Inspiration, or copying other people's bad ideas.

I have already stressed the importance, and the fun, of planning your own routes, but where should you get your ideas from?

Merely wishing to subject your expensive and fragile pride and joy to that special blend of acidic gritty mud that makes up most Highland singletrack is not enough, you need something to ride TO (unless you're also a building services engineer, in which case you already have sufficient FROM).

Here I provide a handy reference guide to some of the inspirations for my best or most misguided forays into the hills.

Glenfinnan to Cape Wrath Part 2: Glen Shiel, The Falls of Glomach and Torridon

The second installment of my 2011 attempt to ride an adapted version of the Cape Wrath trail. Already struggling after two days I headed into some famous riding territory between Glen Shiel and Glen Affric

The joy of Maps

If several long, painful, soggy wet misadventures in the Highlands has taught me anything, it has taught me that the two best bits of any trip are typically:

1. Planning the trip (ideally over several nights and glasses of wine) and
2. Talking about the trip endlessly once you've finished.

Since you have to earn Number 2 via all that tedious mucking about outside in the rain, it is all the more important to savour Number 1.

Glenfinnan to Cape Wrath Part 1: The Rough Bounds

So this was it, this was the trip that all my other trips had merely been practice for.

Meticulously planned, thoroughly researched, and endlessly talked about (by me, to anyone who would listen).

Glenfinnan to Cape Wrath via as many of Northwest Scotland's best trails, most exciting hills and bothies as possible.

Or so I'd hoped.