Torrid In Torridon
An early heatwave and a deep culvert make for a memorable spring ride in the hills
THE unusual temperatures had even caught the midges off guard. Spending a weekend in Torridon during very warm spring weather, we had expected to find clouds of them over every puddle in the paths, but there were hardly any of those either. The midges obviously weren’t expecting the sunshine – then, to be fair, nobody had expected the weather to be quite this good.
It might even have been too good. The reality of temperatures in the high 20s is not something you face often in Scotland. It’s surprisingly hard work when you’re used to wearing a long-sleeved base layer and seeing your own breath.
Torridon is an awe-inspiring place to visit, and with the mountains riddled with hard-wearing stone trails, even the worst conditions do little to damage the quality of the riding. Moody wet rides have a charm all of their own, but there are several reasons a hot day is hard to beat.
You don’t have to worry about getting cold. Most cyclists own more clothes for their sport than they do for daily life. A hot day gives us a little taste of the lives of our brethren in sunnier climates like California or Spain, who surely just own two T-shirts and a pair of shorts. How nice not to fear for the safety of your extremities every time you stop for a biscuit.
The trails will be dry. A sudden hot spell brings the best riding conditions – though if it lasts longer than a week, the trails can get “too dry”. This happens rarely, and could well be a uniquely British complaint, because we’re all a bit confused by the lack of friction.
There’s no need to wash the bike afterwards. Bearings last longer. Chains actually dry out and get squeaky without regular doses of lube. Everything works as well the next day as it did the day before, and hasn’t rusted between strapping it to the bike rack and getting home.
In spite of the heat, the track along the eastern shore of Loch Damh still had a few boggy patches. Simon stalled in one and put his foot out to the side as he tipped over. Unfortunately, he was above the edge of a particularly huge culvert, so the ground his foot was looking for was several feet below him and he disappeared off
“He simply jumped on the wheel” bent