Lochs, bothies & the heart of the highlands — The Badger Divide

Welcome to the Badger Divide; a 200 mile (320 km) bikepacking route across the Scottish Highlands, linking the cities of Inverness to the north and Glasgow to the south. Devised by local off road enthusiast Stu Allan, the Badger Divide links up several established trails including the Great Glen Way and West Highland Way, as well as national long distance cycle trails. The result is a flowing and accessible trail that can be ridden either on a gravel bike, robust touring bike or mountain bike, showcasing some of the best landscapes along the length of the Highlands.

Expect long and meandering gravel roads, chunky rocky passes, forestry roads and quiet linking lanes. There’s also quite a few towns and villages on the route, making resupply fairly simple, especially considering how remote some of these areas can be.

For exceptionally fit, experienced and ambitious riders, the Badger Divide can be completed in two days with an overnight stop at Loch Ossian Youth Hostel or camping nearby. While there’s no hike-a-bike along the route, some of the climbs are not to be underestimated and can take some time, especially in inclement weather. Here we propose the route over five stages, which of course you can choose to combine or ride as single day stages – up to you.

You might be wondering where the name came from? Comically, it’s a play on words referring to the Baja Divide, a well known bikepacking route in Baja, California.

Open Access Legislation in Scotland makes this route possible, so make sure you’re respectful of the environment and follow the Outdoor Access Code (outdooraccess-scotland.scot/). There are a number of bothies and youth hostels, hotels and guesthouses along the route if you’d rather not camp or if the weather is rough.

The best time of year to tackle the Badger Divide is either late spring to early summer, once the ground has dried out a little, yet before the onset of midge season, or after it in September/October. It’s not recommended for the winter season due to potential severe weather and dangerous river crossings.

When travelling to the start and finish of the Badger Divide, access is very easy by train, with both of these points being close to major city train stations. Find out more and plan your journey at scotrail.co.uk.

Find out more about the Badger Divide and the institutions that help make this possible here thebadgerdivide.co.uk and more about The Racing Collective’s annual ride using this route here theracingcollective.com/scotduro.html