
Durness Ullapool Loch Ness Fort William

This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert Nick Carthew - (MRA Master)
Last edit: 26-03-2025
This route well and truly deserves the 5***** stars that I have awarded it. It is an exceptional route that you must do.
Animation
Verdict
Duration
9h 9m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
304.20 km
Countries


Ardvreck Castle RP 7
Kylesku Bridge is definitely a photo stop because of the beautiful engineering of the curvature of the bridge, it is 276m long but only crosses a 130m stretch of water! The bridge is transformed into something very special by its wonderfully curved design and the stunning scenery of this part of the Scottish Highlands.
The route then passes the ruins of Ardvreck Castle, said to have been built towards the end of the 16 c and formerly the residence of Neil Macleod but sadly it is now in a ruinous state. As is Calda House, just a few hundred metres further on. Built in 1726 it was the first mansion of symmetrical plan and elevation to be built in the north west Highlands.
You then have the option to visit Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve.
Knockan Crag holds the key to an amazing story of colliding continents and scientific intrigue. The low cliff of Knockan exposes rocks that set the scientific world ablaze in the 19th century, with the discovery that a slice of old rock sits on top of much younger ones. At Knockan crag, you can bridge 500 million years of history with your bare hands.
Ullapool is the first town of any size, and when we passed through in 2016 we had a nice coffee and slice of cake at The Ferry Boat Inn and also topped up with fuel even though we had only travelled 67 miles.
Not long after leaving Ullapool you can have a sneaky visit to see the magnificent Corrieshalloch Gorge. Park on the left towards the end of the layby and then cross the road and hop over the barrier for a short walk to view the Corrieshalloch Gorge Viewpoint suspended high above the gorge that has a stunning waterfall. It is a lot easier than using the official entrance.
After passing Loch Glascarnoch and Loch Garve you have another opportunity to stop for a photo of more waterfalls. Rogie Falls is a series of beautiful waterfalls on the Black Water river. Located close to the car park, there is an impressive suspension bridge crossing the Black Water river giving you an up-close view of this awesome natural phenomenon. Visit in August or September and you might see wild salmon leaping upstream too.
Whenever my wife and I go touring on our bikes, we like to bag special bridges, we bagged the Kylesku Bridge earlier and now we get to cross over the River Conor using the Moy Bridge. Constructed in 1894 by the Cleveland Bridge Company, it consists of 14 spans of wrought iron girders on 13 cast iron piers. It is single track, with priority in your favour. Warning signs warn pedestrians that the river level can rise suddenly. Despite the logical assumption that the flood affects the bridge, it actually affects the road to the south of the bridge which sits a little lower than the bridge deck! What makes the Moy Bridge feel special is it has a certain fragility about it and it isn't very high above the river.
From here the routes heads toward the north end of Loch Ness, my wife wanted to see if we could see Nessie the Loch Ness Monster so we started our quest at Urquhart Castle, a good place to look for Nessie, sadly, we never saw her! The route follows the shore of Loch Ness to Fort Augustus where you can see the 5 large locks that form part of the Caledonian Ship Canal that joins the east coast to the west coast. We stopped here for a coffee and had nice fish and chips from The Moorings restaurant.
The third special bridge for the day sadly can't be ridden on, but you can walk on the Bridge of Oich. After flooding destroyed the old stone bridge in 1849, a new bridge was needed. It needed a single wide span to avoid further flooding. English engineer James Dredge used an innovative double-cantilever design for the new bridge. It differed from a normal suspension bridge in 2 ways: it was lighter since the chains got thinner towards the centre & it was more stable - if the bridge broke in the middle, the 2 separate cantilevered sections should remain in situ.
From here the route heads for Fort William and the hotel for the night. We stayed at the Onich Hotel overlooking Loch Linnhe but as Fort William is a tourist destination, there is plenty of accommodation available to suit all needs.
Enjoy

Kylesku Bridge

Moy Bridge
Want to download this route?
You can download the route for free without MyRoute-app account. To do so, open the route and click 'save as'. Want to edit this route?
No problem, start by opening the route. Follow the tutorial and create your personal MyRoute-app account. After registration, your trial starts automatically.
Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.