Dudes of Hazard present: Search for the SLOP
Leading on from their first Search for the Slop episode that was filmed in Fort William back in February, the Dudes (Liam Moynihan and James Shirley) set off on a mini-quest to see what other riding spots were as good as home. With a small window between the late race season and the inevitable ‘second wave’, it was the perfect opportunity to sample some new trails. The original idea was to experience conditions in other countries but with travel restrictions coming back into place it made sense to stick to Scotland and experience some of the country’s finest!
Fifteen days cooped up in separate vans with mountains of manky wet kit made for some fairly grim living but spirits remained high as each spot kept delivering sensational tracks, sloppy conditions and fantastic company along the way.
North of Fort William on the shores of Loch Ness, Drumnadrochit was the first place on the hit list. Meeting up with Joe Connell they sampled some of the local delights before heading up to Inverness the following day. It was then fair well to Connel and onwards and across-wards over to Aviemore. Deep dark woods made for epic riding topped off with a well-deserved wash in the Loch. Next stop was Dunkeld about an hour and a half’s drive south on the A9. Christopher Gallagher (aka. Christo) arrived to return the walkie talkie and aid in sniffing out the best trails in the area. This boy seems to get around and Dunkeld did not disappoint! Treacherous trails, plenty of puddles and amazing action.
Stay tuned next week to see how the middle stint of the journey unfolds…