2012 sees the Scottish Six Days Trial (SSDT) enter its second century, with nine days of motorcycling entertainment being held in Fort William and the surrounding Lochaber region of the Scottish Highlands from 4th - 12th May. The main trial takes place from 7th - 12th May and SSDT organisers, the Edinburgh and District Motor Club, are pleased to confirm the following details.
Kicking off the entertainment in the village of Kinlochleven this Friday and Saturday will be the nostalgic Pre'65 Trial, a must for anybody with an interest in older bikes. On Sunday the SSDT takes over and visitors can enjoy the spectacular sight of all 275 SSDT entrants taking part in the opening cavalcade through Fort William's town centre.
Each day of the trial sees competitors take on the might of the hard Scottish terrain interspersed with the challenges presented by 30 different observed sections. On Monday 7th May, crowds will amass at 7.30am in the West End Car Park to watch the first riders leave on the start of their six-day adventure.
The first group on Monday and of the week will be Leanachan with four sections located behind the Nevis Ski Range, where the first rider is expected to arrive at around 7.45am. Monday's 66-mile course will also take in Garbh Bheinn, Cnoc a Linnhe and Cameron Hill at Loch Leven en route to Lagnaha. With seven challenging sections, Lagnaha is one of the week's most popular locations for spectators.
On Tuesday 8th May, riders will complete a 103-mile route, the second longest of the week. Creag Lundie, located up on the hillside over Loch Cluanie, will be amongst the busiest groups of the day with five testing sections to watch in close succession. The first rider is due to arrive there at 11.40am. The last stop of the day will be Witches Burn where riders are due to take on the final section of the day from around 2.40pm onwards.
On Wednesday, spectators are recommended to go for an early start and head to Loch Eli and Trotters Burn, where the first riders are scheduled to begin passing through at 7.45am and 8.50am respectively. The day's 81-mile course will also visit Annat and Fersit, both excellent groups of sections, but be prepared for a long walk if visiting these spots. Grey Mares Tail at Kinlochleven is also worth a visit from 2pm onwards.
Thursday will provide another grueling route where riders will cover 126 miles, the longest day of the week. The best spectating option for the day is to start at Chairlift at around 8.15am then head over to find a space at Fersit to watch the riders end their day with seven tough sections from 2pm onwards. As an alternative to those who do not mind an early start and would prefer to avoid the crowds, there is a lovely day to be spent in Glen Lyon out at Lochs Wood and Coire Nam Miseach.
Friday follows the traditional route around the Moidart peninsula with all but one or two sections easily accessible from the roadside. Anyone watching the event is asked to travel in the same direction as the trial to ease congestion, as most of the roads around the peninsula are single-track. Riders will cover 91 miles that day, with the roadside loop for spectators being around 80 miles in length.
Saturday, the final day of the trial, provides the shortest route of the week (58 miles), and includes the historic Town Hall Brae where the competitors ride the famous final section in the middle of the town before finishing on the podium in the town centre. The three groups of sections in Glen Nevis are likely to be the highlight of the day, with Pipeline and Lower Mamore at Kinlochleven also proving very popular.
The SSDT finale takes place on Saturday night when spectators are invited to take advantage of free entry to the fully-licensed closing presentation of awards in Fort William's An Aird centre. The presentation starts at 9pm and is a great opportunity to wind down and relax with riders and supporters alike.
In addition to the main SSDT trial action, there will be various apres-trial events being held throughout the nine days in the licensed marquee, known as The SSDT Hub, situated in the West End Car Park in Fort William. By day The SSDT Hub will provide a place to sit down and take in the atmosphere of the event. By night it will host a range of different events.
On Saturday 5th May everyone is warmly invited to kickstart their week at the SSDT Welcome Ceilidh, with renowned Scottish band 'On The Wagon'. Sunday 6th May sees the SSDT play host to some of Scotland's best up-and-coming bands, including Washington Irving and Kitty The Lion. There will be a general knowledge pub quiz on Wednesday 9th May and finally ex-British Champion Steve Saunders will be talking to us on Friday 11th May. You can find out more about each of these events on the Spectators tab of the SSDT website, www.ssdt.org.