Easy Way? No Thanks!

A boggy, heathery yomp and cycle to three summits around Corrour

- FIONA RUSSELL

WHEN a friend from southern England asked if I'd like to join her and her young son for dinner at one of Scotland's most remote pubs, I decided I would turn the trip into an adventure.

Like Myrid and Rowan, it would have been possible for me to travel by train on the West Highland Line to reach Corrour Station House Restaurant, at the heart of the vast Corrour Estate on the edge of Rannoch Moor in the Highlands.

I could have also booked into the Signal Box Accommodation, just like the mother and son, for a comfortable overnight in a quirky B&B, located on the platform of the UK's highest mainline station.

But, instead, my aspirations were for a wilder and more budget-friendly experience. I came up with a two-day plan for a bikepacking trip that would include the dinner with friends, a wild camp and a hike of three mountains.

I invited one of my local friends - Cath - who, like me, was happy to eschew the modern luxuries of railways and a room with an ensuite.

Aside from the train, the only way for the public to reach Corrour is by bike or on foot.

So, while Myrid and seven-year-old Rowan enjoyed the train journey, Cath and I cycled on a rough and undulating track to the south of the estate, having left a car at the side of a narrow, no-through-road between the small settlements of Kinloch Rannoch and Rannoch Station in Perth and Kinross.

At the first hill, which came quickly, we could feel the sudden heaviness of our bikes laden with packs full of all the items we would need for our adventure. Instead of trying to push too hard, we dropped gears and settled into a slow ascent, sometimes getting off our bikes to walk and push.

As we cycled and walked, we chatted not about the challenge but happily about the fabulous sense of freedom that comes from a self-supported trip in Scotland.