dusty. How many times can you say that about Fort William?
Once out at the top of the lift, it’s crazy to see how many people are on the mountain, and Laura and her other half Hugo certainly can’t remember seeing the place this busy. Luckily, there’s plenty of room to spread out on the vast slopes of Aonach Mor, and we waste no time getting the freshly-graded black run that holds Joe Barnes’ moniker, ‘Top Chief’.

From the get-go things get fast and rough. There’s no trees to get in your way here so keep your eyes up and get your braking done early and you’ll be rattling across the boardwalk in no time. Crucially here you need to try and avoid the wheel-killers that hide just off the main line, much like the downhill track, that can end your day pretty quickly. While the granite here is predictable and grippy in most weathers, it is also hard and unforgiving. Pick your line well and you’ll be flying. Get it wrong though and you’ll be wincing your way off the hill.

High on the hill, it’s easy to be distracted by Loch Eil stretching west and the massive mountains to the north, as we hook around the hill and leave the boardwalk alone for the time being. Before the slabs return in earnest, the view up towards Carn Mor Dearg distracts us as much as the excavator putting in the much-anticipated blue run that will run from the top of the gondola.
Laura and Hugo clearly know where they’re going so I opt to play tailgunner as I’m more used to weaving my way through rocks than riding down giant slabs. A short climb leads into a serious drop in gradient, again all on granite slabs and the sun is still plenty high enough to peer over Aonach Mor and it’s taller neighbours to keep the temperature in the red.
Through the deer fence and the slabs give way to granite sand which is far more forgiving and offers serious traction than ferocious rock above. The pace jumps as we carve the perfect turns as the trees return before we’re spat out onto the infamous Puggy Line. We opt to take the direct route to the North Face of Ben Nevis and leave lunch until later. One run of the gondola has everyone’s blood up and stopping now doesn’t seem right.

We leave behind the cool shade of the trees and into the merciless attention of the late afternoon sun as we start to winch ourselves higher up and out of the forest to one of the best views in the UK, Ben Nevis’ north face, opposed by the imposing Carn Mor Dearg. We decide to top up the water reserves in the Allt a’Mhuillinn before we sweat any more. Then it’s a simple case of pedalling as high up this famous path as we deem fit. Make the hut and you’d not be far of the same altitude of the ski lift, but the trail gets increasingly technical and the run down from a lone silver birch tree gives amazing views in all directions, and a fast, flowing delight. All you need to be able to do is keep your tyres away from the proliferation of water bars that litter this ribbon of gravel.
Get the timing right on the pre-hop and this is easily one of the best trails out there, just make sure to keep your eyes pull in and say hi to the walkers. There was more than a few today and who could blame them? The mode of transport might be different but we’re all out enjoying one of the grandest landscapes in the UK.

Back at the tall deer gate, I squint my eyes to the heavens and beckon everyone to do the same. I’d promised Claire she might see an eagle on this trip… Well, how about four? Four giant raptors circling lazily on the updrafts above Aonach Mor, and very possibly the same birds Joe Barnes picked out on our mission into the Mamores.
The day is not yet done and our guides direct us to a trail that had some love ahead of the last Scottish Enduro Series race and definitely requires a bit more attention than the last before we find ourselves again at the Puggy Line, where we can sample the section of the blue run that’s finished. Fast, swooping berms, rollers and a cheeky tabletop throw us out into the car park and boy are we ready for ice cream…

It’s not all that hard to see why Laura would wait patiently during lockdown to ride here. Whether it’s World Cup downhill runs, laps of the red or any manner of trails in the woods, there’s something for everyone.

Words & Pictures: Pete Scullion

TOP