Checking those Scottish routes
By TMX Archives on 3rd May 13
Its is of course The Scottish next week and you can read our Scottish Six Days Preview in this very issue - but those of you who are mad keen SSDT fans will know that the club have only released basic details of the route this year.
This, sadly, is an attempt to stop people riding illegally in the Highlands. The thinking is that people will get their hands on the route and assume it must be legal to go riding there whenever they please.
The truth, as all responsible people know, is of course very, very different. It isn't actually legal to ride on ANY of the land, which is all privately owned and the organising guys and gals of the Edinburgh and DMCC who run the trial have to jump through many and varied hoops in order to persuade land owners to allow the trial to pass over the land.
The permission gained is ONLY for the duration of the event and ONLY for signed-on riders and officials. No one else should be anywhere near the route on motorcycles. Attempting to follow the route is strictly forbidden and puts the future of the event in doubt.
Which brings us to to those daily routes. Most days follow tried and trusted trails but again SSDT fans have spotted a glaring omission on Tuesday.
The spectator favourite Creag Lundie group is missing. This is bad news. The good news is that the route has not been lost to the club but there is some major work going on regarding power lines in the area and the Clerk of the Course is just keeping out of the way.
It does of course leave the day without a major spectator draw. Followers are asked to PLEASE park carefully at the four possibilities which are Loch Arkaig, Forest Gate and old favourites Laggan Locks and Trotters Burn.
Wednesday sees the return of an old-favourite run not used for around 20 years which is the off-road trek from Pipeline to Altnafeadh. Competitors MUST stick closely to the marked route - and the single Altnafeadh section is brand new, not the old favourite.
There's also a new two-sub section at Clachaig at the bottom of Glencoe which should be worth a look.
Moving ahead to next year I have it on the very best of authority that the end result of some years of diligent work by the CoC and the route planners is that in 2014 there will be a BRAND NEW daily route featuring land not previously used in the Scottish.
This is a very exciting development and will allow the organisers to rest land and let it recover.
Meanwhile, itn is business as usual next Monday when 270 lucky riders get their chance to participate in the best trial in the world.
You can read all about it (as well as the Pre-65 trial) over the next two issues of TMX with Eric Kitchen's unbeatable pictures.
